7517 – Move-in day is back! With Kaci Abolt

My guest: Kaci Abolt

Kaci is Coordinator of Admissions and Recruitment in Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois and we’re talking about the process of coming into C-U, getting moved in, and getting through the first week as a new student.

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Transcript

This is an automated transcript which likely contains minor errors.

Steve Holstein:
Well, good morning and hello to you, Kaci. And as we record this, I’m going to pretend it is Monday, August 16th. And in one week, it’s go time for students because they’re back at it on Monday, August 23rd, right? Yes.

Kaci Abolt:
I think everyone is really excited about the start of the school year. Maybe more than any other year, because we haven’t had this big official welcoming of our students back to campus in two years. So we’re excited and I think students are too.

Steve Holstein:
So things are kind of normal. I mean, obviously Delta variant is, uh, kept us back a little bit, but would you say that things are 90% normal? I mean, what’s not normal, what’s glaringly, not normal for students coming.

Kaci Abolt:
That’s a great question. And I think it’s really hard to put a number on that or predict, um, you know, how things are going to shift and pivot. We’ve had to do that so much in the last year and a half. One thing that I think will surprise people is really a majority of our students were on campus. Last, last year. We saw a gap in the number of first year students that were with us last year, while there wasn’t a lot of online learning happening. They were still in our community. Um, but weren’t maybe as visible as what we’ve been used to in the past. So I think that visibility will feel a little different this year. Um, we’re also trying to be really intentional about inviting our second year students. So those students that had their first year from 2020 to 2021 and having them participate in our traditional welcome activities and the activities that are going to happen this weekend, um, because we know they didn’t get that, that real welcome, um, that we’re proud to offer students really every year.

Steve Holstein:
Yeah. The reason I wanted to talk to you. So you raised a good point is what’s this experience like for freshmen, but also since you brought it up some sophomores, because they didn’t get the freshmen move in welcome to campus newbie experience. Right. So really you’ve got, you’ve got even, you’ve almost got twice as many students that are going through this.

Kaci Abolt:
I mean, it is a week that people that have gone through the experience will probably be able to remember so many specific details because there are so many experiences that you’re having for the first time, um, for students and families. I think, you know, we think of this process of dropping a student off at school as such this Rite of passage and day, that’s filled with a lot of emotion and anxiety. Um, the nice thing about going through this process every August is that we’ve got some awesome staff that have really figured out the best way to move in tens of thousands of students, uh, to our community. So I think that’s the real focus first is, is getting settled. You know, when we think of basic needs, you know, make sure that you have a, a comfortable place to sleep, where the bathrooms, where are you going to eat.

Kaci Abolt:
And so kind of exploring all of those things for the first time. And then it’s really starting to build community, you know, starting to find some familiar faces that maybe live in your residence hall or in your classes. And so there’s all types of programs really highlighted in the first weekend to help students do that. I think students will find that they are quickly very busy when they come to campus because all of those programs that are happening. Um, and I think back to myself as a student, which was a while ago at this point, um, and, and being surprised by that, um, that there was so much to do and so much going on and having that really formalized schedule to help you meet folks and to feel more comfortable in navigate campus. Well, let’s,

Steve Holstein:
Let’s start at the beginning then for a student freshmen and in some cases this year, uh, a sophomore, so move in day Thursday, August 19th classes began on Monday, August 23rd. So you’re a freshman. You come into town, do all freshmen stay in student housing or, um, do they have the option to just, you know, running an apartment with a bunch of friends, if they want to

Kaci Abolt:
Great question. So we do require that first year students live in campus housing, but they have so many different types of options that they can choose from with different amenities and different locations across campus. Um, or they can stay with their parents, um, if that’s within a certain mile radius, but we see the majority of our students living on campus. Um, so most of our students live in a traditional residence hall type setup, um, where they have a room that they share with the roommate, um, and dining centers across campus that they can choose from. So that first day on Thursday, it’s really pulling up to your hall, unloading, uh, all of the things that you have, uh, that you brought with you getting that, getting your keys, getting moved in and really starting to set up your room. Um, I think, uh, parents often will to bring some stuff back with them. If students may have over-packed a little bit, um, adjusting to, uh, the space can, can take a few days to figure out that’s where I was really lucky. I went to Eastern Illinois, which was right down the road from where my parents lived. So while I lived on campus, um, it was easy to make trips back home, or I guess for my parents to make trips over to me, uh, to give me those things that I may have forgot or realized I didn’t need.

Steve Holstein:
Yeah. And you know, of course, you’re going to coordinate with your roommate. I think that’s that process of finding your roommate or meeting your roommate. I don’t know when over the course of the summer or whatever it is, and then communicating with them and figuring out who’s going to bring what that that’s a tradition that’s been around for decades. Absolutely.

Kaci Abolt:
Yes. One of my most memorable experiences I had working with a family that just really stuck with me. So I was on a recruitment trip in India, and I was talking with parents of students that it was in the springtime. And so they had already said that they were going to be coming to the university of Illinois in the fall. And many of these students had never been to the United States. They definitely hadn’t been to campus and haven’t seen our traditional residence halls. And a mother asked me, she said, where’s the nearest Ikea to champagne. And so we kind of had this conversation, I’m talking to through that. And then I asked, you know, what, what are you looking for to purchase? Um, and she’s like, well, he’ll need a bed. He’ll need a desk, he’ll need drawers and a dresser. And it was so memorable to me because I don’t think we, we assume that people know that that is in the room that, that comes with your residence hall. So this family, you know, they were getting ready to take this 12 hour plane ride and then thought they had to go to Ikea to buy all of the room furniture. Um, and I think the amenities that are provided in the hall, um, help students not have to bring as much. Um, especially if those essentials, you have a bed, you have a desk, you have a chair. Um, so it’s really those items that make it feel like your space, um, and make you feel comfortable with.

Steve Holstein:
So if you’re a minimalist student, you can probably get moved in fairly quickly because when you arrive at your residence hall, there are people there to greet you. There are people there to help you get into your room. There are people there to help you move in. I know, move in day is really a community event, right?

Kaci Abolt:
Absolutely. Yeah. I think that assistance and getting everything into your room and having them the time with your family to get it set up, um, is, is one of the best parts of the day, you know, in general room set up, I think it could take a little bit of time, but then there are people that have very extravagant setups and decoration and all sorts of things. So it just really does depend on the students. One of my favorite things to tell students, you know, especially if they do have the opportunity to go back to their families at any point in this semester is, you know, you don’t need to bring your winter in August. When you think about saving space, what are some of those items that you can maybe shuffle back and forth depending on where you live? Um, because we’ve got at least another month, I think of some real heat. So the winter clothes, um, can maybe stay at home for right now.

Steve Holstein:
So talking about move in and it is kind of a community fair and it’s certainly a campus wide event. Uh, Kaci, if I just want to show up Thursday morning, uh, on the 19th and, uh, just help students move in, where should I go? Tell me the building that could use the most help, I’m ready to build muscle.

Kaci Abolt:
Uh, I think to be fair to my university housing contacts, maybe give them a call early this week and ask them, um, and they may tell you, uh, the best thing you can do for us on that day is hang out at home and not have the increased traffic and bodies to, to move around because again, they do have it so outlined, um, I think as community members, what we can do to help welcome students is just be extra gracious, you know, in any space that you may be, whether that’s driving, whether that’s at the grocery store, north prospect, which we know will just be wild with people, getting those essentials that they need to, to make themselves feel comfortable. Um, and maybe it’s, you know, avoiding, avoiding driving down green street. Um, and I think those are all ways as community members that we can help people feel comfortable and welcome. Um, that may be a little different than, you know, helping carry in the box.

Steve Holstein:
All right. So the students get moved in and then what are they doing? Obviously, they’re kind of settling in and they’re really maybe getting to know their roommate who they’ve never met face to face. What are they doing? So Thursday’s move in day or the first day moving day. And then what are they doing through the weekend before the first day of class on Monday, August 23rd? Yeah.

Kaci Abolt:
Um, I was just looking at the schedule, um, last week to prepare for this. And I was getting excited for the students that they’ll get to do all of these things. So on Thursday night, um, there’s an event at Memorial stadium. It’s an annual tradition, Illinois sights, and sounds where students get to learn, um, the campus culture. Um, you know, how we cheer on our teams and just those traditions that we have. Um, the band is usually there. They usually have some special guests and it’s just a really energetic program, um, that I think students are able to feel that, um, that Illinois pride really, um, and with all of your classmates, I think is really cool. And that’s one of those things like we were talking about that we want first year students, you know, the traditional students that would be coming to this program, but also second year students to get to experience this. And then right after they’re having a concert right outside the stadium, a lot of the programs that we’re trying to do this year, we are trying to keep outdoors. Um, traditionally a lot of welcome things are outdoors anyways, but I think is more of an emphasis this year in trying to use outdoor spaces where we can, and I’ve been really impressed how campus has come together to offer spaces and, um, open their facilities that maybe weren’t as used by all of campus in the past.

Steve Holstein:
I don’t know if you know this or not, but how many freshmen total will the university welcome, uh, this week?

Kaci Abolt:
Yeah, I mean, it’s, we don’t have the final numbers yet because everything is always in flux, but, you know, we are planning for a very large first year class. So I would anticipate in about 6,500 to 7,000 students, um, that are coming from literally all over the world, um, to campus and I think welcoming international students. Um, it has been one of my favorite parts of, of welcome week since I’ve started at Illinois because they, I can’t even imagine the transition that that is not only to a new place, but in new country, a new culture, a new language. Um, so that’s a population I like to think about being extra gracious and welcoming to, um, as they, and not only not even being adjusted to the time zone. Right. And then we’re welcoming them with all of these events. So, um, that’s a population that I think, uh, is specifically, um, special, you know, as they come to campus and get accustomed to, to what we offer. Yeah.

Steve Holstein:
I saw a statistic one time. I don’t know if I was reading a blog post or something on the Illinois university of Illinois news website, but I can’t remember how many countries students come from, but it was a staggering and impressive and wonderful number. It was great. And I can’t remember how many, I don’t know, maybe, you know, maybe that’s something off the top of your head.

Kaci Abolt:
I mean, I’ve heard over a hundred up to 150, um, and it really wasn’t until I traveled internationally for work, that I really understood what the university of Illinois brand is. Um, and that international recognition of the orange block I, and UIU see is, is so strong in so many different areas. Um, and I was so inspired by that and, um, something that, um, I think as a community we should really be proud of and, and celebrate that, um, you know, our town is recognized in such a impactful way

Steve Holstein:
Back to student housing. I imagine one of the benefits of requiring freshmen to live in student housing that first year is that, um, they have people there, uh, living full-time as well, um, who can, uh, just keep an eye on things, right? I mean, these are grown adults that have, you know, that are moving in and they’re looking forward to their independence and they want it, but there are probably some students that struggle. And so keeping an eye open and being there to help them is one of the benefits of that student housing.

Kaci Abolt:
Yeah, absolutely. You know, when we were talking about the Illinois brand and the reputation of the university, one of the things is that we’re incredibly academically rigorous. And, um, we admit students that have achieved wonderful academic success in their high school backgrounds, but it’s, it’s a big transition, you know, coming to campus and wanting to feel confident, but also being challenged in ways that you haven’t been challenged before. I think a lot of our first year students, um, maybe experienced failure for the first time ever. Um, and so having built in resources, um, through university housing, as well as other places across campus, I think do serve as, uh, as a way that they can connect with students when they, when they do experiences, the experience, those challenges. And I tell students all the time that we wouldn’t have the resources that we have on campus.

Kaci Abolt:
If we didn’t know that they made a difference, everything from tutoring services to mental health services, um, we know that they’re important, um, to you and your student experience. We want you to utilize them. That’s why they’re there. And so who is there? So I think the first point of contact for those students is a resident advisor. So that would be a fellow peer, a current student, um, that lives on their floor that is there to serve as a resource and to help build community on their floor. And I think they’re a great place to start for students because, you know, they’re, they have gone through that experience within the last year, two or three years. Um, and so they’re very connected. They have an incredible training program that they go go through that they’re so knowledgeable about all of the resources that exist on campus, and also just, you know, how to have a meaningful conversation and to be able to discuss maybe some difficult topics. So I think going to the resident advisor on your floor is a great place to start, but, you know, if you find that you connect with maybe one of your professors or staff in another building, like your academic advisor, that person that’s helping you connect with classes. I think wherever a student feels that connection to someone and feels like they can trust that person, that’s the person you should go to, whether that’s your resident advisor, academic advisor, or maybe another peer, um, those are places to start.

Steve Holstein:
Does, does the university, is there an app or a printed map that shows students how the heck to get around campus? So

Kaci Abolt:
There is an Illinois app that we try to centralize as much information as possible on that Illinois app. So things like the schedule for opening weekend menus in the dining hall, other resources that exist on campus, but I think that’s a good first place to start. We also hear a lot of students that are Rite of passage that they go through is, is figuring out the bus system. You know, we’re lucky to have such a robust MTD, uh, transit system here in town, but I think we’ve all had our, our Rite of passage and figuring out which bus to get on and making sure you’re going the right direction and there’s apps. And I think Google maps integrates great with walking biking or taking the bus across campus and out into the community. Um, and that’s something that I hope students do start to experience as they feel comfortable is, is, you know, feeling comfortable in, uh, campus town area and on-campus, but also getting to downtown or, and getting to downtown Champaign and all of the other parts of our community that, you know, there’s not a gate around campus town. We want students to get out and explore and stay with community members.

Steve Holstein:
Yeah. You know, I hadn’t thought of that, but I’m sure you experienced this where a student can come on campus and really never leave that environment almost said bubble, but I think bubble has a negative connotation to it because we all live in a bubble. We all live in our own sort of, um, you know, job family, life, world, but, you know, to encourage them to get out and say, Hey, have you heard of Allerton park? Have you heard of Turkey run? Have you been to the such and such county fair and had a corn dog?

Kaci Abolt:
Right, right. Yeah. I think that’s great. And, you know, we build campuses so that students, in some ways don’t have to leave that they do have all of the resources. And you know, now you have a big target on campus and there’s grocery stores and food from all over the world on green street. Um, and it’s great that that’s accessible and close for, for students to access, but there’s a lot more that Champaign-Urbana offers that we want students to get out and explore as well.

Steve Holstein:
Quad day is the first day before a class. And that’s an opportunity for students to roam around the quad and learn about just everything outside of, you know, normal classroom activities. Totally.

Kaci Abolt:
And I think it can be somewhat of an overwhelming experience and going back to what you’re talking about with welcome weekend, being, you know, surprisingly busy for students, I think students can find that they can very quickly fill their schedule with the different clubs and organizations that they learn about on quad day. Um, and you want to cast a wide net, you know, sign up for, for things that you may find interesting either because they look familiar to you or it’s something totally different. Um, but we also encourage students to be mindful of time management and, you know, the transition to the academic space as well, but creating balance in your schedule is so, so important. So I really encourage students to think about joining two types of organizations, especially for the students that I work with in business to join one thing, that’s kind of business related, something that relates to your academic interests, maybe career goals, but then something very intentionally that is not related to business. Um, and in a way that you can students, again, that share that hobby and interest and quad day, they will be presented with more than enough opportunities to find what those things are on campus. And that’s just the start, you know, it’s not, um, that once quad day shuts down, there’s not ways to connect with these organizations are joined. Um, that’s really an introduction to all of the ways students can engage across campus.

Steve Holstein:
I would think, you know, one of the things you don’t want to do is go into college your freshman year and say, this is what I want to be in four years. And so I’m just going to hop on this train and I’m going to write it for the next four years in that said four years is a long time. And I hope that that students do shift gears. Yeah,

Kaci Abolt:
Absolutely. I identify with that experience. I was one of those students that changed their major five times. I came into college from my fairly small town and, and wanted to be a teacher because I wanted to work within education, but I didn’t realize that there were so many other career paths where you can, um, be a teacher and help students and be around, you know, an educational setting. That’s more than being a middle school math teacher, which, uh, was what I wanted to be when I first started, uh, as a freshmen. And so I think being open to those new experiences, um, will help students develop those interests and career paths that are more unique and specific to them. Um, and w we, of course have students that decide as soon as they come in, that they want to do a particular thing and they, they ride that out until the end.

Kaci Abolt:
And they are really satisfied with that. But being open to that change and not being surprised when that change happens, I think is a good way for students to prepare. Um, especially if you thought your whole life, you want to be a doctor and then you take a biology class and you don’t love it. You know, you’re, you’ve got a lot more biology coming your way, if that’s, if that’s the path that you choose. And so you want to find something that, that you really are interested in, um, that challenges you, but also that you’re really good at.

Steve Holstein:
Okay. Kaci confession time five, you changed your major five times when you were at Eastern Illinois Eastern. So what were, what were your majors?

Kaci Abolt:
Oh, gosh, this is test testing me. Okay. So I started as an education major, um, and I took my, one of my first classes I signed up for was a math class to teach elementary math. And that’s where I realized that I was going to be a really crappy math teacher, um, after that class. And so then I decided, you know, I really like social sciences and humanities history, political science. And so they had a social science major. So I went there and I was like, yeah, you know, I liked this curriculum. I like these classes. And then my poor academic advisor said, okay, well now we need to think about student teaching. I was like, whoa, wait, I don’t, I I’ve decided that, you know, student teaching that formal role, that’s not, for me. He was like, well, then you’re not in the right major.

Kaci Abolt:
And so then I officially went undecided. So that was number three. I said, I’m, I just need to pause. Um, then I did political science, um, again, interest in social sciences and in government and history and did that for a semester and a half or so long enough to earn a minor so that, um, that made my parents happy, but then found a communication studies, um, with a focus in rhetoric and popular culture where I was able to really explore my interest in higher education, which is what I had kind of developed through all of those areas and other involvements that I had on campus that were really meaningful to me. Um, and figuring out that I wanted to go to grad school for that. So the communication major was a great fit to help me explore that, get me out of Eastern and four years, uh, and then, uh, move on to a graduate program. So I think that was all fine.

Steve Holstein:
I like how, at one point you said, you, you, you press pause and you were just undecided. Imagine, you know, if you had gotten through four years and you graduated with a degree and undecided,

Kaci Abolt:
You know, I think something that, uh, students don’t appreciate is the value of general education classes that you have to take on campus. And I was just exposed to so many new subject areas, new ways of thinking that I had never had in my small high school. And, um, I kept being drawn to all of these different areas because of these gen ed classes. And my parents had to say like, you can’t major in every gen ed class that you have because you really like it. You know, I took an anthropology class that is still one of my favorite classes I’ve ever taken. Um, and the experience that students can have in those classes outside of your major or your career goals can also be really influential, um, in, in your four year plan.

Steve Holstein:
Well, Kaci, thank you so much for, uh, for joining me on the podcast. It’s going to be a very busy week, a couple of weeks for new students and sophomores, as you said, because some of them are going to feel a bit like, uh, you know, freshmen coming in and coming on the campus for the first time. But yeah, you’ve given, you’ve given me and those listening. Um, who’ve never experienced college before a nice overview of, of what life is like when they, when they step into the community for the first time. I appreciate

Kaci Abolt:
That. Thanks for having me, Steve, this was a lot of fun and, and we’re excited. Um, just like students are, um, to start the school year.

Steve Holstein:
Thanks again to Kaci for hopping on with me and to the students. Welcome back, or welcome to town for the first time. If you just found this podcast and you’re listening and an app, please touch the follow or subscribe button. And if your podcast app offers a way to review the podcast, I’d appreciate a rating and a comment. And if you need to reach me, my email is Steve at Holstein dot C O I’m Steve. This was the whole stadium company podcast. Thanks for listening. Have a great week. And of course I will see you around town.