It will not be much longer until the incoming class of first-year students packs their bags for Hamden, counting down the days before move-in. That countdown for some is filled with excitement.

“Visiting campus for the first time definitely felt really homie,” said Cat Murphy, an incoming first-year student from Milford, CT. “It’s a really beautiful campus.”

Move-in for the class of 2025 will begin as early as August 24th and will last until August 26th. Orientation leaders from Quinnipiac’s first-year orientation program in June served as a great resource to ensure everything these first-years needed to get done to have a room was on time. The most important piece was to make sure each of their first-year housing contracts were sent to Quinnipiac’s office of residential life by July 1st.

“If you don’t sign that contract, you don’t get a bed,” said second-year orientation leader Paul Cappuzzo.

Additionally, the orientation leaders reminded their first-years to complete other housing-related tasks like filling out their My College Roomie application. My College Roomie is a program that asks questions looking to find the best fit when incoming first-years are looking to randomly select their roommate. It was a lot to remember, but the leaders found ways to keep their students on track.

“We sent them reminders pretty frequently,” said first-year orientation leader Shahzil Ali. “We also told them to follow QU orientation on Instagram, keep checking their emails and res(idential) life on Instagram as well… to keep them updated is what we really tried to do.”

Eight choices were available for first-years to pick where they wanted to live. The Suite style dorms Perlroth, Larson and Troup are housing up to eight total students in four separate dorms of two students apiece. Commons, Ledges, Dana, and Irma are residence halls only housing two students per room. Commons and Ledges will be doubles housing again this year, after normally being a quad style in years past. This measure was taken as another safety precaution against Covid-19.

One piece that attracted first-year students like Seth Fromowitz from Oxford, CT (waiting for confirmation on this) and Murphy to live at Quinnipiac was the opportunity to be a part of the 3+1 Communications Living Learning Community (LLC) in Ledges. This LLC, along with the 18 others Quinnipiac offers, provides a chance for students to live closer to other first-years of their same program or major.

“I wanted to be in a community that was with like-minded people,” said Fromowitz. “That not only had the same major as me but was in the more general classes with myself.”

For the second fall semester in a row, all students for at least some period of time will be required to wear face coverings indoors. This includes all students who are living on campus. As soon as they leave their dorm or suite and are inside any building on campus, they will have to mask up.

“At first I was a bit annoyed,” said Fromowitz. “But, in the end, whatever keeps us safe, whatever they need me to do on my part to make sure that it’s for sure no more need for various policies.”

While frustration and disappointment are present across the Quinnipiac community in response to the university’s statement requiring masks for all students indoors regardless of vaccination status, first-years like Amalia Barroso from Fairfield, CT try to look at the bigger and brighter picture.

“I think the most important thing is that we’re all going to be back,” said Barroso. “We’re all going to be able to experience interacting with each other in classrooms. There’s more importance in being together than having to overcome wearing a mask.”

Students who have a bit more experience with the policy like first-year orientation leader Paige Pezzella, offer advice to their students on how to handle it.

“We really push getting involved in things,” said Pezzella. “Look at the greater Quinnipiac community, and not just stay in your dorm room, because then it gets so, so lonely.”

The leaders got yet another chance to share their wisdom on how to live on campus last Wednesday (Aug. 5). This chance was given during a one-hour Zoom information session, where the orientation leaders and interns shared their first-year residence hall stories and experiences.

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