IWU campus abuzz as students move back in

BY KARYN SPORY

Mt. Pleasant News

Instead of breaking a huddle and heading to their positions on the green of the field, the Iowa Wesleyan University football team eagerly stepped onto the grass outside of the George B. McKibbin Residence Hall, in position to assist new students moving in.

Jacquez Hall, a freshman from Memphis, Tenn., sat below the resident hall?s awning with his fellow football players. They were waiting for another car to pull up so they could help the student carry their possessions up to their new room.

?It?s going really good,? said Hall. ?Everyone moves quickly.?

Hall said even though helping with move-in is mandatory, he was enjoying helping out and meeting his fellow Tigers.

Hall said there were several reasons he chose to move north for school.

?I talked to the coach (about playing) and (the university) offered me a good deal on financial aid and I get to continue playing football, which I love,? he said.

?I also came to get away from the weather, the heat,? he said. ?Memphis is really hot,? he said as he joked about how warm it seemed to be on move-in day.

?It?s been nice to meet everyone,? he said of meeting his fellow freshmen. ?The newcomers all have a good attitude and no one is grumpy.?

?We?re making sure everyone gets in safely,? he said of the task.

And making sure those moving in were keeping their blood sugar up were members of the First United Methodist Church.

Lesa Fitzpatrick, a member of the First United Methodist Church, was manning a table of goodies for the students and their parents.

?We have homemade cookies for the students and water for the parents,? said Fitzpatrick who had her two children with her.

?We?ve had lots of people stop by,? she said. ?They?re very appreciative of the snacks and football players who all of a sudden engulf them and unpack their cars.?

Besides the treats, Fitzpatrick said the church was also giving away free water bottles to freshmen.

One of those new freshmen was Ashley Machholz, of Mediapolis. She was walking through campus with her younger sister, Grace Gerling.

?It?s fun to see where she?s going to school, to know what she?s going to be doing,? said Gerling as the duo walked to the John Wesley Holland Student Union building.

?It hasn?t hit me yet,? Gerling said of her sister going away to college.

?Yeah,? said Machholz, ?but I?m only going to be half an hour away.?

Machholz will by playing softball for the Tigers this spring.

Machholz said it wasn?t just softball that brought her to IWU, it was the people.

Machholz said the small school and class sizes made it easier for one-on-one interaction with faculty and staff. ?They seem to really care about you as a student and an individual,? she said of the professors.

Bret and Tracy Pettyjohn, of Knoxville, had the move-in routine down pat.

?This is the third time we?ve done (move-in), we?re old hat at this point. Hopefully this is the last time,? mused Bret.

His son Garret had just transferred to IWU to play baseball.

Garret, a sophomore, said he was excited to continue playing baseball, but that wasn?t the only thing that cemented IWU as his future alma matter. ?This is close to home, the campus and town are both really nice,? he said.

Garret said he was excited to start getting involved on campus and in the community. ?I?m looking forward to meeting new people,? he said.