Freshman Move-In Day: c’mon in, make yourself at home

Videography by Rachel Glass

Members of the UIC class of 2019 moved out of their family homes and into the heart of the city on Move-in Day Aug. 19.

Keys clanked, crosswalks were crowded and moving bins bulged as students settled into south, east and west campus residence halls. The students and their families were welcomed by Chancellor Michael Amiridis and his wife, Ero Aggelopoulou-Amiridis, men’s basketball head coach Steve McClain, vice chancellor Barbara Henley, lots of student athletes and the UIC Move-In Crew.

About 3,200 students live in UIC’s nine campus residence halls, including about 1,250 first-year students.

Chancellor Michael Amiridis and his wife, Ero Aggelopoulou-Amiridis, join Sparky in helping parents unpack outside the Commons residence halls. Photo: Roberta Dupuis-Devlin/UIC Photo Services

Roommates Julie Quigley and Anna Rubino were looking forward to exploring the city with New Student Days, a five-day resident freshman orientation with on- and off-campus activities.

“Being in the city is exactly what I wanted,” said Rubino, who is from Berwyn.

Quigley is from Wilmington, an hour south of Chicago. “I come from a town of 5,000 people, and I live outside of that, so I live in the middle of a cornfield,” she said.

She is excited to be part of a diverse student body. “That’s what I wanted in a college,” she said.

Ethan Kim, from Peoria, also looks forward to living in Chicago. “I moved from a smaller town so it’s a little nerve-wracking, but I’m excited to get started,” he said.