WASHINGTON (August 13, 2019) – The Howard University campus community ushered in hundreds of freshman students into campus housing over the weekend. College move-in day is typically a special day for families, and can bring a full range of emotions.

“I’m just trying to keep calm and organized,” said Mildred Alleyne who arrived on campus with her daughter Amber Alleyne on Saturday. “I just had to cut the mommy strings. This is my only child and she’s leaving today. It’s a really sad day, but it’s also exciting for her.”

This year’s freshman class joins the Howard community from a variety of locations, both domestic and international, and is one of the biggest classes welcomed to the University in recent years, with more than 2,000 students.

Vice President of Student Affairs Kenneth Holmes said University staff try each year to perfect the move-in day experience—mainly through early planning and tighter coordination with campus safety, parking, and the successful deployment of more than 600 student volunteers.

“The key is to overwhelm students, overwhelm the families, descending on the cars with carts, and helping get them moved in with lots of energy,” Holmes said. “We want all of their worries to go away when they see the energy of students.”

President Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA, walked the halls of the dormitories over the weekend to welcome students and thank parents for entrusting their children into Howard’s care.

“Each year we make this process more and more efficient,” Dr. Frederick said. “We want students and families to get here and ten minutes later be in their rooms. We want to take care of the little things for them so they can think about the big things.”

Sanan Artis, a political science and economics freshman from Heights Town, New Jersey, moved in to College Hall North with her mom and dad.

“It’s pretty organized,” Artis said of the move-in process. “Everyone is really excited. They all know the answers to your questions, which helps a lot.”

Still, Artis said her parents were being emotional.

“My parents have been crying everyday and hugging me today,” Artis said. “They wanted to me to get [into] an HBCU because of the political climate right now, and they wanted me to feel safe.”

Move-in volunteer Kineisha Owens, a business management sophomore, said student volunteers wanted to send good vibes to the class of 2023 and their families.

“Something like this can be really frustrating, but I just had a parent tell me we made her frown turn upside down and that was my goal for today,” she said.

Latasha Campbell and her son, freshman Desmond Campbell of Nashville, were busy setting up and putting away groceries in his new dorm room in Drew Hall. 

“All of my elementary, middle school, and high schools have been majority white,” Desmond said. “I applied to Howard, came for a campus tour, and said this is where I want to be.”

His mother, Latasha, said she had mixed feelings about the change.

“He’s my only child,” she said. “The last 19 years has been about him and sports. It’s time for him to learn to do things on his own. And it’s time for me to be me.”

The Office of Student Life and Activities will host Bison Week, a series of student events, to continue to help the new class of 2023 continue adjust to campus life. For more information, follow @howard_sla on Twitter and Instagram.

About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, two Marshall Scholars, one Schwarzman Scholar, over 70 Fulbright Scholars and 22 Pickering Fellows. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visitwww.howard.edu.

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For media inquiries, contact Sholnn Freeman, Sholnn.freeman@howard.edu