Classes begin on Monday, Aug. 28, but The University of Tampa’s busiest week
of the year is Monday, Aug. 21-Friday, Aug. 25, when thousands of parents and
other family members help their students move into residence halls and accompany
them to the myriad of orientation activities scheduled throughout the week.
For the second straight year, more than 5,000 students will show up for fall
classes at the University, and for the 10th consecutive year, the entering class
will be larger than any before it.
International students begin arriving Monday morning, Aug. 21, for check-in
at the International Programs Office. Orientation sessions on Tuesday and
Wednesday will include briefings on American culture, the U.S. education system,
health insurance and basic college survival skills.
More than 170 new international students are pre-enrolled this fall, part of
a total of more than 400, about 90 more than last fall’s international total,
said Sally Moorehead, assistant director of international programs. This fall’s
new group includes 20 from Trinidad and Tobago, 12 from the United Kingdom, 10
from Germany and seven from Kuwait, with the usual substantial numbers from the
Bahamas and Bermuda, and new students from as far away as India. (These are
pre-enrollment figures. Final figures will be available in September.)
The big crowds start their moving frenzy on Tuesday, Aug. 22, when domestic
new students arrive to drop personal items at their residence halls, 2-5
p.m.
From 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 23, new resident students check in at
the Plant Hall Grand Salon, while their parents and families check in at the
Plant Hall Music Room. A reception at the Hyatt Regency downtown will greet
parents and family members from 7-8 p.m.
Despite the opening this month of Kennedy Place, the new $15.6-million
residence hall on W. Kennedy Boulevard at Hyde Park Avenue, three floors of the
Hyatt will serve the University as a residence hall this semester. Like the
on-campus halls, it will be staffed by resident assistants and security
personnel. A shuttle will provide free student transportation between the campus
and the hotel.
Kennedy Place provides living quarters for 182 UT students beginning this
month. The 11-story, 63,000-square-foot hall features 122 single apartments and
30 double units with private bathrooms, individual kitchens and secure key-card
access.
As move-in and orientation week — the busiest ever at UT — draws to a close,
President Ronald L. Vaughn officially declares the beginning of the new academic
year on Friday, Aug. 25, with Convocation at the Falk Theatre in two shifts —
2:30 and 4 p.m. On Saturday, Aug. 26, more than 300 mostly student volunteers
participate in Into the Streets, the University’s premier community
service event.