The early morning silence and stillness of the Hill, home of UCLA’s undergraduate residential community, gradually give way to the sound of laughter and laundry carts being wheeled along winding sidewalks as students unload their belongings from a steady stream of vehicles. Music fills the air, and an energy that has been missed since June reemerges: It’s move-in time at UCLA.
From now until Sunday, 12,000 undergraduate students will settle onto campus with assistance from more than 1,000 volunteers. With the beginning of the new academic year, classes will commence Thursday.
Bob Murphy was one of the first parents to arrive on campus early Thursday morning for move-in. But Murphy’s daughter, Mackenzie, a freshman, and her mother, Deidre, were scheduled to arrive in Westwood from their home in Palmdale around 6 p.m.
So why was Murphy, a seasoned veteran of move-in, here so early?
Murphy, who helped his son, Dillon, a UCLA senior, move in for the past three years, is one of roughly 100 parent volunteers who will be directing the lost, answering questions, passing out pens and informational material, and offering a sympathetic ear to parents and guardians having a rough time separating from their new Bruin.
“We let them know that their kids are in a great place, and that it’s OK to let go of their child because they’re going to be taken care of,” said Murphy, co-chair of the UCLA Parents’ Council, a group of 160 dedicated volunteers who serve as university ambassadors and advisers to the UCLA Parent and Family Association.
“We want parents to feel comfortable and know that they made the right choice in sending their student to UCLA,” said Murphy. To catch any tears, parent volunteers pass out packages of tissues that have contact information for Parent and Family Programs.
For the last decade, UCLA Parent and Family Programs has been offering programs and events, support and resources, and volunteer opportunities. The program operates a helpline at 310-794-6737, provides assistance via email, and communicates with more than 38,000 families through its Bruinlink newsletter, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.“This is huge for move-in weekend,” said parent volunteer and co-chair-elect Bernadette Larratt. “A lot of people get very emotional. … This is real. It’s hard.”
Chockful of useful information, the organization serves as one-stop shop for parents, said Maisha Beasley, senior director of UCLA Parent and Family Programs.
“The university is a huge place,” said Beasley. “Figuring out all the things you need to know as a parent can be daunting. So having a one-stop shop instead of having to call around campus really provides parents with a valuable tool.”
Like Murphy, Larratt and her husband, Doug, also have two children who attend UCLA. Daughter Stephanie is starting her third year, and daughter Megan is a freshman.
Larratt said her family had no personal connection to UCLA before Stephanie was accepted. That all changed when she and her husband joined the UCLA Parents’ Council and started volunteering.
Larratt estimates that she and many other parents on council volunteer more than 100 hours per year to UCLA. It’s not a requirement of the organization, but there are just so many ways to get involved, she said. Among them are Bruin Day, Family Orientation, New Bruin Send-Offs, Parents’ Weekend, a Thanksgiving dinner for international students at the Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars, admissions events, Bruin Bound and events organized by other campus partners.
“For me, it is just a way to give back,” said Larratt.
“We also help to dispel the myth that UCLA is a large bureaucratic institution. It’ really isn’t. It’s very friendly and approachable,” Larratt said. “People come to us with all sorts of questions and are sometimes panicked. We just relay our experiences and help them find their way.”
Although it’s not required that members of the parents’ council donate to the university, many do — members raised and donated more than $230,000 to UCLA last year. Donations were directed to UCLA’s Centennial Campaign, various academic departments and a variety of student initiatives, among other causes, she said.
Mindy and Randy Wolpert, along with their son, Jake, a freshman majoring in business economics, stopped to speak with Murphy, Larratt, and other parent volunteers at a booth in De Neve Court on Thursday morning. Two other booths located outside Covel Commons and Hedrick Summit also welcomed a steady flow of family traffic throughout the day.
“I already follow them on social media, said Mindy Wolpert. “I just wanted to check in and say ‘Hi’ and see if there is anything else they wanted us to know.”
The family, who is from Weston, Florida, acknowledged that being able to connect with Beasley, her staff, parent volunteers and other UCLA families prior to move-in made the transition to college much smoother.
“It took a lot for us to let Jake come across the country for school,” his mother said. “They always say, ‘You can email us or go on the website, and a lot of your questions will be answered.’ It makes it a lot easier for us to leave him here.”
