Thousands of FGCU students move in ahead of first day of classes

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — Thousands of Florida Gulf Coast University students are trading packed cars and moving carts for a new place to call home.

More than 4,700 students are moving into on-campus housing this week, including about 2,400 first-year students moving into South Village and North Lake Village.

Move-in continues through Friday, giving students the weekend to unpack and settle in before classes begin Monday.

For families arriving on campus Wednesday, the day started at check-in, where volunteers greeted students, handed out beads and helped point them toward their dorms.

Then came the heavy lifting.

Students and parents spent the day unloading cars, filling carts and making trip after trip into residence halls while a heat advisory remained in effect.

FGCU set up misters outside the dorms and provided coolers filled with free water to help families cool down.

Students Jaxson Bless and Hayden Koehler said staying hydrated and taking breaks in the air conditioning helped them handle the heat.

“Lots of electrolytes out here. Making sure we get some heat time in the AC to cool down,” they said. They also pointed to sunscreen, sunglasses and plenty of water as move-in day essentials.

But beyond the boxes and the heat, move-in marks the beginning of a new chapter for first-year students.

Natalie Beaulieu came to FGCU from St. Petersburg. She said the campus itself played a big role in her decision to become an Eagle.

“What brought me to FGCU was the campus. First of all, it’s nice, new, clean. It’s very walkable,” Beaulieu said. She also liked being surrounded by nature and having friends already attending the university.

Fellow freshman Savannah Brown came from St. Pete Beach. She said FGCU gave her enough distance from home without feeling too far away.

“I knew I wanted to stay in Florida, and I didn’t want to be too close to home. So FGCU being two hours away was a good enough distance for me,” Brown said.

Brown said she is looking forward to “making new friends, making new memories, meeting new people, and diving deeper into my major.”

For parents, move-in day can come with a different set of emotions.

Kimberly Knipp traveled from Kansas City, Missouri, to move her daughter Emma into FGCU for her freshman year. Emma is the youngest of four children and plans to study nursing.

Knipp said she is excited for her daughter, but knows leaving campus will be difficult.

“I’m happy for her, but when I leave to go back home, I will be sad,” Knipp said.

For the students walking through the dorm doors this week, the boxes may only be temporary. By Monday, those rooms will be home as another school year begins at FGCU.