With newfound independence, freshmen transition to their new lives at CSU residence halls. They leave behind family, friends and old hometowns for a new community and fresh experiences.
Departing Boulder in favor of Ram pride, Mariah Stotskey was surprised to feel at home right away.
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“I used to get yelled at for wearing CSU gear,” Stotskey said. “People would yell things like ‘wrong choice.’”
After arriving to campus and meeting her fellow Rams, Mariah said, “It’s a lot less pretentious here.”
Awaiting the freshmen class, resident advisors surprised their residents with unique themes on each floor.
Michael Beaulieu, an RA at Allison hall, decorated his floor with cutouts of The Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote to make the residence hall as welcoming as possible.
“We all grew up in the 90s, so I wanted to bring back some childhood, keep everyone feeling young and exciting still,” Beaulieu said.
Upon seeing what other RA’s had done to their rooms, freshman had many things to say.
“I like the snails!” Stotskey said, referring to the paper snails on each door with the names of new residents.
Other things she enjoyed?
“Water bottles, lots of space and the windows,” Stotskey said.
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However, there were some surprises that were not so welcoming to this year’s freshman.
“It’s getting hot in here!” said freshman Gabriela Silk, referring to the lack of air conditioning in many of the residence halls.
Though the heat was unwelcome to most freshman, incoming student Pua Dizol was pleased with the warm temperature.
Coming from Hawaii, Dizol felt “freezing everywhere else because of the air conditioning.”
So, what did the parents have to say about move in day?
“It’s been so convenient!” said parent Bill Eustes whose own experiences during freshmen move in at Univ. of Wyoming was chaos.
Parents of freshman Kaitlyn Vadell agreed with Eustes. Her father said, “despite the arduous journey, moving in has been so convenient!”
With freshman moving on and beginning their new lives, those left behind may have differing experiences.
Eustes’ mother, with tears in her eyes said, “I’m thrilled for him, but it’s bittersweet.”
