The influx of students ahead of the fall semester at the University of Southern Maine always makes for a busy weekend. A bump in enrollment made it even busier this year.
USM began the semester with 6,056 students. That number is 2% bigger than last year. It’s the first increase in enrollment since 2019. Those students who chose to live on campus had three days to get settled between Friday, August 30 and Sunday, September 1.
Friday was reserved for freshmen, allowing them extra time to acclimate to the Gorham Campus where they’d be living for the next year. Their eagerness was evident by the long line of cars that started forming at each entrance well before the gates opened at 8 a.m.
Even the weather seemed to obey the check-in time by keeping the sights of campus obscured behind a dense curtain of fog. The haze cleared over the next hour, replaced by almost cloudless, blue skies. The warm but not stifling temperatures were perfect for hauling boxes.
An army of volunteers arranged the surging throng into an orderly procession. The yellow t-shirts worn by the volunteers made them easy to spot, whether they were directing traffic or handing out room keys. The ranks of volunteers were filled by faculty, staff, and returning students who agreed to mentor the newcomers as resident assistants.
The yellow shirt brigade was also tasked with enforcing the time limit on parking in front of the residence halls. New arrivals had 30 minutes to unload their cars. In most cases, a moving crew of family and friends made the job go much faster.
Traffic was heaviest outside of Upton-Hastings Hall, with Robie-Andrews Hall also seeing a steady flow. Anderson and Woodward Halls had smaller crowds to match the smaller size of the buildings.
The rest of the student body flooded back into campus over the next two days. While first-year students are housed entirely in Gorham, upper-level students have been split between the Gorham and Portland campuses since the Portland Commons residence hall opened last year.
The timed parking system at the freshmen dorms wasn’t necessary at Portland Commons because the parking garages across Bedford Street had enough room for everyone at once. Even with push carts piled high, most students made several trips to transfer all their belongings from car to dorm.
Students brought more than clothes and computers to campus. They also brought a wide array of hopes and expectations for the year ahead. A few of them paused just long enough during the busy moving process to share their thoughts.
- CESAR CALDERIN (first-year, Biology): “I committed to this school back in the spring. I just really liked the environment, really liked the way it looked. And I also really liked all the resources you guys have.”
- GWYNETH RAVENSCRAFT (first year, Sociology): “It’s definitely a new phase I’m gonna have to grow into. My mom went here. My sister went here. So it’s appropriate that I go here, and I’m very excited.”
- VICTORIA CHARRON (first-year, Health Sciences): “I love the size of the campus and the amount of people here. . . I’m excited. Nervous to be away from home, but that’s all.”
- CHELSEA HAMMOND (second-year, Secondary Education/English): “I’m excited to live in Portland Commons because it’s really fancy and cool. I’m excited to be in Portland this year and be close to everything. And I can’t wait to explore.”
- ELSA KANTZ (first-year, Violin Performance): “It’s beautiful. The reason I chose the University of Southern Maine was because of the beautiful, outdoorsy campus. The environment is just super beautiful here.”
- MOLLY MCLAUGHLIN (first-year, undeclared): “I’m looking forward to studying, seeing all the maps in the (Osher) Map Library in Portland, and just enjoying college, and seeing what happens.”
- JASMYNNE HEATH (first-year, Nursing): “I’m familiar with the campus. I’ve been here a bunch. . . I actually ran indoor track for my high school, and we used the Costello Sports Complex all the time, so I’ve ran around campus.”
- JOHNATHON CORTEZ (fourth-year, Sport Management): “Always be a learner of what you want to be because it’s better in the end than in the beginning. That’s what I want to take out of this University. What can I learn? Every year, every step. What can I take from every professor that’s been teaching me since I became a freshman here at USM?”
- JANELLE COMEAU (first-year, Marketing): “I’m originally from New Hampshire, but I really gravitated toward Maine, and I’m very excited to be in Portland. . . I love the ocean. And I love the city, but it’s not as big as Boston, so it’s just the perfect size for me.”
- GABE GALARRAGA (first-year, Health Sciences): “I think we’re gonna be a pretty good team (men’s basketball). We’ve some nice young guys and some good veterans. I think we’ll be a pretty good team. . . I’m a small forward, power forward mix. . . I like spinning to my left when I’m driving.”
- ELLA SCAGGS (first-year, undeclared): “I want to find out what I want to do with my life, and I want to make some friends.”
