RELEASED: Aug. 29, 2002

DANVILLE, KY—The first day of campus life for a college freshman can be one full of confusion and anxiety. But according to members of Centre College's freshman class, their arrival on Wednesday, Aug. 28, was as smooth as silk.

Centre's freshmen were happy to be greeted at their dorms by President John Roush, members of the College's faculty and staff and current students. The freshmen and their parents were not only welcomed with smiles and information, but they also had plenty of helping hands to move belongings to their dorm rooms.

"Today destroyed the rumor about the horrors of move-in day," said Clyde McClung, an Avon Lake, Ohio, native who helped his daughter, Laura, move in yesterday. "We anticipated a long day of moving so we arrived early. But we were surprised to see the amount of people to help. We were expecting a long day of moving on a hot day. Instead we moved in a short amount of time on a cool day."

President Roush said that freshman move-in day is something the Centre community looks forward to each year.

"It's become a tradition here at Centre for our administration, faculty, staff and students to help our new students get settled in," he said. "We attack these cars as soon as they pull into the parking lot, and we can have a student and their belongings into their dorm room in about five minutes. We care about our students and we want to show them that from Day One."

Mary Beth Browning, a senior math/history double major from Mount Vernon, Ky., remembered the help she received her first day at Centre. She returned the favor yesterday as a volunteer.

"I think it puts the freshmen a little at ease," she said. "They immediately meet people and we're here to answer any questions they may have. I heard some parents say they were surprised we were here to greet and help them. They said they had children that went to other schools and didn't receive this kind of welcome."

The College welcomes 304 first-year students and eight transfer students this year. The freshmen enter with a strong academic profile. The average ACT score is 27. Fifty-six percent are in the top 10 percent of their class and 38 percent in the top five. The class has 32 valedictorians and 13 salutatorians. Sixty-four of the freshmen were Kentucky Governor's Scholars.

Classes at Centre begin Monday, Sept. 2.

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