Residence halls throughout campus officially opened for the general student population to move-in Tuesday, Aug. 17. With construction on State Gym occupying a large portion of the parking lot behind Martin and Eaton halls, the Department of Residence anticipated a need for a revised move-in procedure across campus.

With the lack of parking adjacent to residence halls located in Union Drive, residents moving into their dorms received a 30-minute parking permit to park near the residence halls.

Residents are expected to unload everything from their cars in these 30 minutes before moving their vehicles to a designated parking lot farther from the dorms and returning on one of the shuttle buses that run every 10 minutes.

“We knew that with the rec. project we needed to make some changes,” said Brittney Rutherford, marketing coordinator for ISU Dining. “We sent out postcards in the summer to students informing them about move-in crew and invited freshmen to join this year, which helped to enhance our recruitment efforts.”

The move-in crew more than tripled in size this year, boasting 551 members, compared to last year’s 170. With the time restriction placed on unloading vehicles, the increased amount of move-in crew members are intended to help residents get their belongings to their rooms in a quick and efficient manner.

While the Richardson Court area features the same amount of parking as in years past, incoming residents received a 60-minute parking permit, which works the same as those given to Union Drive occupants.

“Regardless of planning it’s a very busy time for everyone involved in the process,” said Pete Englin, director of the department of residence. “We wanted to make it the least stressful as we could. We want it to be a great experience and as fun as it can be for families.”

Peak move-in times are anticipated to be between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. By the end of Wednesday approximately 80 percent of the student population will be on campus.