‘FEELS LIKE HOME’
Pirate invasion underway as students return to campus
Jaalen Best moved into College Hill Suites on Tuesday afternoon, hoping to avoid the rush of East Carolina University move-in traffic before starting a new job at the campus recreation center.
“I’m glad I did it early,” he said.
The junior exercise physiology major from Clinton was the first in his suite, having hauled in all the necessities for a new school year.
Hand carts came in handy on the first full day of move-in at ECU on Aug. 15.
Best is among approximately 5,400 students who will be moving in residence halls over a four-day period. A total of 28,700 students are expected for the first day of class at ECU on Aug. 20.
Best’s mom, Vanessa Crumpler, and grandmother, Diane Raines, also carried gear from the car, across the road and up the hill to his residence hall. “All I heard was ‘College Hill.’ Now I understand why it’s College Hill,” Crumpler said.
Volunteers wearing bright gold shirts helped students move in across campus on Aug. 15.
Best is Raines’ third grandchild to head to college. “I’m always excited to see them further their education,” she said. “It’s hard work at first, but in the end it pays off.”
He is one of four children, with a younger sibling in fifth grade still at home. “I always wanted him to get the college experience,” Crumpler said. “I’m happy for him.”
This is the third year that ECU Campus Housing has offered early move-in. About 400 students took advantage of the opportunity during limited hours on Aug. 14, said Bill McCartney, associate vice chancellor of campus living at ECU.
About 1,000 students – or 20 percent of the on-campus population – had already settled in by Aug. 15, the first full day of move in at ECU. Many of those already on campus are athletes, ROTC and band members who have responsibilities before classes begin, McCartney said.
Tuesday’s move to Tyler Hall worked best for Ethan McCray’s family, who will be relocating from Fort Bragg to Washington state due to dad Michael’s service in the U.S. Army. Ethan, a freshman business entrepreneurship major from Clayton, also has an older brother who will be moving into his residence hall at Gardner-Webb University on Saturday.
“We thought it would be so crazy but this is nice,” said Michael McCray. “It’s pretty well organized.”
Ethan McCray is the first Pirate in the family. “It just feels like home,” he said.
Sophomore Saiid Powers boards the elevator in College Hill Suites during move-in.
Saiid Powers of Lumberton also immediately connected to ECU. “When I came to campus, it felt like home,” he said. “It was far enough away to say I’m gone, but not too far.”
A member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, he’s looking forward to joining the ECU club swim team and Young Democrats this year, he said.
The sophomore psychology major had many helping hands on Tuesday, including mom Tiffany, dad Kim, aunt Jackie and uncle George Lacy. The day worked well because Tiffany had already planned to be away for a conference. When the meeting was canceled, they decided to use the time to get a jump start on the expected traffic, Saiid Powers said.
“Uncle George has moved in everybody in our family since 1988,” Tiffany Powers said. “He moved me in, he moved my daughter in, and now he’s moving in Saiid.”
After several years of record-setting freshman classes, total enrollment this year is slightly smaller than last year, said John Fletcher, ECU’s associate provost of enrollment services.
The decrease can be attributed to increased competition from in-state and out-of-state universities for students and a higher graduation rate, Fletcher said.
Out of the 28,700 ECU students, approximately 4,200 are freshmen and 1,750 are transfer students. All figures are preliminary until Census Day, the 10th day of class, Fletcher said.