August 20–26, 2008, Number 506
Upon Arrival to Campus
Last week of summer! I can hardly believe how quickly the last 4 months of summer vacation have gone by. However, I can’t wait for classes to begin and close friends to return again. I’m also super excited to welcome the new incoming first-year students. This article will have information about what you and your student should do upon arriving at Michigan Tech for Orientation Week. The information might be a slight repeat of previous articles, but I think that knowing all the information about checking-in and moving-in is important.
First stop once you arrive on campus is to head to the Rozsa Center. Here students check-in and receive their orientation packets for the week. The packets will include such material as their schedule, which orientation team they are assigned to, as well as other information regarding orientation events, their housing assignment and Residence Hall information, meal pass, and their room key. Check-in will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday August 23 and Sunday August 24 lasting until 4:00 p.m. Once your student has done this it is time to head to their specific Residence Hall.
Move-in is coordinated very well for each of the Residence Halls. There is parking in both the front and back of the halls and their will be Michigan Tech students and staff working to assist and direct you and your student to the location that would best suit unloading all of your student’s materials. Again, make sure to double check the information that your student receives in the check-in packet as it will have material relevant to the move-in process. Move-in will start on Saturday, August 23 at 10:00 a.m. and continues until 4:00 p.m. If you and your student don’t plan to come until Sunday, the times are the same (10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.). If for some reason you and your student arrive late to campus on either Saturday or Sunday, there is still a late check-in process that will allow them to get into their Residence Hall the day you arrive. Simply stop by Wadsworth Hall and go through the main doors, up the stairs and see the person who is behind the front Reception Desk in the lobby area. They will help get you checked-in and explain what you would need to do from there.
One of the most important things that your student will need to pick up when they arrive to campus (I call this item their lifeline to campus as it gets you into just about everything they’ll need) is their Tech Express Identification Card. This ID card is used for meal passes, getting into computer labs, getting into sporting events, purchasing tickets for Rozsa events, etc. Picking it up as soon as possible is highly recommended, especially before August 25. Here is the schedule for getting the Tech ID Cards:
Saturday and Sunday Aug. 23-24:
10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the Rozsa Center Lobby (this is only for those who submitted a photo online by August 15).
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Memorial Union Building (MUB) Room 105, Red Metal Room (photos will be taken and ID cards issued).
Monday through Friday Aug. 25-29:
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Memorial Union Building (MUB) Tech Express Service Center in the Campus Bookstore
Saturday through Monday Aug. 30-Sept. 1:
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Memorial Union Building (MUB) Tech Express Service Center in the Campus Bookstore
Once you and your student have finished moving in all of their belongings, you’ll have to move your vehicle to allow the next group of families to come through. The students and staff working will direct you to a parking lot that you can move your vehicle to. If your student plans on having a vehicle during the school year, it is important that they register it as soon as possible. If your student hasn’t already done so, they can go to this website to register their vehicle. Or, once you and your student arrive to campus, registration can be done at the Housing Facilities Office located in room G044 on the ground floor of the east side of Douglass Houghton Hall. Students will receive a parking sticker to place in the front right window of their vehicle.
Campus tours will be given on both Saturday and Sunday. The Saturday tours will run from 4:00 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. and will depart at 4:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. On Sunday, the tours will begin at 11:00 a.m. and run until 12:30 p.m. with tours beginning at 11:00 a.m.and 11:30 a.m. A second round of tours will also be done on Sunday starting at 3:00 p.m. and lasting until 5:00 p.m. with the tours departing at 3:00, 3:30, and 4:00 p.m. Make sure to double check the New Student Schedule for Orientation week found at this website for a full list of what events will be taking place during Orientation Week. This online version of the schedule is a draft version and a final schedule will be placed in your student’s Orientation packet received at check-in.
Now for a little bit of local lingo just so no one is confused when they arrive. Many of you will probably hear these two a lot: OTL and RA. For those who don’t know, OTL stands for Orientation Team Leader. These people are students of Michigan Tech who will be leading the Orientation Teams that your student has been assigned to. They help out the student with team meetings that have information to help them get adjusted to campus life, answer questions about campus and classes, assist students in move-in, and much more. I know that I had a lot of fun with my Orientation team and have made lasting friendships with many of the people that I had in my team and my OTL was a big part of it. RA stands for Residence Assistant. This is the person who will be living in the Residence Hall with your student and helping out with different aspects of hall life. They help direct the students if they have questions, need assistance, or anything else that might come up during the school year.
I hope the information in this article has helped answer any last minute questions about what to do or expect when you and your student arrive to campus. Look for me, as I will be out an about helping with move-in, tours, and other parts of Orientation. I look forward to meeting a lot of people this up coming weekend. If there are any questions or comments about this article feel free to email me at my personal email address. Any future article ideas are welcomed as well. Next week I’ll have more information about what is going on during Orientation Week 2008 from the standpoint of new students and families, Orientation Team Leaders and even some Residence Assistants to keep all you parents at home up to date on Orientation week happenings.
Until next week,
- Michigan Technological University
- 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931-1295
- 906-487-1885