Late summer in Alabama means even the mornings are sticky and humid. But that didn't stop more than 1,000 new students from pulling up to UAB residence halls as early as 7:00 a.m. one Saturday with their belongings in tow. With their parents, they started to unload their jam-packed vehicles. Cheery student volunteers in bright green T-shirts jumped in to assist, then ushered the freshmen to their rooms and suites.
August 24 marked the annual move-in ritual for new students—and the unofficial beginning of the fall semester. UAB welcomed approximately 1,700 first-time freshmen and 1,400 upperclassmen (some arriving earlier in the week) who are living on campus. In New Freshmen Residence Hall, a 217,000-square-foot building that houses more than 700, students and their parents carted TVs to dorm rooms, topped empty mattresses with clean sheets, filled closets with clothes and gear, and stocked mini fridges. By the end of the day—which was punctuated with a few summer storms offering some respite from the heat—the newest Blazers were settling into their new homes in the Magic City.
