A total of 1,306 new students checked in at Lloyd Noble Center on Tuesday, experiencing wait times up to four hours past their scheduled move-in.
Wait times were especially long for students moving into Cross Village, which had 643 students moving in on Tuesday. Walker Center saw 292 students move in while Couch Center saw 249. David L. Boren Hall saw four, Dunham College saw 58 and Headington College saw 60 students move in this week.
The remainder of the incoming OU class will move into the Couch and Walker Centers, Cross Village, David L. Boren Hall, Dunham College and Headington College on Aug. 12 and 13.
OU has seen a consecutive increase in class sizes over the past three years, with the class of 2027 marking a 10% increase from the previous year’s freshman class. Last year, OU welcomed a total of 5,212 new students.
According to an email sent to OU staffers on Thursday, over 4,000 students are expected arrive on Monday and Tuesday next week.
An incoming OU freshman, Kate Pauling, said she had one of the first move-in times of the day. She said she arrived at 8 a.m. and got out at 1 p.m.
Pauling said there was only one line for Cross Village residents to get to their move-in service, which might have contributed to the backup.
Another incoming freshman, Madi Pitcock, said her move-in time was 9 a.m. After checking in at Lloyd Noble Center, she was told the move-in lines were backed up and waited in line for the move-in service for two hours.
Pitcock said it seemed the backup was also caused by a possible lack of move-in service personnel, the number of people coming in and those who came before their scheduled time.
Many girls with later move-in times were in a hurry as an orientation for sorority recruitment events began at 7 p.m. that night, incoming freshman Gillian Pickering said. Pickering’s move-in time was 3:30 p.m.
Pickering said she ended up moving things herself. She was moving in on the fourth floor of Cross Village and had to take the stairs due to elevators being used by the move-in service.
The event was later pushed to 8 p.m., but Pickering said it was a stressful day.
According to ShaRhonda Maclin, assistant vice president of student affairs and associate dean of students, University and Student Services manages the logistics for physically moving residents' belongings and the scheduled move-in times.
Maclin wrote in an email to OU Daily that to determine how many personnel are needed for move-in day, the number of residents moving in on the selected day, the number of residents moving into the individual buildings and the scheduled times assigned to each resident are all taken into account.
There were 290 USS-managed staff and 34 supervisors on Aug. 6, Maclin wrote. Personnel arrived around 7 a.m. and left after move-in wrapped up a little after 8 p.m. The last move-in time, according to Pitcock, was 4:30-5 p.m.
Other than the lines, Pitcock said the move-in service was smooth and quick. All of her items made it to the right place and in the same condition.
OU provided the following statement regarding Tuesday’s move-in to OU Daily:
“We regret the unforeseen delays and traffic congestion experienced during Move-In on Tuesday, Aug. 6, and we are working to address any challenges. For next week’s Move-In, we will adjust personnel as needed to both facilitate the flow of movers and enforce the rules that ensure a smooth process, and we will continue to communicate proactively with students and families to make those instructions clear. Incoming students and their families are urged to review and follow OU’s Move-In guidelines at ou.edu/housingandfood/housing/move-in. Please note, previously announced road closures and traffic patterns will remain in effect starting at 7 a.m. on each Move-In day.”
According to the Thursday email, the following changes will be made on Monday and Tuesday to accommodate traffic:
• Asp Avenue will be northbound only from Timberdell Road to Lindsey Street.
• Timberdell Road will be closed, both eastbound and westbound, at Chautauqua Avenue and Jenkins Avenue.
• Imhoff Road will be closed, both eastbound and westbound, at Chautauqua Avenue and Jenkins Avenue.
• GT Blankenship Boulevard will be open, both eastbound and westbound, at Chautauqua Avenue and Jenkins Avenue.
In addition to the wait times for move-in, incoming freshmen commented on room changes to Cross Village.
On June 21, the Board of Regents approved Cross Village replacing some of the full-size beds in the two bedroom, one bathroom layout with two extra large twin beds in each room, creating a four-bed and one-bath room. The change was to accommodate the number of students applying to live in Cross Village.
Incoming freshman Cece Clark said the new dorm was a tight fit.
“We have no room in there for a vanity or a desk or anything. It's just beds. My room has two wardrobes, but then my other two roommates . . . don't have room for a desk or dresser or anything. They have one closet and then the other girl's closet has to be in the living room because it doesn’t fit in the bedroom.”
The newest type of room in Cross Village.
The two bedroom, one bathroom double floor plan in Cross Village.
Cross Village has a total bed count of 1,429. The new room costs $4,400 per semester.
Cross Village has several floor plans available including a one bedroom, one bathroom; two bedroom, one bathroom; and a four bedroom, two bathroom. The new floor plan is a two bedroom, one bathroom double.
This story was edited by Ana Barboza. Avery Avery copy edited this story.
