a presidential welcome

Amid boxes, moving trucks, parents and new students, IU President Adam Herbert stood welcoming incoming freshmen to Foster Quad Wednesday.\n"It's always great to start a new academic year," Herbert said in between greetings.\nIt was quite difficult for the incoming Hoosiers to avoid the president, as Herbert made every ample opportunity to stop and chat with students and their families.\nFor freshman Jenna Liechty, meeting Herbert was a necessity after her twin sister and roommate, Jill, spoke with him earlier in the morning. The Liechty's father, Jason, was with both women when they met the president and couldn't allow one of his daughters to miss the opportunity.\n"You can't have one picture without the other," Jason Liechty said after taking a picture of Jenna and Herbert. \nEven though her unpacking was interrupted, Liechty seemed to not be bothered by her small meeting with the University president.\n"(Meeting President Herbert) was very cool," she said. "My dad dragged me downstairs."\nHer father, a 1972 IU graduate, was impressed that Herbert was speaking with students. \n"He's very personable," Jason Liechty said.\nThe Liechty women were just two of the more than 7,000 students moving into the residence halls Wednesday, said Residence Halls Association President John Palmer. As the first official day for new and returning students to enter the on-campus housing began, there were already 2,100 students in the residence halls. Those students used the early-moving option, where, for a fee, students were allowed to access their rooms beginning August 22.\n Palmer said the projected number of students in the residence halls this year will be about 9,100 -- almost 3,000 less than the maximum capacity. \nPalmer said for the most part, Wednesday went smooth and there weren't many problems.\n"(Move-in) seemed a lot more calm," he said. "A couple of people drove the wrong way."\nStudents and their families were waiting for the move-in staff to open the doors to Foster at 8 a.m. Besides the early risers, Palmer said the other main influx of move-ins was in mid-afternoon.\nDuring his duty as greeter, Herbert toured the check-in area of Foster, welcoming new Hoosiers to IU. \n"We are very delighted to have the parents and students here," the president said. "I've talked with students from Cincinnati, Bethesda, Md., New Orleans, and from several (other) states from around the country," \nOne out-of-state freshman is entering her first year with the same expectations as many college students.\n"Meeting new people, the classes and the freedom," Deerfield, Ill., resident and freshman Rachel Pawlow said. \nFor some students, getting sent to college comes with warnings and talks from parents.\n"I told him to be safe," Tonya Williams said of her freshman son Arnie Williams, Jr. "It's a new experience. It's the first time he's away from home." \nComing to IU for the first time can be intimidating for some freshmen, but Tonya Williams told her son just to keep going in the right direction.\n"I told him to stay focused," she said. "'Keep your priorities straight. Be safe, and that includes all aspects.'"\nFor the Liechty sisters, the roommate situation was a tough choice: Be paired with a random roommate or just live with each other?\nInstead of taking the risk of getting an incompatible roommate, the women decided to live together for at least one year.\n"I think it'll be good," Jenna Liechty said. "We're not starting out with something new. We thought about (not living together), but it's our first year, and we wanted to avoid any problems you can get with a new roommate." After meeting many residents of Foster, Herbert was able to get a more accurate take on the new students, coming to the conclusion that among other areas, the Class of 2008 is very diverse.\n"I think the quality of the freshman class is very strong," he said.\n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.