Things looked quite a bit different as freshmen moved in Wednesday at Franklin College.
Typically, it is a sea of freshmen, with families, faculty and Residence Life staff helping them get settled in what will be their homes for the next nine months.
Instead, it was a much smaller sea of masks and independence.
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Faculty and staff took a hands-off approach, answering questions from families and students, without physically helping them move in. They were still there to distribute keys and information packets, and some held open doors of residence halls as families and students trickled in, all wearing masks as required by Franklin College.
The change in move-in approach helps decrease the risk of contagion, said Andrew Jones, the college’s vice president for student development and dean of students.
“Typically, we have an all-hands-on-deck approach to move-in, and faculty and staff and student groups join,” Jones said. “The safest way this year is to de-densify people in buildings. We’re asking students and their two guests to help with the process, and they’re divided into three groups. We typically would have 50 to 75 faculty and staff members (physically) help with move in.”
Of 326 freshmen, 280 will live on campus this semester. Those 280 were divided into three time slots throughout the day Wednesday, and each student was limited to two helpers. Many students had their parents help them, including Kaitlyn Hewitt, a freshman from Carmel.
“I’m just excited to actually be on campus in the fall and play soccer in the spring,” Hewitt said. “The way campus is run, school will be different with social distancing in the classroom … It’ll be different, but it’ll be fun.”
Jana and Larry Minks of Crawfordsville helped their daughter, freshman Lauren Minks, move in.
“We’re excited for her,” Jana Minks said. “Being parents, we’re nervous, but that’s part of sending our children off on their own. I think Franklin’s been very proactive in taking (students’) well-being into consideration as well as their need of being able to socialize and be a part of campus.”
Though junior Henry Davidson wasn’t able to help families and students carry items to their dorm rooms, he helped by holding open a door at Elsey Residence Hall. Despite the challenges of going to school during a pandemic, he is happy to be back, Davidson said.
“We’re assisting with move-in any way we can, directing people and traffic. I think it’s going pretty well,” Davidson said.
“I hope we can finish the semester strong. I love to be on campus and I’m excited to be back.”
Procedures are stricter, and the college’s main focus is on keeping everyone safe, said Jennifer Mann, administrative assistant to the Academic Resource and Student Success centers.
“Everything is centered around that,” Mann said.
Returning students will move into residence halls Sunday, the day before classes start for all students. This is the first time students have been on the Franklin campus since mid-March due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Colleges around the state opted to return to in-person learning this fall.
