Campus Buzz: Record-Breaking Move-in

A record-breaking 469 students moved into Montana Tech’s three residence halls for the fall of 2024, raising the energy on campus and enhancing the student experience.

“Even with a remarkably high number of students moving in, move-in and check-in went smoothly,” Vice Provost and Dean of Students Joe Cooper said.

This year’s move-in was complicated due to the closure of Park Street, which runs through the heart of campus. Construction on the University’s heating system was still underway. The residence life and new student orientation staff members embraced the larger crowds and the blocked-off street. Each new student was assigned a staggered
move-in time and specific route to get to campus. Sandwich boards aided families as they arrived on campus, and directed them to a centralized check-in.

“The feedback we received was that the process was pretty smooth and that students were able to get moved in quickly, and with lots of help,” Cooper said.

Senior Orientation Leader and ASMT President Taylor Liva played a key role in planning the move-in and making sure it went smoothly.

“Although orientation move-in can be stressful and chaotic, I am very proud of the orientation leaders and how they kept the energy high and positive,” Liva said. “I am also extremely grateful for my co-worker, Maggee Nielsen. Together with our outstanding boss, Joe Cooper, we were able to ensure everything went according to plan.”

Around 75% of the students living in the dorms are first-year freshmen or new transfer students. The Housing and Dean of Students’ offices began to get a sense that a large class was incoming in fall 2023, as housing applications and housing deposits were on an upward trend. At first, staff thought that it might be because of issues with the FAFSA leading students to want to secure housing early, but as move-in approached, numbers continued to trend upward.

Having more students on campus can be challenging, but it also brings benefits.

“It really does bolster the energy,” Cooper said. “I’ve noticed it. From Orientation through the first day of classes, there’s a heightened level of engagement on campus. Everybody can feel it—students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Campus is very much alive and awake.”

Cooper says outstanding resident assistants and orientation leaders are critical to getting students to campus. This semester sixteen orientation leaders provided a reconfigured orientation process that followed move-in.

“Most days they were working 12 hours if not more,” Cooper said. “They nailed it. We already have students saying they want to be an orientation leader next year.”

Twenty resident assistants will continue to guide students living in the dorms throughout the year.

“Our RAs do a stellar job,” Cooper said. “They are tasked with building a community and facilitating an environment that is fun, conducive to academic success, and healthy. It’s a hard job, but it can also be a fun
job, and they have really knocked it out of the park.”

Students moving in will also enjoy more upgrades to the dormitory experience. Over the summer, Prospector Hall’s second-floor lounge was upgraded.

“It’s a much more usable and comfortable space,” Cooper said.

Also, the window screens in Prospector Hall will all be replaced. In Prospector and Centennial Halls, the dated coin-operated laundry machines will be replaced by brand-new, free to use commercial grade machines. The machines are sourced locally from Steele’s Furniture.

“This was long overdue,” Cooper said. “This is a significant investment to make the student experience better. I’m thrilled that with our team on campus, we were able to make this happen.”

Cooper says all of the work and improvements are important to the student experience.

“Our residence halls are a place for our students to be when they are not in classes,” Cooper said. “For a lot of their time that’s where they are. It’s their second home, or for some of them it’s their primary home after they moved to campus. Having a great living environment really gives a more holistic experience to the college journey because it’s so much more than just going to class.”