Ducks flock to Eugene as University of Oregon welcomes thousands of students

The University of Oregon's fall move-in began Thursday with thousands of Ducks filing into their new homes for the school year.

About 5,750 students will be moving into residence halls this fall, 4,750 of which were expected to move in on Thursday and Friday.

This is UO's third year with its new two-day, move-in strategy , which has helped make the process go more smoothly. Incoming students and their families reported a swift experience.

Anna Schmidt-McKenzie, associate vice president and chief of staff for the Division of Student Services and Enrollment Management, said the university is still making small adjustments to the move-in method every year, trying to figure out the most efficient way to get all students settled.

She said UO honed in on the traffic around Agate Street and 15th Avenue this year. Agate Street was closed to through traffic south of Franklin Boulevard. Families entered via 13th Avenue.

"We, on average, are getting folks unloaded out of their vehicles within five minutes, seven minutes," Schmidt-McKenzie said. "Then they're up and away and already moving around. There was a bit of a surprise, also, lots of joy, happiness, excitement, a little bit of anxiety here — What's next? What's it gonna be like?"

Incoming University of Oregon students have mix of emotions

Incoming freshman Thomas Karam said he's wanted to attend UO since middle school and was always looking forward to school field trips to the campus. He and his family drove down to UO from Portland early Thursday morning.

"Nervous, excited, emotions that I can't describe," Karam said about move-in day. "This means a lot because it's the first time I'm moving out with family, being away for so long.

"It's very exciting. It's the first step to becoming an actual adult."

Sophia Findley and her mom, Rose Findley, unloaded Sophia's belongings from their car Thursday, having driven from Newberg that morning. Sophia is the youngest of three, so Rose said she was feeling emotional throughout the process.

"I'm just hoping she has a good transition and gets adjusted quickly," Rose said. "I'm super excited for her."

Sophia moved into Hamilton Hall with her best friend since sixth grade, Elly Kjersten. The two UO freshmen grew up in Newberg and decided to room together as they entered this new chapter of their lives.

"We've been friends for so long, it's nice to room with someone you know and you're comfortable with," Kjersten said.

Both girls said they were looking forward to their classes and becoming more independent over the next year.

Welcoming new Ducks to UO's campus

The Duck welcomed incoming students with open wings, dodging between rolling buckets filled with boxes and parents embracing their children.

"We're excited to have students back, and so we want it to be a good experience, a smooth experience," said Jim Brooks, interim vice president for Student Services and Enrollment Management. "(Move in) is something we're planning on well in advance."

This is the 13th year of Unpack the Quack, which is the tradition of student and staff volunteers welcoming students to campus and helping them get settled in their dorms. Marlene Blum, associate director for strategic communications and marketing, has been volunteering with Unpack the Quack for the past 10 years.

"Unpack the Quack has changed so much over the years," Blum said, mentioning challenges over the years with the COVID-19 testing requirements, key distribution issues and crazy amounts of traffic. "This is the third or fourth year in a row where I'd say every family member and student I've interacted with has said, 'Oh we moved in our sibling at another school and it was so hard, but this is so nice and you're helping us.'"

Blum said she is one of many volunteers who returns annually to help out with the move-in and kick off the school year.

"There's so much work that I do behind the scenes where I don't get to meet the people who are really here, getting to have this awesome experience of going to the University of Oregon," Blum said. "This day and commencement day feel like the two cap ends of seeing the real people and what they're excited about."

UO President Karl Scholz also made an appearance at the move-in festivities, calling it "one of the most exciting times of the year."

"Being here reminds you of what it is that we're about," Scholz said. "Higher education is a mission-driven undertaking, and so to be able to see the families see the students and their excitement grounds you.

"(We are) creating wonderful experiences that allow students to pursue their dreams … It's an incredible privilege," he said.

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr .

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Ducks flock to Eugene as University of Oregon welcomes thousands of students