Above: WCU baseball players help out at move-in day 2008.

Western Carolina University has made academic course and housing provisions to meet the needs of 1,600 first-year students – a freshman class more than 30 percent larger than last year’s.

For the fall 2009 semester, WCU planned for 1,450 students before applications surged to more than 12,000, said Sam Miller, vice chancellor for student affairs.

“To accommodate additional students, we’ve had to implement contingency plans,” said Miller.

Meanwhile, the Honors College admitted its largest freshmen class with 177 students who, together, have an average GPA of 4.3 and SAT score of 1854. In addition, the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band, which will be presented this fall with the prestigious national Sudler Trophy, expects near-record membership of about 350.

Marching band students and other early fall semester arrivals began moving onto campus Friday, Aug. 14, and Freshman Move-In Day is set for Friday, Aug. 21. Upperclassmen will start moving in on Saturday, Aug. 22, and classes start Monday, Aug. 24.

In preparation, work continues near central campus on the new four-story, 426-bed Balsam residence hall scheduled to open this fall, and on the neighboring new $17.6 million, 53,000-square-foot Courtyard Dining Hall, which began staggered openings of its venues in July.

Downstairs is a convenience store, Starbucks Coffee Company, McAlister’s Deli and a food court featuring Zoca, a Mexican-themed restaurant; Grille Works; Panda Express; and Freshens. Upstairs is an all-you-care-to-eat venue. Food is cooked in front of diners at themed stations, including a deli; a “home zone” with rotisserie items and traditional meats, potatoes and vegetables; an international grill; a pasta and pizza center with a fiery, old-world adobe-style oven; a dessert station with fresh-baked goods; and salad bar and beverage centers.  The new dining hall offers indoor and outdoor seating, arched doorways, tall ceilings and natural light filtering in from about 130 windows.

“When I spoke to freshmen at orientation, I said, ‘You have good timing,’” said Keith Corzine, director of residential living. “Tremendous efforts by many to make Western Carolina University the place to be are truly coming to life this fall.”

Corzine said Freshman Move-In Day would be an especially busy time with such a significant number of people moving in on the same day.

To facilitate move-in day traffic, signs on N.C. Highway 107 and about 50 people coordinated by University Police will direct vehicles to one of three campus entrances based on destination, said Ernie Hudson, assistant chief of police.

• Freshmen moving into Norton, The Village or Walker residence halls will enter through the main entrance off of N.C. Highway 107.
  
• Freshmen moving into Scott or Balsam residence halls will enter through the Forest Hills entrance and be routed past the intramural fields to central campus.
  
• Freshmen moving into the upper part of campus – Madison, Reynolds, Robertson, Albright-Benton, Buchanan, Central and Harrill residence halls – will enter through the Old Cullowhee Road entrance.

 To keep traffic flowing, hundreds of volunteers from WCU’s faculty, staff and student body will assist with curbside unloading. After cars are unloaded, drivers will be asked to park in the lot near the Catamount Athletic and Softball complexes. Shuttles from the university’s free, on-campus transportation service, Cat-Tran, will be running from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, when upperclassmen begin arriving before the start of classes on Monday, Aug. 24.

Students assigned to live in Balsam Hall are asked to check their e-mail, where they have been receiving updates about construction on the building, before coming to campus in case there are any changes.

“Our staff remains in constant communication with the contractor and design team regarding the schedule for completion, as well as the impact completion could have on all residents this fall,” said Corzine. “We are doing everything we can to facilitate opening on time and with minimal inconvenience to everyone involved. We have provided and will continue to provide regular updates to students and will alert them of any changes.”

Maintained by the Office of Public Relations
Last Modified: Monday, Aug. 17, 2009