A friendly welcome to Maverick Country
Moving into her dorm room in Kalpana Chawla Hall, student Mary Hoover said the decision to come from her hometown of Austin to study at The University of Texas at Arlington mainly came down to two factors: a high-quality nursing program and a friendly campus.
“I came to UTA because they are known for a good nursing program,” said Hoover, a freshman in the College of Nursing and Health Innovation. “And when I came to visit, I thought UTA was really a beautiful campus. Everyone is friendly and welcoming, and a lot of students seem to get involved.”
Hoover was among thousands of UTA students moving into their residence halls and apartments this week. The move-in festivities that began Aug. 19 were the first of more than 40 events over 18 days that compose Maverick Stampede, UTA’s annual kick-off to the new academic year and a way to welcome new and returning students back to campus.
Hundreds of volunteers—among them UTA President Vistasp Karbhari, Arlington City Council member and UTA alumnus Marvin Sutton and members of the Movin’ Mavs wheelchair basketball team—helped students move in and unpack. This year about 10,000 UTA students live on or adjacent to campus, categorizing the University as a four-year, primarily residential campus, according to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
Settling into his new dorm room at Arlington Hall, Demi Cole said he plans to major in nursing. The 18-year-old from Grand Prairie decided to attend UTA for a full and fulfilling academic and social experience. The UTA campus, which spans 420 acres and includes more than 100 buildings, is also home to about 300 campus organizations for virtually every area of interest.
“UTA is a good school and it’s close to home,” Cole said. “I’m excited to meet new people. I decided to live on campus because I want to get the whole college experience.”
Sophie Drinnan and Melania Dobson both grew up in the Austin area but didn’t meet each other until they enrolled. They connected through UTA’s online roommate portal, where they discovered that they both will major in psychology and enjoy volleyball.
“We decided that we had a lot of things in common,” said Drinnan, a Round Rock Christian Academy graduate.
On Monday, they moved in to their dorm room at West Hall.
“I love West Hall,” said Dobson, an Austin Bowie graduate. “Everyone is so helpful, so inviting. We’d visited during a tour and orientation, but we’re still discovering UTA.”
That sense of Maverick friendliness came up again and again as students moved in across campus.
Steven Campbell, a freshman engineering major from Houston, said UTA was the best fit for him because the University “cares a lot about its students, and that’s why I chose to come here.”
Michael Kirchnoffer, who plans to major in visual communications, chose UTA after making a campus visit. “I really liked the atmosphere,” said Kirchnoffer, who is from Keller. “Everyone was really nice and friendly.”
Taylor Garca, who graduated from Trinity Christian Academy in Cedar Hill, said she chose UTA for its exercise science program. “I shadowed another student all day, and I loved it,” she said.
Garca’s mother, Tiffany, said UTA has been welcoming to her daughter. “Everyone is willing to help,” she said. “Whether it’s been orientation or just asking where a building is, people help.”
Some of those helpers included Ramiro Cortez and Antoine Gray, both members of UTA’s eight-time national championship wheelchair basketball team.
“We come out here as a team,” said Cortez, a Spanish interpreter/translation major. “It’s where relationships start.”
Gray, who already has an undergrad degree in social work and is now working on his master’s in that subject, has helped new students move in for three years.
“Helping people is certainly part of it,” he said. “But getting friendly with people is just as important.”