Stony Brook Students Move In, Look Ahead to Fall Semester

Aaron Buchanan packed up his stuff and flew about 1,100 miles from his home near Memphis, Tenn., to move into his dorm room at Stony Brook University on Friday.

Everything's "just thrown in the closet right now," said Buchanan, a freshman, who planned on organizing after the weekend's orientation activities were over.

"I feel not fearful, but hesitant. Apprehensive," said Monica Towles, Buchanan's mother. "But I know that he'll be alright."

Buchanan is one of about 9,475 on-campus residents who moved into the university's 28 residence halls and 23 apartment-style facilities over the weekend, according to university statistics.

After Nassau Community College (about 8,400) and Suffolk Community College (about 8,200), Stony Brook has one of the highest freshman undergraduate enrollments on Long Island with an incoming class of nearly 2,700. Nearly 84 percent of those freshmen live on campus.

One of those freshmen, Brandon Blair, comes from tiny Pulaski, NY – a town with only 2,500 residents, he said.

"It's a little intimidating," Blair said.

Another new student, Sean Dougherty, found out he was living on campus just a few days ago after spending months on a waiting list for housing.

"There's a lot of structure to it all," said Dougherty, a junior who transferred from Molloy College. "There's a lot of assistance everywhere."

Residential staff members sporting red "I'm a Seawolf" shirts guided the new students through orientation activities throughout the weekend, helping them get acclimated.

He's been on campus tours, but still, freshman Michael Duffy was a little confused while on a mission to find the campus bookstore.

"I have no sense of direction, so it's going to take a while to get used to this big of a campus," Duffy said.

The overhwhelming feeling among those new campus residents was one of freedom and exhilaration.

"I'm looking forward to being independent," said freshman Katie Stockton. "This is our first time living away from home. We get to be adults for the first time."