This spirit of eager anticipation was palpable throughout the morning, as families unloaded lacrosse sticks, coffee makers, the obligatory John Belushi poster and — in the case of one particularly conscientious student — an ironing board. Students arrived in their UD gear to buildings decorated with streamers and balloons, and they were greeted by staff sporting Blue Hen-branded foam fingers. Christine Yan Schultz, associate director of the Honors College, wore a pair of blue and gold pom-pom earrings that flew around with the breeze as she welcomed new arrivals. Not even brutal heat and humidity could dampen the mood.

For all incoming students, this new journey will begin with safety as a top priority. According to Jim Tweedy, director of residence life and housing, COVID-19 has forced a streamlining of the move-in process that serves not only to protect families, but to improve their on-campus experience. While first-year-student move-in has traditionally happened in one, five-hour block, this year it is being split between two days to allow for social distancing and, happily, a bit more breathing room.

“People have had such a tough two years in terms of the experiences they've lost, they really want this to be perfect — they want this to go very, very right,” Tweedy said. “And I think we’ve been able to do that. From the many hundreds of people I’ve interacted with today, I think the overall sentiment is just excitement.”

Efficient or not, the process of moving into a college residence hall can bring anxiety, particularly around the new roommate situation. But for Rohith Maraka and Nicholas Oliver, two incoming first-year-students from Newark, Delaware, any worries proved unfounded. Within an hour of meeting, they had already discovered a great deal in common — for one thing, neither began packing for their move until the night before, a decision they both woke up regretting (although Oliver, impressively, still managed to remember a container of peach tea, a favorite comfort from home). And the roommates were in alignment on another thing, too: “Today represents independence,” Maraka said. 

To help ease this transition into more independent living, more experienced students known as Blue Hen Ambassadors were on site to welcome newbies and to help lug suitcases out of cars and into elevators. 

“This is one of the most spirited groups I’ve ever worked with,” said Kelli Murray, assistant director of orientation and transition programming, and coordinator of these volunteers. “You can feel the excitement in the air.”

Among the Ambassador group was Alexandra Poletaev, a senior political science major.

“When I first came to UD, I was so moved by all the volunteers who helped me feel welcome and safe, and I wanted to return the favor,” she said. “I truly love this community, so if I can just be a friendly face and do something small for new students, I want to do it.” 

Aliyah Wade, a resident assistant majoring in exercise science, agreed: “I love to bring as much energy as I can to move-in weekend, to give everyone a better experience. We don’t always know what’s going on in people’s lives, so I want to make sure I’m creating a rainbow in their clouds.”

Of course, moving in can’t be all rainbows, all the time. While the dad jokes were plentiful throughout the day — ask a UD student for the quirkiest or most sentimental item she has in her dorm room, and there is an excellent chance her father will reply with “Me!” — the humor can be construed as a self-defense mechanism. Leaving a child at college is understandably difficult. Some parents debated who would cry first. Others could not help but feel nostalgic.

“This is very emotional,” said Ravi Maraka, Rohith’s father. “I remember holding my son in my arms when he was just a baby.” 

Don Baag, a newly minted empty nester, said this experience has given him a new appreciation for his own mother: “I remember seeing her cry at college, and I was like: ‘Alright… see ya!’ ” he said. “But it is emotional. Our whole lives have been bringing up our kids.”

Still others experienced the day as a reward for all the hard work of parenting.

“I’m very proud of my son, but I’m selfishly proud of my wife and I, too,” said Michael Oliver of Newark. “We’ve done something right, I think. Not because going to college is ‘right,’ but it is what our son wanted, and we created an atmosphere and gave him the tools he needed to reach that goal. Now, I’m so excited for all the things he’s going to experience — things he doesn’t even realize yet. The anticipation of that is joyful… truly joyful.” 

As for Pucci, the student who fell in love with UD while training in the ice arena as a child, she’s not sure what her figure-skating future holds — she experienced an injury during practice a couple of years back that has her sidelined for now. But she still brought her ice skates along with her to campus. She is hoping, she said, for the opportunity to coach a new generation of figure skaters while earning her degree, and she is hoping to inspire them the way the UD coaches inspired her as a child. But even if this plan doesn’t quite work out, she is glad to have the skates with her as she moves into her new room — and her new life.

“They are a reminder that I can do anything I put my mind to,” she said. “This is definitely a new start. This is a completely clean slate.”