In case you haven’t noticed the uptick in traffic or the proliferation of fresh-faced youth in the grocery stores — West Virginia University students are coming back to Morgantown this week.
“Welcome Week” at the university begins tomorrow and extends through Tuesday, with classes starting Aug. 17. So here are some things to keep in mind as students flood the University City.
Traffic will be much worse. We get spoiled every summer with 30,000 fewer cars on the roads and drastically shortened commute times. But, now that students are back, it will take longer to get, well, everywhere. Such is the price we pay for Morgantown to transition from quiet town to lively, bustling city. Budget at least an extra 10 minutes for your drive to and from work and to any appointments, especially this week since parents helping with move-in are adding their cars to the mix.
Speaking of which … there will be a lot of out-of-town drivers on the roads this week and through the weekend. Morgantown has some funky traffic patterns that locals have become accustomed to (think University Avenue between Beechurst and the Westover Bridge, for instance). People who are unfamiliar with our streets may struggle with being in the correct lane or finding their turnoff. Leave some extra space between you and the car in front of you, and be patient with other drivers. If you don’t have to be near downtown or other student housing complexes, try to avoid them. Let’s keep the accidents to a minimum and forgo the road-rage incidents altogether. (For those who take stock in such things, the full moon is tomorrow. You have been warned.)
Not only are you likely to encounter students and their families on the roads this week, you’re also liable to bump into them at the store. Students will be stocking apartment kitchens and dorm fridges, as well as searching for any of the odds and ends they may have forgotten at home or didn’t realize they needed. Expect grocery stores and big box chains like Walmart to be crowded throughout the week and especially over the weekend. If you can save your weekly shopping for mid-week next week (or early in the next couple days), you’ll be less likely to run into crowds or product shortages. But if you are out and about, please welcome students with the warmth West Virginia is known for. (And if they look lost, please offer to help.)
Moving is stressful for everyone — from the locals who are inconvenienced, to the parents fussing over their children before saying goodbye, to the students who are equal parts nervous and excited.
As residents of Morgantown and the surrounding areas, we can help make the week less traumatic by remembering to be patient, showing kindness — and staying out of the way as much as possible.
