Changes welcome Wright State students back to school

Around 2,500 students are expected to arrive on Wright State University’s campus over the next few days.

On Thursday more than 1,300 students, mostly freshmen, will move into campus apartments and dorms and on Saturday around 1,200 upperclassmen will follow

New Wright State president Cheryl Schrader will be there to meet students.

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Schrader, who took over as the school’s new president in July, will greet students and their families as they move in, said Dan Bertsos, director of residence life and housing.

Move-in day marks the start of Schrader’s first fall semester on campus. Classes start Aug. 28, according to the university.

“Dr. Schrader is going to be out for part of the day to shake hands and greet people,” said Dan Bertsos, director of residence life and housing at Wright State. “It’s a lot of fun, a lot of excitement.”

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WSU students will also return to campus this week for the first time since the board of trustees implemented more than $30.8 million in budget cuts in June in an attempt to correct years of overspending at the school. The school eliminated around 189 positions, is cutting Japanese, Russian and Italian language courses and nearly eliminated the men’s and women’s swim teams.

Move-in day should not cause much of a traffic jam on Colonel Glenn Highway, Bertsos said. To avoid traffic congestion, WSU re-routes students through parking lots and closes off some campus roads.

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There are 28 housing facilities on campus and Bertsos said he hopes to take Schrader to meet students moving in at both campus residence halls and apartments. A combined 500 faculty, staff and student volunteers will use around 110 golf carts along with luggage rollers to help students move in quickly.

While move-in can be an exciting time, it can also be an emotional one for some, Bertsos said, as “a vast majority of the students are just starting their college career.”

“People generally enjoy the experience and find it to be a good day,” Bertsos said. “If there are tears, they are happy tears.”

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