Helping with move-in a pleasurable semester start

 

 

 

Student move-in began Sunday, Aug. 15

Bob Tattershall assists students with move

Horn

PULLMAN – When does WSU’s fall semester 2010 begin? Look at the academic calendar and you see classes start Aug. 23.
 
But, for Sarah Horn, Stephenson Hall South residential education director, and Bob Tattershall, Housing & Conference Services director, it began 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 15. That’s when students were allowed to start moving into their residence halls.
 
“Move-in” Sunday was a rite of passage for about 1,500 new WSU students. Many of them – often accompanied by their parents – arrived in a car full of clothing, bedding and a lot of other items. They appreciated the volunteer assistance of some university staff, faculty, administrators and others, including Kristi Tattershall, his wife, who works for Global Travel in Pullman, and Ryan, their son, a student at Pullman’s Lincoln Middle School.

 

 

Both Horn and Tattershall say Move-in is a pleasure.

 

“It’s one of the highlights of my year,” Tattershall said.

 

“We are so excited when students start to arrive on campus and start moving into our residence halls, said Sarah Horn.” “It’s fun to meet new students, their friends and family members.” A good Move-in sets the tone for a good school year, she said. Move-in is often hectic. “But, everyone working during this time understands how stressed, excited, scared and nervous our students are. We really try to be as positive as we can to help them with this transition.”

 

 

As Stephenson South’s RED/Residential Education Director, Horn helps “build community” within the hall. Supervising 10 resident advisors (RAs) and one advanced paraprofessional (AP) helps that happen. Those she supervises are undergraduate students living on hall floors to “help build the community and keep our students safe.”

 

Her work includes advising hall government, managing the hall’s front desk and dealing with crisis situations.

 

A University of New Hampshire sociology graduate, Horn is in her third semester at WSU. Before coming here, she worked in residence life at her alma mater and did a residence life internship at State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

 

Horn loves her work. “It’s the most rewarding jobs that I have ever had,” she said. “One of my biggest challenges is time. There is just not the time in a week to talk to all the residents that I would like to. I love working with students and student staff members. Helping these students become peer leaders and develop as people is such an inspiring, empowering, and meaningful experience.”

 

Tattershall, an Oklahoma State University graduate, worked in residence life at the University of California Santa Barbara and San Jose State University before coming to WSU in 1989. Here he supervises a staff of more than 80 full-time employees.

 

What students move into their WSU residence hall rooms have changed over the years, he said. And, so has the food they eat in WSU dining centers. “The amount of electronic equipment students have and their expectation that they can have all the bandwidth they want for their computer is probably the biggest change” Tattershall said. What students eat in today’s dining centers is “awesome” he said. “It’s like eating at a restaurant every day.”