WMU community shows up big to welcome new Broncos to campus
Student-athletes were among the volunteers who helped make move-in run smoothly.
WMU President Russ Kavalhuna welcomed students to campus during fall move-in.
Hundreds of students, staff and volunteers welcomed the newest class of Broncos to campus.
Families made many trips up and down residence hall stairs moving Broncos in.
President Kavalhuna met parents as they moved their students into residence halls.
There was plenty of furniture assembling as students settled into their new homes.
Dr. Chris Cheatham, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, helped students during move-in as well.
Roughly 1,000 students moved into Valley Oaks, WMU’s newest residence hall.
President Kavalhuna helped students move into Valley 1, where he lived when he attended Western.
Western rolled out the red carpet for new Broncos on move-in day.
Families arrived on campus with cars packed full of belongings.
President Kavalhuna stopped for a selfie in Valley Oaks.
It’s a great day to be a Bronco!
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The boom of the cannon, the pounding percussion of the Bronco Marching Band, students and community members packing campus with swag under their arms and smiles on their faces—Western Michigan University’s campus buzzed with activity as Bronco Bash dotted the exclamation point of Fall Welcome and set the tone for the 2026-27 academic year.
“This is the beginning of a new year, and Western Michigan is on the rise with new, state-of-the-art facilities and an exciting campus atmosphere,” says WMU President Russ Kavalhuna.
After a summer lull, the University is back to full strength, the promise of a new year reflected in the eager eyes of first-year students who have driven or flown in, sometimes from hundreds of miles away, to settle into their new home.
“It’s so exciting,” says Kavalhuna. “I remember when I moved in here at Western many years ago; I was excited and nervous, and these families are just the same. I hope these students see a bright future for themselves.”
Meeting new Broncos is something Roshona Porter, director of housing and residence life, looks forward to every year.
“My favorite part of move-in is the energy,” she says. “I also love the stories I hear at move-in: Whether it’s alumni who met decades ago and came back to help students at their old residence hall or new families who’ve traveled hundreds of miles to get here, I always love learning more about our Bronco community.”
Over the last week of August, months of preparation and collaboration in Western’s Office of Housing and Residence Life and Office of Student Transitions culminated in the welcoming of nearly 3,000 Broncos to campus housing—most of them first-year students.
“We worked really hard to cater the experience to students and their families, considering move-in time slots, working with vendors to make sure if students order things ahead of time they are in their room ready to go, and making sure staff were stationed and ready at each move-in point,” says Porter. “We tried to think of everything to make this process go as smoothly as possible.”
A warm Western welcome
In addition to residence hall staff and orientation leaders, hundreds of volunteers from WMU Athletics, University departments and programs, student organizations, and the ranks of alumni showed up in force to usher families to their move-in destinations.
“It was phenomenal,” says Monique Bryant, who drove from Detroit to move her daughter in. “As a parent, I expected long lines, which is the reason I wanted to get here so early and prepare for traffic, but I pulled up, got very concrete directions, the loading zone is perfect; things are just moving like clockwork. I’ve never seen anything like this, and I’ve been to a few college campus move-ins!”
Students participating in their very first move-in noticed, too.
“Move-in has been very easygoing,” says Adalae Reifinger, a first-year nursing major from Grand Rapids. “Everybody helped bring bags in, my dad’s building the loft upstairs, everybody’s been super welcoming with smiles—it’s great. The president came and helped, and other people from the University. It was awesome.”
Welcoming the very first class of Broncos into Western’s newest residence hall, Valley Oaks, added to the move-in momentum.
“I’m really excited because there’s air conditioning,” says Samantha Newton, a first-year music education major from New Buffalo, Michigan. “I’m also really excited to be on my own.”
“It’s stunning. Absolutely amazing,” adds Pierson Schwartz, a first-year aviation flight science student from Buffalo, New York. “I came in the spring to look at it and see what it was like, and it’s amazing. They have AC units, a lot of games, and there are a lot of fun activities to do. I’m just really excited to try it out and see how everything goes for the next semester.”
Richard DeVries, B.S.’69, who helped move his grandson into Valley Oaks, says the residence hall is much different from what he experienced during his college days.
“When we went to Western, this was Valley 3, and nobody wanted to live here because it was the longest walk to class,” he remembers. “Now everybody wants to live here. There’s a beautiful place to eat right next door, and the building is gorgeous.”
“We toured it when they had the open house, and we’re really excited for our grandson to be able to experience this kind of living,” adds his wife, Ruth DeVries, B.A.’69.
Several of the inaugural residents of Valley Oaks visited campus in July for the open house and were invited by Kavalhuna to participate in the ceremonial ribbon cutting.
“It’s pretty surreal,” says Joel Keegan, a first-year supply chain major from Niles, Michigan, who plans to display his piece of the ribbon on the wall in his room. “Honestly, I never thought that I’d actually be able to go to college, so getting the opportunity to do that and then be part of the ribbon cutting was pretty amazing.”
A new beginning
Moving to college is a big transition for both students and their families. Mike Longman’s and Angelo Waterlander’s daughters have been friends since preschool. Now, the parents are sending their kids off to college together.
“It’s great and sad at the same time knowing that they’re going on to the next chapter, and they’re also looking forward to it as well,” says Waterlander.
“It’s exciting, surreal, sad, all those things,” adds Longman.
Erik Williams agrees with the mix of emotions. He’s excited for his son, Asher, to have opportunities to challenge his perspectives and learn new things—even if that means it will be a little quieter at home.
“It’s going to be an adjustment on our end as much as it is on his end,” says Williams, who drove in from Manhattan, Illinois. “This is a new season in life. I’m excited for him to start something new and to figure out his way, leave the nest and figure things out on his own.”
Parents can find peace of mind in the range of well-being resources available to help Broncos thrive academically, personally, professionally and socially.
“I hope students can find a place to call home away from home,” says Porter. “When I look at our students, especially the first- and second-year students, I see so much growth happening. When students come here, they learn about who they are and what they’re called to do in this world. I hope at Western they find a safe space to learn to be their authentic self, to find the connections that help support them and push them to the next level in their development.”
Growth can be uncomfortable, but Kavalhuna says the most important thing for new Broncos to do is to take the first step.
“Get involved, try new things, meet new people who are from different places and different backgrounds, figure out who you want to be as you become an adult here, and have a lot of fun,” he says. “It’s a great day to be a Bronco!”
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