Students Arrive at VCU for 2009-10 Academic Year

By Tom Gresham

The new freshman class at Virginia Commonwealth University arrives this weekend to move into student dormitories, opening the university’s annual “Welcome Week” schedule of activities.

VCU will enroll approximately 32,600 students this fall, the largest enrollment in school history, including about 3,700 freshmen. Approximately 5,000 students will live in student housing on campus, filling the capacity in the dorms. More than 2,900 freshmen will live in student housing.

Freshmen will move into their dorm rooms on Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Activities will be held in Monroe Park and on the MCV Campus lawn for students and their families.

Reuban Rodriguez, Ed.D., associate vice provost and dean of student affairs at VCU, will be available for media interviews about move-in days and the opening of the academic year at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday in front of Brandt Hall, at the corner of Laurel and Franklin streets.

Ninety percent of VCU’s incoming freshmen are from Virginia. The average GPA of the incoming class is 3.44, and the average SAT score is 1090. The freshman class will be 51 percent white, 20 percent black, 14 percent Asian, five percent Hispanic, two percent international and one percent American Indian. (Seven percent of students did not identify their race.)

Traffic congestion is expected in the areas near VCU’s student dormitories on both Saturday and Sunday and street parking will be blocked in the vicinity of residence halls.

Heavy traffic areas include the 700 and 800 blocks of West Franklin Street, near Brandt, Johnson and Rhoads halls; the 700 block of West Main Street, near Gladding Residence Center and the 700 block of West Grace Street near West Grace Street Housing. Congestion also is expected on the MCV campus near Cabaniss Hall, 615 N. Eighth St.