VCU news

By Anne Dreyfuss
C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research

Virginia Commonwealth University will welcome its largest freshman class starting tomorrow. Freshmen will move into their residence halls Friday and Saturday and the university will launch its annual Welcome Week schedule of activities.

Reuban Rodriguez, Ed.D., associate vice provost and dean of student affairs at VCU, will be available for media interviews about move-in days and the opening of the academic year from 10 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, in front of Brandt Hall, at the corner of Laurel and Franklin streets.

VCU will enroll an estimated 31,500 students this fall. This year’s freshman class is expected to be approximately 4,050 students, of which about one-third are first-generation college students whose parents did not attend college.

About 90 percent of VCU’s freshman class is from Virginia, including 1,600 students from Northern Virginia and 750 from the Richmond metro area.

Minority students represent 51 percent of the freshman class.

VCU will also enroll about 2,125 transfer students, which includes about 1,450 students from the Virginia Community College System.

VCU freshmen currently living in the Richmond metro area will move in on Friday, Aug. 14, beginning at 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. On Saturday, Aug. 15, all other VCU freshmen students will be moving in from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Traffic congestion is expected in the areas near VCU’s student residence halls on both Friday and Saturday and there will be limited street parking around the area.

In order to ensure safety and order as students move into residence halls, the following streets will have travel restrictions or will be closed:

• Franklin Street: Traffic will be reduced to one travel lane between Harrison and Belvidere streets.
  
  
• Grace Street: Travel lanes will remain open, however, drivers may experience some congestion.
  
  
• Main Street: Traffic will be reduced to one travel lane between Belvidere and Laurel streets.
  
  
• Laurel Street: The street will be closed to through traffic between West Franklin and West Grace streets.
  
  
• Pine Street: The street will be closed to through traffic between West Cary and West Main streets.

Traffic restrictions and closures will be in effect on Friday, Aug. 14, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and on Saturday, Aug. 15, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. VCU Police will be handling traffic control on Friday and Saturday as students move in.