Welcoming Jayhawks to the KU Lawrence Campus

More than 90 university staff and faculty volunteers and more than 350 student volunteers joined Housing & Residence Life (HRL) in supporting move-in operations on Aug. 21 and 22. These volunteers assisted with unloading vehicles, carrying belongings, directing traffic, answering questions, and welcoming students and their families to campus.  

The Family Finish Line hosted by the Office of Family Engagement (OFE) in the Jayhawk Welcome Center was an opportunity for families to celebrate and spend time together after moving in. Over 600 parents, families, and guests attended the event. 

Many of the families spoke with staff about their experience moving in, as well as their hopes for their students' futures.  

"We got up at 6 a.m., had a three-hour flight, got a rental car, and had another 45-minute ride to Lawrence," shared Brian Dougherty, the father of a new Jayhawk relocating from Boston, Mass. 

"The morning of, we drove through all of the cones and were at the front of the line within three minutes. Pulled to the curb, and they had carts and folks ready for us, and before I knew it, our car was empty, and I was driving over to the parking lot. So, it was extremely smooth." 

When asked about the experience of his student leaving the nest, Doughtery answered the experience can be both exciting and scary.  

"I have to check myself and tell myself how exciting it is. He is our one and only, now a thousand miles away, but I am so excited for the opportunities he has here. The people we met in the dorms, the facilities that we've been in... everything that we've come across has just been top notch, we couldn't say enough about this place." 

While move-in week is the most visible part of the process, welcoming thousands of residents to campus requires months of preparation by HRL staff. Room assignments, facility readiness, logistics planning, training, communication efforts, and operational details all came together to ensure that everything was in place for a smooth and welcoming arrival experience. 

Thank you to all the HRL staff; student, faculty, and staff volunteers; and Jayhawk families for making move-in possible this fall.