A steady flow of vehicles, each packed with the essentials of dormitory living, filled Eastern’s streets and parking lots as the university welcomed new and returning resident-hall-dwelling students to Cheney.
Some 1,180 students were slated to move into EWU’s four operational residence halls, while an additional 180 students were headed to university apartment complexes during the two-day Move-In Day event on Sept. 14-15.
Students and their families arrived to the enthusiastic greetings of EWU community members who volunteered their time to direct traffic, unload cars and provide the muscle to ensure arriving Eagles got off to a great start in their new living quarters.
Within the first hour and a half on Thursday, the first of two designated moving days, Jai Anasazi-Matangi, a 37-year-old from Hawaii who is earning his Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree, had assisted a dozen students with their move into Anderson Hall.
“The move-in experience was my introduction to university life. It’s great that we have so many volunteers from different organizations,” says Anasazi-Matangi, who was among the 80-plus volunteers dubbed the “Movers and Shakers.”
Just a short block from Anderson Hall, Taleya Ware, an 18-year-old from Tacoma, had plenty of support moving into Pearce Hall thanks to her parents and three younger brothers.
Ware, who is passionate about helping people, chose Eastern specifically for its social work program.
“I want to work in a low-income school and be a child social worker,” said Ware. Ware is interested in learning more about the Black Student Union (BSU) and other clubs and organizations at Eastern.
Taleya’s mom, Manicia Ware, said although it’s hard to have her daughter studying a five-hour drive across the state, she is excited for her future.
“She is the first kid out of my family to go to college. It’s beautiful and I am so proud of her,” Manicia Ware says.
Over at snyamncut residence hall, Ashtyn Lucas, a 21-year-old exercise science major from Falls, Idaho, is serving as a community advisor (CA). It’s her second straight year in the role of CA, and also as acting as an informal concierge for incoming students.
“It’s nice to see a second year of everybody being excited to be here, excited to move in and their first-day jitters,” Lucas says.
One of the incoming residents at snyamncut, Koda Woodward, 18, of Kelso, Washington, is looking forward to new experiences at Eastern. Woodward says he will study business while competing as a shot putter for EWU’s Track and Field team.
While he is looking forward to meeting new people, Woodward says, “My roommate is one of my friends from my hometown.”
Natasha Ruddell, an 18-year-old from Longview Washington, plans to major in elementary education. A half-dozen friends from her hometown are also moving onto campus, she says, adding that the group is looking forward to visiting Roos Field to watch the Eagles play Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday.
“I’m excited to go to a college football game,” Ruddell says. “I think me and my friends are planning on rushing the field.”
