On September 2, a line of cars arrived in front of the freshman dorms at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Out came volunteers, RAs, and university employees clad in yellow shirts. In five minutes, they loaded mini fridges, televisions, clothes, and books into bins which were promptly wheeled into the buildings.

This scene repeated every 15 minutes throughout the day, as UMass Dartmouth welcomed the Class of 2022 to their new homes on freshman move-in day. This year’s freshman class includes 1,425 students from 289 cities and towns in Massachusetts, 22 states, and 9 countries outside the US.

Among those students was Landon Pacheco, of Ashland, who soon learned the final step of the college move-in experience: the customary hugs from family, although it wasn’t too bad because his parents have already sent one student to college.

He will be studying business management and hopes to make a career in franchising.

“I heard UMass Dartmouth has a great business management program,” he noted on his college choice.

The first day of college means meeting new friends. New roommates Leo Burgos, of Lawrence, and Azaan Merchant, of Sharon, realized they were missing a few college essentials, but luckily Green Navigators students were hosting a community yard sale featuring items students donated to be recycled at the end of the last school year.

The pair scored a vacuum cleaner, some storage bins, and cleaning supplies, and were soon off back to their dorm.

“It’s exciting and nerve wracking, but it's good to meet all of your roommates and be on your own, living in your own place,” Burgos said of his move-in experience.

Although Merchant was exhausted after an enduring move, he found everyone he met to be kind and nice.

Merchant is studying management, while Bulgos is an undeclared business major.

With 900 students moving in on September 2, more than 300 volunteers were on hand to assist, including students, resident assistants, staff members, and campus police officers.

“It’s all hands on deck and recognizing just as commencement is a campus-wide event, move-in really is that kind of event too,” said Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Shannon Finning.

Freshmen aren’t the only new faces on campus. More than 500 transfer students and 200 Mount Ida students will be on campus in the coming days. The Boston college closed earlier in the year, and its students were offered automatic admission to UMass Dartmouth as part of an agreement between the two colleges. 

Finning said she will be hosting a special “From Mustangs to Corsairs" orientation-like event for former Mount Ida students when they arrive to help them acclimate to the new campus.

Incoming freshmen have a lengthy schedule of events to look forward to before classes begin on September 5. They will attend floor meetings to learn about the responsibilities of living on their own, participate in the traditional “Corsair Olympics,” and learn how to navigate the campus.