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Penn State Kicks Off Academic Year After Move-In Weekend

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By

Zach Berger

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Beaver Avenue and College Avenue were lined with cars, some of them going the wrong way.

Students on campus could be seen standing around maps, searching for the right buildings or residence halls as they explored their new home.

Penn State students were roaming downtown with their parents, doing the annual move-in weekend shopping spree.

It could only mean one thing: The semester is here. As classes get underway today, excitement is in the air throughout State College and the Penn State campus after a summer break that started in early May, over three months ago.

“It feels wonderful being back in Happy Valley, although it is a tad bit bittersweet being my senior year,” said Brandon Rittenhouse, the 2015 homecoming executive director.

“The excitement of move-in weekend and being reunited with all of my closest friends is great,” he added, “but I can’t help but fight the sinking feeling that this is my last time ever experiencing move-in weekend. That’s the way the cookie crumbles, though.”

While this is a homecoming of sorts for current Penn State students, Rittenhouse is most looking forward to the weekend when alumni descend on campus for a parade, a football game, and more. 

“I’m especially excited for Homecoming this fall,” he said. “It is one of my favorite times at Penn State; the spirit and atmosphere found around town is unmatched. Also, seeing old friends who have since graduated is always something I look forward to.”

Alexa Jones, a senior broadcast journalism major, wasn’t as happy as Rittenhouse to make her return to State College. She’s looking forward to the semester and the coming academic year, but the end-of-summer blues have hit Jones.

“Honestly when I came back here I was so upset summer was basically over but I met up with some of my best friends went out and it felt like I never left,” she said. “Now I’m looking forward to what the rest of the year has to hold and most importantly graduation.”

The weekend included events like Freshman Convocation at the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday night, when thousands of incoming freshmen walked down the street from East Halls to hear from president Eric Barron and receive an official welcome to the university. University Park Undergraduate Association president Emily McDonald also addressed the Class of 2019, and took a massive selfie with the crowd. 



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