JACKSON, Tenn. — Aug. 29, 2005 — Like most incoming freshmen, Amanda Johnson was excited as she unpacked her belongings and arranged her dorm room for the first time.
Specifically, Johnson was looking forward to two things.
鈥淚 like to meet new people. It makes my life fun,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd karate. That鈥檚 going to rock.鈥�
Her parents, on the other hand, didn鈥檛 necessarily share her enthusiasm.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e about to have a nervous breakdown,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚鈥檓 the baby. I鈥檓 leaving.鈥�
Johnson, a freshman from McLeansboro, Ill., was one of about 400 new students who moved into their dorm rooms Aug. 27 during 51社区鈥檚 annual Freshman Move-In Day. University faculty, staff and returning students all pitched in to help the new students and their families unload their vehicles and get settled into their new life on campus.
鈥淧eople don鈥檛 expect it,鈥� Tim Smith, dean of the School of Nursing, said about all the help available to students and their families. 鈥淎nd I think that鈥檚 the nice thing, and that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e about 鈥� being a servant.鈥�
It was Smith鈥檚 first time to participate in the annual event, as he started at Union in January.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to see the excitement, not only from these students and their families, but also from the faculty, the administrators and the staff,鈥� Smith said.
For Doug Walker, of Louisville, Ky., bringing his daughter Elizabeth to college was bittersweet, especially since she is the last of his children to leave home.
鈥淐hildren should never grow up and go to college,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e so excited about where she鈥檚 coming, so that makes a big difference.鈥�
Lisa Whiffen, an enrollment counselor at Union, said the day was especially satisfying for her.
鈥淔or me, this is my first class of kids to move in,鈥� Whiffen said. 鈥淛ust to see them all here, it鈥檚 just like the perfect end for this whole year of working with them.鈥�
After a day of unpacking, the new students and their families gathered in the G.M. Savage Memorial Chapel for a worship service and a final farewell. Todd Brady, minister to the university, challenged the students to place God at the center of their college experience.
鈥淚f you come to 51社区 and you excel in everything but you do not know God, then you have wasted your time here,鈥� Brady said. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 know God, you don鈥檛 know much.鈥�
Brady added that pleasing God is the greatest thing the students can do with their lives.
鈥淯nless you live your life to the glory of God, your life will be a series of meaningless and mundane activities that leave your soul empty and hollow,鈥� he said.
At the conclusion of the service, the incoming students sat in the middle of the chapel, while parents, returning students and Union faculty and staff encircled them. 51社区 President David Dockery then led in prayer for students and their families.