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“It’s chaos,” Massey said. “People are going everywhere, but we’ve got a great system in place” to help the move-in go as smoothly as possible.

Housing staff; campus groups like First Year Guides, Baptist Student Union, and Greek Life; and volunteers from UPS helped parents and students unload all of that “stuff” and carry it in the once-empty dorm rooms. Amazon was also on campus offering giveaways and games to let students win new things for their rooms. The company will be back on Aug. 27.

Louisville freshman Christopher Thompson, a computer engineering major, sat on his minifridge outside of Unitas Tower waiting for his mother to get back from parking her car.

“I have a very tightly packed van load,” he said, that included the essentials for entertainment—a TV and gaming system.

“I’m most excited for a new experience,” said Thompson, who will be rooming with high school friend Ricky Williams, also a computer engineering major.

Further into Belknap Campus near Threkheld Hall, mothers Ruth Mysinger and Beth Edwardson tried to assess all that their daughters—Threkheld roommates—had brought to the new space. It looked to be about 40 boxes and assorted items.

“It’s like a jigsaw puzzle,” Edwardson said of trying to squeeze everything her daughter brought into the room.

Wednesday was Mysinger’s third time to move a child to college. It was Edwardson’s first time.

“I had a good cry last night. I heard that when we leave that will be the big one,” she said.

The UofL Parents Association was on standby to help parents like Edwardson get ready for the transition, said director Glenn Gittings.

“There’s lots of emotion all the way around,” he said. “The students in the last two months have graduated high school. Now they’re moving to college and they’re kind of freaked out about the next chapter in their life. They’re also ready to get away from mom and dad and be on their own, but at the same time, they’ve depended on mom and dad. It’s a big deal to cut loose.”

This is the third year that the UofL Parents Association, with help from UPS and Student Affairs, has set up welcome tents to greet parents and offer such things as water, maps, restaurant information and “Proud Parent” T-shirts.

“I’ve talked to two parents already that have cried all the way up here,” Gittings said. “They’re going to move and they’re going to be strong, and then they’re going to cry all the way home.”