The pandemic has made it difficult for students to meet new friends and interact with their neighbors and resident assistant, but with more students returning to campus in the fall, RAs may be able to plan more community events.

Kent State’s move-in starts on Aug. 18 and will continue until Aug. 22. This year, students will move in by their dorm’s last digit number, which determines their move-in time.

For the last year, residents had an online check-in/check-out process, which has allowed for less contact with each other and as much social distancing as possible. 

Usually, the RAs help students to find their homes for the next year while trying to plan events that will make them feel welcome and give them a chance to make new friends.

A resident assistant for almost a year, Austin Monigold, junior public relations major, said that event ideas are often based their community’s needs.

“I’m sure RAs will do their best to help people make friends and connect with each other,” Monigold said. “The [dorm] events are mostly planned by RAs, so it depends on the specific hall’s staff and what event ideas they come up with next semester.”

The pandemic restrictions and guidelines are still affecting the campus, so the university has to make adjustments for the events they usually plan for incoming students. Kent State regularly updates the online event calendar to let students, faculty and the community know about upcoming events.

Cassondra Siaus covers relationships. Contact her at [email protected].