Alarm clock/clock radio. Check. Clothes hangers. Check. Bulletin board and push pins. Check. Surge protector. Check. Laundry basket. Check. This week at Gordon College 1,034 students are moving into their dorm rooms and for many taking a step towards freedom that until now has been little more than a dream. They come loaded down with laptop computers, ironing boards, dorm fridges, X-box consoles and other items scribbled into a checklist format on the back of some random piece of mail sent from the school over the summer. Assisted by a small army of parents, volunteers, campus athletes, resident assistants, staff and alumni they walk into the tinted doors of Gordon Village, Gordon College, Guillebeau Hall or Melton Hall ‘“ all residence halls with ample size bedrooms, common rooms, closets and even some with kitchenettes and private bathrooms. Sophomore Kristen Taylor of McDonough was no different as her father Vince helped her move in “furniture and kitchen stuff like a microwave,” she said. Her father was quick to add, “I think she got it all. There’s going to be some more room at home now.” Residence director Bossie Davis greeted each student with a huge smile and a sense of experience that only comes with a year or two submerged in dorm life. “Quite a few students come in a little cocky. They’ve been the popular kids in high school or the big fish in a little pond. College is different. You have to start from the beginning again. It’s fun and that’s what we’re here for,” he said. “Then you’ve got the excited ones. They’re great. Everything is new and they laugh a lot and look around a lot and are just happy to be here.” According to www.gdn.edu, Commons Building B is “located at the heart of the Gordon campus, making it extremely convenient to class. Each apartment is individually leased by the bedroom and designed with today’s college students in mind.” ”This is one of the nicest places to live on campus,” notes resident assistant Fredrick Bailey. “I don’t know many students who are unhappy to live here. There are a lot of meet and greet opportunities, multi-purpose rooms on each floor and a lot of other perks.” Assisting in the whole process are the Gordon Alumni Association and Student Affairs which were situated in front of each building with free bottles of water for students and families. Alumni affairs coordinator Lynn Yates took a second from passing out bottles to chat with Don Neuner of the advisory board. Says Neuner, “Today is about freedom and new experiences. A lot of these students are feeling something they never have before.” Adds Yates, “We’re here to encourage and welcome each student and let them know there’s life after college.” For now the focus is directly on today and a new life beginning at Gordon. Students will have a little less than a week to adjust to their new life and their new home as classes begin Aug. 17.
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