CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) — The University of Illinois campus was filled with parents and students as move-in week got underway for the 2026-27 school year.
Furniture, clothes and other room necessities lined the sidewalks as families came together to help their students move in.
Associate Marketing and Communications Director for University Housing Brooke Feeney said move-in has gone according to plan.
"So far, so good. It's been going great, and we've had great weather too, which is more than I can say for the past couple of days," Feeney said. "There have been no other hiccups; it's going smoothly, thankfully."
Some first-year students will begin the semester with a temporary change in their living space. An estimated 350 students will move into a different dorm due to contractor delays at Trelease Hall.
Despite the change, Feeney said the university has stayed on top of the situation, since a student's first year matters so much to the school.
"We really wanted to keep them within university housing space, which is why we were able to temporarily relocate them to another one of our residence halls," Feeney said. "We wanted to have as little impact on their residential experience as possible."
University Housing said students affected by the Trelease Hall delays will be moved back once construction is complete.
Move-in day began Sunday, and parents like Sherlonda Knight feel good knowing their daughters chose a campus they believe is safe.
"I know the campus is beautiful. We had so many great talks during orientation about safety and everything," Knight said. "So, I feel confident that she'll be able to keep her head together and do what she has to do. I have had a great experience here."
But even with that confidence, saying goodbye won't be easy as she leaves her daughter for the school year.
"Now it's time to get that drive home — I'm probably going to cry by the time I get to the car," Knight said.
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