First Impressions of The Rock on Move-In Day

ove-in day is a community affair. It’s all hands on deck, with students and staff pitching in to welcome families, the marching band serenading arriving students, and Rocky the mascot on the prowl all over campus. Additionally, it is organized, quick, and above all, positive.

“The students who helped unload were very nice and friendly and they knew everything that they had to do,” said Kelly Violanti, mother of first-year student Louis Violanti of Lackawanna, New York.

In the first hour of their arrival on campus, the Violanti family was able to witness the spirit of togetherness that makes SRU a special place.

While moving in her daughter, Shayah, alumna Shelby Misencik, ’98, of Green Tree spoke of the close relationships that she was able to build with faculty in her time at SRU.

“Everybody knew who I was,” Misencik says. “Even when I’d see them after I had graduated, they would remember me. That doesn’t happen at other universities.

Melanie Alexander of Chesterfield, Virginia, echoed Violanti and Misencik’s sentiments about the connectedness of the campus community, offering particular praise for its diversity.

Alexander’s son, Mirco, discovered SRU on YouTube. He decided that SRU was a place that he simply had to learn more about, and after two visits, he and his family were sold. “I feel like Slippery Rock chose him,” Alexander said.

Alumnus Bryan Saeler, ’04, spoke to the distinctive academic programs offered here, saying that the University’s safety management major was a significant factor in his son Tristen’s choice to attend SRU. Even when Tristen decided to change his intended major from safety to construction management, the University had a strong academic program to offer him.

Other families spoke of the high reputation of the theatre, education and criminal justice programs, to name a few, calling them unique and rigorous, especially when compared to other schools in the region and price range.

While reflecting on her son’s arrival on campus, Melanie Alexander spoke of the optimism and pride she felt regarding Mirco’s choice to attend the University.

“I’m just so excited for him,” she said, “and I know he’s gonna do well.”

These parents and families have brought their children this far, and they have graciously trusted SRU to guide their children into adulthood, the next phase of their intellectual and personal lives, and into professional life. Unique and career focused academics, an inviting and fulfilling social life, and the safety and beauty of the campus all compound to create an environment where a parent can feel secure in imagining a bright future for their student.

Alumnus Bryan Saeler, ’04, spoke to the distinctive academic programs offered here, saying that the University’s safety management major was a significant factor in his son Tristen’s choice to attend SRU. Even when Tristen decided to change his intended major from safety to construction management, the University had a strong academic program to offer him.

Other families spoke of the high reputation of the theatre, education and criminal justice programs, to name a few, calling them unique and rigorous, especially when compared to other schools in the region and price range.

While reflecting on her son’s arrival on campus, Melanie Alexander spoke of the optimism and pride she felt regarding Mirco’s choice to attend the University.

“I’m just so excited for him,” she said, “and I know he’s gonna do well.”

These parents and families have brought their children this far, and they have graciously trusted SRU to guide their children into adulthood, the next phase of their intellectual and personal lives, and into professional life. Unique and career focused academics, an inviting and fulfilling social life, and the safety and beauty of the campus all compound to create an environment where a parent can feel secure in imagining a bright future for their student.