Fresno State students excited, nervous during move-in day. Dorms at full capacity

The Fresno State campus was bustling Thursday with a welcome sight to many that have been away for distance learning much of the past year and a half.

Paulina Medina and her mom were just one of 1,100 families that will move their students into the dorms at Fresno State over the next two days before classes begin Monday.

Medina, a Smittcamp Honors student, was living in a dorm when COVID-19 shut down the campus in March 2020. She was forced to leave campus and move back home to Hanford.

“It was quick to move out,” she said. “It was sudden. And so I just had all my stuff thrown in boxes.”

Medina, a pre-med biology major, said her biggest worry this year is “shutting down again and having to move home again.”

But she said she’s confident Fresno State is doing everything it can to keep everyone safe from rising coronavirus cases. She plans to follow the school’s indoor mask requirements and clean and sanitize her areas often.

COVID vaccinations are mandatory for students, California State University announced over the summer. Before students move in this week, they must show proof of a negative COVID test, said Fresno State Housing Director Erin Boele.

From then on, unvaccinated students must test weekly until they receive their full set of shots. The CSU deadline for certification of vaccination is Sept. 30.

Student housing shortage

Last year, only about 250 students lived on campus to help with social distancing. International students, foster youth, and other students who needed housing were the priority.

This year is the first time in five years that student housing has been over capacity, Boele said.

“We have about 150 students who were, unfortunately, not able to have housing on campus, so we’re working to get them housing off (campus),” she said.

“We’re not quite sure why we’re not able to, but a lot of our partners off campus are just as full as we are this summer. So I don’t know if it’s because everybody’s excited just to start something new, or if there’s something else going on with the rentals.”

According to a report from the Public Policy Institute of California, the state’s housing crisis is now affecting college students. Rents have also risen dramatically in the past year in Fresno.

UC Merced is delaying the start of its school year by five days to fix its housing shortage. Roughly 1,000 students were unable to find housing, and 500 of those will be moved into hotel rooms until construction on student apartments is finished, UC Merced officials said.

Parents say goodbye

Overall, excitement to begin college and start anew after a tough 18 months won out over nervousness about the coronavirus.

Justin Tran, a freshman animal science major, helped his parents Khoa and Patricia Tran carry luggage up the stairs into his two-person dorm on Thursday morning.

“This is my first time being independent from my family, so like, it’s really nerve-wracking, but it’s also extremely exciting to just take care of myself and just be on my own,” Justin said. “Even though I was really afraid at first, to be by myself, to do things by myself, I’m really excited that I get to gain that independence.”

The Trans are from the San Diego area, and Justin is the second son they’ve seen off to college. Justin’s older brother commutes to San Diego State, the family said, but Justin wanted the full college experience of living away from home.

“I chose Fresno State because of the big animal science department — Jordan College,” he said. “I had other options to go to, but none of them had the big department that I wanted to study in.”

It was Justin’s first time in Fresno, and he planned to fill in the days before Monday by “mostly exploring around the campus, finding where all my classes are before school starts, and just checking out the bookstore, places to eat, maybe some of the surrounding areas.”

His dad was a little nervous about COVID-19 and the Delta variant but trusted his son’s “judgment, and him making the right call, making the right decision.”

Justin’s parents said they planned to visit every few weeks and “then maybe on the holidays, he’ll come home. It’s another chapter for Justin, so I’m sure he’s happy,” Khoa said.

His mom, Patricia, said she was proud of her son’s independence and responsibility. She believes the experience will set him up for success.

“It’s about managing time and organizing,” she said, “and college is the perfect place to learn. It teaches you to be independent and be responsible for yourself.”

“You just have to be totally on your own,” she laughed, “(like) doing your own laundry.”

Medina said as soon as she heard she could return to campus, she really wanted to.

“I am going to be a little bit sad leaving my family and having the home-cooked meals and, you know, hanging out with my dog at home, but I am excited to be back.”

After more than a year of having her daughter at home again, Consuelo Medina said she had mixed feelings.

“I’m excited for her to be back, but at the same time, it’s always hard to let go,” she said. “I loved having her at home, but I’m also ready for her to go on her own and continue to learn and become better. It’s good to be with her friends again and in her classes, and hopefully, we’re going to have a normal setting again.”

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Read more from The Bee’s Education Lab at our website.