There are always good stories to tell about the McCulloch lobby, but on move-in day, there’s nothing more fun than watch freshmen awkwardly interact with their parents—it’s sort of like being in pre-school all over again, if you swapped the pacifiers for Blackberries.
1:38: A middle-aged, balding man walks by covered in sweat. “We have to bring the refrigerator up to the room now,” his daughter says. The father sighs.
1:41: Multiple freshmen walk a couple steps behind their parents, eyes glued to their Blackberries.
1:43: One daughter looks up from her Blackberry after her mother comments, “So far, I’ve seen plenty of cute boys. It doesn’t seem that nerdy.” The comment is loud enough for the entire McCulloch lobby to hear, much to the daughter’s chagrin.
1:44: Mother: “I hope people don’t come back and throw up in those bathrooms.”
1:47: Mother: “If you want to stay with us at the Orrington tonight, you can.”
Son: “I don’t want to.”
Mother: “Well if you change your mind…”
Son: “Mom!”
Father: “Gail, leave him alone. He needs to make friends.”
Son steps back and pulls out his Blackberry.
1:49: Father approaches the peer adviser who just helped lift boxes from the car to his daughter’s room in Bobb. He pulls out a $20. The PA respectfully declines.
1:50: Small Indian boy walks by with a gigantic stuffed panda.
1:52: “There’s no room for the microwave oven. How are you going to heat food up?”
1:54: Two freshmen walk by each other: boy with skinny jeans and a plaid shirt and girl dressed similarly. As they pass each other in the lobby, there is a second of awkwardness as the boy can’t decide whether to walk to the right or the left of the girl.
1:58: Mother and daughter pause in front of me. Mother takes a deep breath and daughter follows suit. “How are you,” the mother asks. “Fine,” the daughter answers, sounding frustrated.
