Iowa State dorm residents and resident assistants share their thoughts on move-in day – Iowa State Daily

The dorm move-in process is a milestone for any new college student. First-year Iowa State students joined in this tradition as they moved in on Tuesday.

Maggie Millenkamp, a freshman in interior design, said that moving in after her roommates helped with the process. 

“It was nice because they kind of had everything set up, so I kinda just followed what they were doing,” Millenkamp said.

Millenkamp dorm is located in Eaton Hall, which she believes is a good location for new students.

“We have it pretty good,” she said. “We have air conditioning, we have bathrooms to ourselves.”

However, Millenkamp wishes she had a better idea of what her dorm room was going to look like prior to moving in.

“I know some colleges have like the 360 view,” she said. “I wish that we had that.”

Bianca Tiller, a first-year in architecture, said her move-in experience was fairly straightforward.

“They just had the move-in crew and they sent out emails about move-in day information,” Tiller said. “I don’t really think there is anything I wish I had known.”

Alternatively, Abigail Matheson, a first-year in marketing, said that her move-in process was a little chaotic.

“Two of my other roommates were moving in at the exact same time as me, so it was definitely a jumble of a mess,” Matheson said.

She also said that she wishes she knew where to go and where to park.

“That wasn’t really given,” Matheson said.

Carter Sanders, a senior in chemical engineering and a Resident Assistant for Martin Hall, said the RA’s have to prepare students to move in. They set up signage and have a DA (Department Assistant) working the desk to answer questions and assist during the move in process. 

“We have people in bright orange shirts that help take carts and all of their move-in materials,” Sanders said.

Sanders said these individuals check students in, walk through their room inspection sheets and welcome packets and give them their keys.

“If they have any questions, we just are walking around the building greeting residents and helping them,” Sanders said. 

Sanders said the biggest issue they run into during move-in time is miscommunication.

“Sometimes some people will move in and they’ll go into a room that they aren’t assigned,” Sanders said. “Or sometimes it’s just as simple as maybe the resident was trying to move in early, and they weren’t on the move-in early list.”

Residents with unanswered questions or concerns post-move-in are encouraged to visit the Department of Residence website for more information.