For Brody Neighborhood this year, organizing move-in day became difficult because of the ongoing sewer improvement project at the corner of east-west Michigan Avenue and north-south Harrison Road.

The Michigan-Harrison intersection was expected to fully reopen to traffic Aug. 23, but has fallen slightly behind schedule, resulting in lane closures. 

But Residential and Hospitality Services, or RHS, weren't without a plan to combat the construction: no more parking.

Parents and freshmen moving in were allowed specific access points, where they could drive around the perimeter of the neighborhood, and stop to unload at marked unloading ports. Then, the driver of the vehicle was asked to continue driving to a parking ramp, with a now-empty car, rather than simply parking in the lot for the length of the move-in process.

RHS Supervisor Edalea Gelispie said this resulted in a much less chaotic move-in than in years past.

“Before, they used to just unload, unload, unload," she said. "Now we just said, ‘one way in, one way out.’”

Some were unhappy, and wanted to wait for loading and unloading as had been done in previous years.

A white Jeep was parked outside Rather Hall for several minutes, and the driver declined to speak with The State News, but Gelispie said she was in violation of the no-parking rule.

“I told her what to do: to park on the side,” Gelispie said.

Gelispie said a Michigan State University Police officer allowed some to park for special circumstances, causing some confusion. The officer declined to speak with The State News. 

The RHS team also employed shuttles to take students and parents back to the parking ramps after the move-in process was complete.

Kristi Petrosian, who moved her daughter Chelsea into Bryan Hall on Sunday, said the process worked just as well as it had with previous children at different schools.