Stop shutting down campus

The freshmen move-in went off without a hitch this year, according to orientation members, but the toll the day takes on Bloomington and areas surrounding the city is too much.\nThe campus and surrounding areas basically are forced to shut down while freshmen move into their dorms. Cars are parked everywhere and traffic is diverted to different areas because of the large influx of people at one time.\nThis process needs to change. \nIf the official freshman move-in day was split into a two-day affair, this campus "shutdown" would not have to happen. Multiple days would provide plenty of time for people to come into Bloomington and get their rooms set up without as much of the hassle. And if the freshman induction ceremony becomes an issue, just hold it the second day, after everyone has arrived. If parents feel as if the ceremony is very important to attend, they can move their students in on the second day.\nAnother change, likely to make move-in easier, is its timing. Forcing the freshmen to move in the middle of the week is another hassle for everyone. Some parents have to get off work all day to help their students get to Bloomington, and this might not be an option for many. It is also a hassle for local business people who use campus roads to get to work, because of the overcrowding and mis-managed parking.\nChanging the move-in date to a weekend is a valid solution to this problem. It would give people two days to get everything into their dorm rooms and set up, and the solution would not require parents to take off work during the week.\nThis option has been argued in the past, but some officials have said the Orientation Week cannot be extended because there are not enough events to fill the full week. \nStill, this plan should be invoked. The orientation time is for freshmen to get acclimated to the campus and college life, so let them find something to do on their own for some of these days. They're going to have to do this once classes begin anyway.\nAlso, the University could work with the Department of RecSports and Intramurals to set up a multi-sport tournament or an event that some students could participate in if they could not find entertainment on their own.\nThe freshman move-in is a hectic, hurried day -- even for people not moving into a dorm. Changing the ordeal is a needed change for all.