Furman welcomes Class of 2030 on move-in day

When the Class of 2030 moved into their dorms at Furman University on Aug. 20, their classmates, faculty and staff worked to make sure those first moments could be about connection, not unloading luggage.

Furman welcomed its largest class in a decade, and most of the more than 700 first-year students moved onto campus Thursday. Moms and dads buzzed with the worry of how they would haul a dorm’s worth of belongings upstairs and into their students’ new home for the year.

And they got to breathe a sigh of relief as Furman’s campus community took the load off their shoulders. The Paladin Battalion ROTC, men’s and women’s athletic teams, dance and cheer squads all came out to help make the Class of 2030’s introduction to campus a less sweaty and stressful affair.

Newly moved-in Furman students had family and friends helping them get their dorm rooms set up on Thursday. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.

“From the moment we pulled up, everything went so smoothly,” said Steve Jones, father of Stephen Jones ’30, who moved in from Memphis, Tennessee. Stephen, who was getting his room in Blackwell Hall ready, said he was excited to start meeting people on campus.

“I wanted a smaller school for the sense of community, and I knew I wanted to go into engineering,” he said. The dual-degree applied physics and engineering degree program was a perfect fit for Stephen. For his mom, Vicky Jones, the attention she saw her son get during tours and orientation was proof enough that he was somewhere he’d be taken care of.

Olivia Marsh ’30 was spending time with a friend between bouts of helping get her dorm room settled alongside her parents. From the moment she stepped foot on campus, she was ready to be part of what makes Furman special.

“I’m excited I’ll get a lot of time meeting face-to-face with my professors after spending so much of high school in online classes,” she said. “I want to join the equestrian team, so I can’t wait to learn more about that.”

Move-in day is about more than getting a student settled in a dorm – it’s about helping them feel like part of the campus community from Day One. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.

Move-in day means more than getting a student into their room. It’s the beginning of their belonging at Furman.

“Our hope is that students move beyond simply unpacking their belongings and begin forming relationships with their roommates, floormates, RAs, and the people who will become part of their Furman experience,” said Curtis Nash, assistant dean and director of Housing and Residence Life. “Our staff are focused on creating communities where students feel welcomed, seen, and connected, and we are excited to welcome this class.”

It’s a feeling Sarah Iqbal ’28, one of the resident assistants, wanted to pass down to the incoming class.

“My RA was incredible when I moved onto campus, she was so helpful when I was moving in on my own,” Iqbal said. “Even if I could give them 10% of the experience my RA Gretchen gave me, that would be amazing.”