Over the past week, nearly 6,000 students moved into Penn’s on-campus housing.
Residential Services expected 2,545 first-year and transfer students, 2,379 second-year students, and 866 third- and fourth-year students to move into campus housing between Aug. 21 and 28.
Student Health Services required students to upload proof of COVID-19 and flu vaccinations early in the summer. Residential Services also continued the successful measures implemented for COVID-19 such as mobile check-in, mobile guest passes and arrival time slots, Barbara Lea-Kruger, director of communications and external relations at Penn Business Services, wrote.
Students in specific populations, such as pre-orientation programs and FGLI, began moving in Aug. 21. Transfer, exchange, international, Penn First Plus-sponsored, and other early move-in students moved in starting Aug. 22. Incoming first-years started moving in on Aug. 23, and returning students who have not moved in early moved in between Aug. 26 and 28.
“We were able to house any students who participated in housing selection,” Lea-Kruger wrote. She added that as of now campus housing is at 99% of housing capacity.
Students were allowed to bring guests to help with move-in. There was no limit on the number of guests allowed this semester, Lea-Kruger wrote. However, all guests must be pre-registered with a mobile guest pass and present a photo ID to enter the College House with the student.
Students checked in on their phones or at any of the welcome tents or information centers on campus, Lea-Kruger wrote. There were also tents near the College Houses where students could sign out carts to help with moving in.
Free street parking was available for up to one hour at the allocated move-in time and location to allow students to unload their belongings. Once the cars were unloaded, they were directed to one of the parking garages around campus, according to Lea-Kruger.
College first-year Luna Chen moved into Hill College House on Tuesday and described it as going “really smoothly.”
“There was no traffic on the street. And everybody who helped me move in and put my stuff into the carts were really fast and really efficient,” she said.
Residential and Hospitality Services had 40 move-in coordinators to help students with the move-in process, Lea-Kruger wrote. There were also additional volunteers from other offices on campus such as College Houses and Academic Services and New Student Orientation and Academic Initiatives.
College first-year Clarke Dickens moved into W.E.B. DuBois College House on Saturday as a Pre-First Year Program student. They also found the process to be really “smooth” and finished moving in within an hour. Dickens was able to check in several family members as guests, and had two members take turns helping each time, they said.
Students enjoyed live music and free samples of Philadelphia Tastykakes, pretzels, and water ice during move-in, Lea-Kruger wrote.
“They have the information center where there were different tables so we could learn about the different centers that we had,” Dickens said. They also mentioned events like a carnival at Houston Hall for FGLI students.
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