@NMSU
Keeping on-campus students safe and happy
Fall Move-In Day is by far the busiest day of the year for the staff of Student Housing and Residential Life, but it's also director Julie Weber's favorite day.
As director of Student Housing and Residential Life, Weber oversees 3,000 single housing units and 600 family housing units totaling nearly 5,000 people. Weber handles everything from the facilities' conditions, to billing, to activities and safety. Move-In Day was an especially important day with this year having record numbers in single student housing.
"It really is my favorite day," Weber said, "Students are excited, and their parents are both emotional and excited. I think that day is when we see the department and the campus at its best. I'm so proud of my staff and how hard they work and prepare everything in advance to make sure it goes smoothly."
Weber has made a lot of changes to Move-In Day since she arrived in 2007, saying that her first Move-In Day experience was a disappointment.
"The day is really the unofficial start and should have lots of fan fair and it really didn't," Weber said.
Since then, Weber has included welcome banners, a different traffic pattern to make parking easier and free child care for families who bring younger children. This year students and their families were even given free pizza donated by Papa John's and Campus Dining donated 5,000 bottles of water.
After Move-In, Weber and her staff shift their focus to creating opportunities for students to engage in the campus community.
"Students that engage in campus activities often have better grades and are happier students. We encourage them to eat at Taos cafeteria, attend university events and participate in athletics," Weber said.
Besides making sure that facilities stay in shape and that students are safe, Weber and her staff participate in many events on campus. Weber asks each year that her regular and student staff participate in some way in the Tough Enough to Wear Pink Campaign. This year Residential Life teamed up with the athletics department to sponsor pep rallies before each home football game in hopes to get the campus excited about this year's football season. In addition, each residential hall holds signature events for the residents to take part in and this year a Halloween trick or treat on campus will be sponsored to ensure the safety of the kids who live in family housing.
The most important role Weber said her staff plays is being the first in line of responders to all student emergencies.
"People often don't understand the demand placed on the staff, especially the live-in staff. We handle anything a student could be going through," Weber said. "We are here for all their needs."
Written by Donyelle Kesler.