Students, faculty, staff, a therapy dog and a saxophone player covering pop hits were all ready to welcome the Class of 2029 on move-in day.
On Aug. 21, the University welcomed approximately 714 first-year students, a decrease from the 756 enrolled in Fall 2024, according to expected enrollment figures provided by Dan Christopherson, director of public affairs.
This year, new students and their loved ones also went through a new centralized move-in system which kept them in their cars during check-in, according to Director of Student Activities Jeromy Koffler.
Koffler says the new system allowed move-in staff to share about first-year tools like the UP Mobile app, the orientation schedule and the Anchor course in a consistent way.
“I've been joking that it's like, ‘Chick-fil-A’ style, we come out and we're like, ‘Hey,’ and they roll down the window, ‘Go pilots,’ that kind of thing, and talk to them and get to know them a little bit, make them feel welcome,” Koffler said.
Students and families experienced long wait times during the “morning rush,” a factor Koffler acknowledges as well, but seemed optimistic about the new system.
Parent and UP alum Bryce Neva says the wait was helped by good weather and friendly staff.
A volunteer helps a first-year student load a mini fridge into a moving bin outside of Mehling Hall on Aug. 21.
Another addition for the Class of 2029 was the reopening of Shipstad Hall, which closed its doors in 2023 for renovations.
Shipstad now has new carpet, paint, glass, lighting, lounges, a beanbag room and a 98-inch television, according to Resident Assistant Zachary Leppaluoto.
Though the hall may look different, Shipstad Hall Director Lupita Zamora-Resendiz says beloved traditions like the haunted house will return.
A move-in volunteer helps a student wheel their things into Shipstad Hall on Aug. 21.
As new students hauled big Pilot-purple carts to their dorms, they reflected on what brought them to UP, and expressed excitement at making campus home.
First-year student Jacqueline Miller, a social work major from Beaverton, says she chose UP for its "beautiful" campus and because she immediately saw herself here.
“[UP] has a lot of variety, even if it is a Catholic school, it's very open to everything, which I thought was really nice,” Miller said.
University President Robert Kelly poses for a photo with a first-year student's parents on Aug. 21.
Though excitement was high, many parents expressed how hard it was to send their children off to college away from home.
Ashley Story moved her son Tyler Parsons all the way from Kansas City, Missouri to Corrado Hall. Story says it’s difficult to leave him, but feels UP will be better off with him there.
“It’s his time, I can’t believe how lucky the world is,” Story said. “The world gets to meet him. I have to let him go, but the whole rest of the world gets to meet him. And he gets to meet the world just as himself.”
As President Robert Kelly stood outside Shipstad Hall hours before, waiting to set off the traditional confetti cannons, he expressed a similar wish for the Class of 2029.
“I want them to see themselves, that they belong here, and they make the University better because they're here,” Kelly said.
Maggie Dapp is the News and Managing Editor at The Beacon. She can be reached at dapp26@up.edu.
Kaylee Monahan contributed to this story. She can be reached at monahan26@up.edu.
Samantha Zavala contributed to this story. She can be reached at zavala26@up.edu.
Nandita Kumar contributed to this story. She can be reached at kumarn27@up.edu.
Camille Kuroiwa-Lewis contributed to this story. She can be reached at kuroiwal26@up.edu.
Kaeden Souki contributed to this story. He can be reached at souki28@up.edu.
