UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 34, Page 11
June 8, 1995
Faculty, staff invited to join Arrival Survival Team

     Freshmen and their parents have been getting a warm welcome and a
helping hand on Moving-In Day from the Arrival Survival Team. The
program has been so successful that now upperclassmen are receiving
the same treatment, according to Chuck Shermeyer, residence life
administrative coordinator who heads the program.
     As part of the Arrival Survival Team, volunteer students, alumni
and others from the University community work four-hour shifts
welcoming students, answering questions and helping tote boxes, bags
and belongings to residence hall rooms.
     For freshmen, coming to college is a major transition, and being
welcomed to campus by hospitable, helpful team members starts their
college life off on a friendly footing, Shermeyer said.
     The reactions of students and their parents to the assistance are
positive. They are delighted to have their questions answered and to
have moving-in help. Some parents are so grateful they even offer
tips, although this is strictly a volunteer effort, he added.
     The team began four years ago when 30 members of Sigma Chi
fraternity offered to work on a service project and help freshmen on
Moving-In Day.
     The next year the number of volunteers increased to 80, most of
whom were fraternity and sorority members. The following year, there
were 125 volunteers from across the campus.
     Last year, 30 alumni from MBNA joined the team through the
efforts of the Office of Alumni and University Relations, and three
staff members came on board-Tim Brooks, assistant vice president of
student life; Barbara Owen, senior secretary in educational studies;
and Bob Davis, director of alumni and University relations.
     The 156 student participants included members of Circle K, Gamma
Sigma Sigma, Impact, the Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship and other
organizations, as well as students with no affiliation.
     "This year, our target is to have 500 members on the Arrival
Survival Team. We are hoping more faculty and staff will volunteer to
be on the team for even a few hours, and we will try to accommodate to
their schedules," Shermeyer said.
     The Arrival Survival Team has a basic training session before
Moving-In Day. One of the first things stressed is the correct way to
lift. Team members also are told to carry only items with which they
are comfortable and to suggest that owners carry items that are
valuable or too heavy.
     The team members all receive T-shirts and pins, emblazoned with
the Arrival Survival logo. For on-campus students who join the team,
an advantage is that they may get settled into their residence halls a
few days early without paying an early check-in fee.
     To volunteer or for further information, send e-mail to
Chuck.Shermeyer@mvs.udel.edu or call Shermeyer at 831-8423.
                                                   -Sue Swyers Moncure