The number of WT students living on campus is the highest it has ever been. WT reports the number of students living on campus is just below 2,400. “We are completely full. The rooms that are left are the sorority rooms which are filled, at this time we are happily operating at full capacity,” Bethany Jones, Resident Assistant for Shirley Hall, said.August 20 was a busy day to be on campus, so much so that WT had only 60 volunteers helping students unload and directing traffic to keep from having a buildup of cars.
“There have been way too many lines in recent years,” Amy Harleson, Resident Assistant for Shirley Hall, said. This year residential living has made some changes about how some things are done and one of them  is “Stop, Drop and Go.” When a student’s car would pull up to their dorm, the particular car is to stop, unload on the sidewalk and then park.
“Every building had a station and each station had a straw boss,” Cindy Spencer, Senior Director of Residential Living, said. To keep things running as smoothly as possible, each boss would go from each station to check on the situation of that particular residence hall.
“I am very appreciative of all the people who volunteered their time,” Spencer said. Part of the “Go” is to have volunteers carry the items to the designated room. This method allowed a steady flow and kept the lines moving. The students who volunteered to help on last week, included people from Career Services, the men’s basketball team, coaches, Greek organizations, UPD and Linda Washington, the Executive Secretary for Student Affairs. Students who volunteered were allowed to move in early.
“We are trying to get people where they requested,” Spencer said. One of the new changes that residential living has made is the room request can be made online. The form allows students to change rooms, halls, request a certain roommate or request a private room. The respond time for these forms is said to be Wednesday, Aug. 28,  because more than 200 forms must be processed. For those who submitted a form, requests will depend on different factors, such as who has lived on campus the longest.”