Even before the prescribed move-in time of 10 o’clock on Thursday morning, new students were already hustling into the residence halls of the University of Nevada, Reno.

Some carried flat screen televisions. Others hauled mini-refrigerators or sound systems. Some paused long enough to receive personal greetings and a pat on the back from University President Milt Glick, who was out welcoming the students.

The scene was orderly, yet energetic.

“You don’t have any lines you’re so efficient,” Glick smiled at one point to a table of student of volunteers who were tasked with check-in duties. “I’m impressed.”

Whatever they were doing, the enthusiasm from the students was palpable on one of the University’s busiest mornings.

“I’ve been really, really, really … really excited for this morning,” said freshman Amanda Barbier, a graduate of Dublin High School in the Bay Area who plans on majoring in journalism. “I’ve been super-anxious. I’ve really been looking forward to (moving into the dorms).

Barbier said she was almost too enthusiastic in her packing.

“I brought so much stuff,” she said. “I had the tiniest sliver to sit in, in my car. Oh my gosh. It was horrible. I had boxes stacked on top of boxes. I brought my whole room.”

Chas Torrez, a freshman civil engineering major from Reno, said his drive to campus was a bit easier.

“I didn’t bring all that much,” said Torrez, who was moving into Nye Hall. “I’ve got a little ’92 Toyota, and it all fit into that, so it wasn’t too bad.”

Torrez said Nevada has always been his top choice for college.

“I was born and raised in Reno, and I grew up rooting for Nevada the entire time,” he said. “I knew they had a great engineering program, so that’s what really pushed me to come here.”

He added that living in the residence halls would provide a perfect opportunity to become more involved with campus life.

“I think it’s going to be good, just because everything’s right around here,” he said. “I won’t have to waste gas to get to everything. You’re right in the center of Reno, right near downtown, which is going to be nice. I’m going to meet a whole bunch of new people, get to have that whole college experience.

“I’m really looking forward to it.”

Freshmen like Barbier and Torrez were not alone as they made their way into their new rooms. Student volunteers from throughout the campus were on hand to lend a hand when needed.

Senior Tyler Kenney, a senior from Sacramento majoring in mechanical engineering, wore a blue shirt emblazoned with the words “G Movement” on the front. He explained that the “G Movement” is an effort by fraternities and sororities on campus “to come together under one banner for a couple of weeks before recruitment to advertise what we do, without having all of our personal affiliations get into the way.”

The goal on Thursday morning was to help carry luggage or lug heavy equipment for the freshmen, Kenney said.

“Today, we’re trying to help all the incoming freshmen move into the dorms,” he said. “It’s also kind of a recruitment thing to get G Movement out there. The main thing, though, is we’re just trying to make sure that everyone can get into the dorms easily.

“I remember how hard it was moving in. I just remember there were a lot of events going on and how they definitely kept us really busy with constant events going on when we first moved in.”

Involvement in campus activities should be a must for all freshmen, said Sarah Ehrler, a sophomore biology major from Lake Tahoe.

Ehrler and a number of her friends were manning an Intervarsity Christian Fellowship table near Canada Hall on Thursday morning.

“I would definitely say, ‘Join something,’” Ehrler said. “I doesn’t matter what it is. Just get involved with something.”

She said her involvement with Intervarsity last year as a first-year student helped her make friends and better adjust to moving from a small community at Lake Tahoe to the faster pace of a university with more than 16,000 students.

“I lived in Argenta last year,” she said. “My R.A. (resident assistant) is actually a member of Intervarsity. He was the one who got me into Intervarsity. That’s one of the reasons why I’m here today as part of the Intervarsity dorm outreach program.

“I was really nervous moving into the dorms because I came from a small town, a small high school. I wasn’t really used to what we have here. Everything is just bigger down here. It was crazy, but as the school year wore on, I slowly got used to more people, I joined Intervarsity, and that just really helped me acclimate to the college lifestyle. And I love it now.”

Barbier was hoping for a similar experience as she waited to move into her room on Thursday.

Of her expectations for her first year of college, she smiled and said, “I just hope to meet a bunch of good people, make a bunch of good friends, learn a lot, new experiences ... the basic things, I guess.”

The basic things included a whole host of activities planned for the University’s new students, including the New Student Opening Ceremony on Friday at 8:30 a.m. at Lawlor Events Center.

“I will definitely be there,” said Barbier. Ahead of her, the line into the dorms was starting to pick up steam. It was time to move in. “I’m going to go to everything.”