Members of the 'Cat Crew annually help new students move into Northwest residence halls in anticipation of the fall semester. (Northwest Missouri State University photos)

Aug. 9, 2019

Northwest readies for move-in day, announces parking restrictions

Advantage activities (above and below) include move-in, games, speakers, movies and the annual March to the Tower on Tuesday afternoon.

Advantage helps first-year students get acquainted with other Northwest students, learn about the campus and enjoy some entertainment before fall classes begin,

First-year students annually walk under the Memorial Bell Tower to mark the start of their collegiate careers at Northwest and their entrance into the Bearcat family.

Northwest is preparing to welcome first-time freshmen and transfer students to its campus as the 2019-20 academic year begins.

Saturday, Aug. 17, marks the kickoff of Advantage at Northwest, an annual orientation program designed to help first-year students get acquainted with other Northwest students, learn about the campus and enjoy some entertainment before fall classes begin, Wednesday, Aug. 21.

Check-in begins at 7 a.m. Saturday, and residential students will receive a welcome packet when they check in at their residence halls. Commuter students should attend a meeting at 2 p.m. in the J.W. Jones Student Union Boardroom to pick up their welcome packets. The welcome packet contains an Advantage planner, Bearcat Card, updated class schedule, and a detailed information sheet about University Seminar.

Transfer students are encouraged to visit the Student Success Center on the second floor of the B.D. Owens Library to pick up their Advantage planner when they arrive.

Move-in Day parking

Although select students may move on to campus Friday afternoon, the University’s official move-in begins at 7 a.m. Saturday and continues through Sunday.

Northwest closes some parking lots and reroutes traffic during Advantage to allow students and parents to better navigate the campus while fostering a safe move-in process. Community members also should expect an increase in traffic volume.

The following lot closures and traffic restrictions apply to Advantage:

• Northwest parking lots 9 (east of Roberta Hall), 10 (east of Hudson and Perrin halls), 39 (between Millikan and Dieterich halls) and 42 (from Phillips Hall east to College Park Drive) will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16, through 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17.
• Lot 57 (adjacent to Everett W. Brown Education Hall and the Student Union) will allow parking in the north row only. All vehicles in the lot after 9 p.m., Friday, Aug. 17, will be towed.

• University Police will begin directing traffic at 6:45 a.m. Aug. 17, and all traffic on University Drive will be stopped to greet arriving families. Traffic will be restricted on College Park Drive from Dieterich Hall to Memorial Drive and heading east on Northwest Drive from Millikan Hall.

All vehicles must be cleared from these areas during designated closures and remaining vehicles will be subject to towing. The clearing of these spaces helps Northwest provide services to students and parents as they are moving in.

For a campus map with additional move-in day instructions, click here.

As a reminder to Northwest employees and students, parking permits for the 2019-2020 academic year should be placed on vehicles by Saturday, Aug. 31. Vehicles may be registered by logging onto CatPAWS. Click the Personal Information tab, click the Parking Permit Registration box, click “Proceed to register your vehicle” and follow the remaining steps. After completing the registration, registrants may pick up parking passes in the cashiering office on the first floor of the Administration Building.

For more information about on-campus traffic and parking, contact University Police at 660.562.1254 or follow the department for real-time updates on Twitter @NW_UPD, Instagram with nw_upd or Facebook at Northwest Missouri State University Police Department.

In case of severe weather during move-in

When lightning strikes within 8 miles of the Northwest campus:

• All move-in day activities will be suspended for a minimum of 30 minutes.
• Northwest will communicate the suspension of move-in day activities through Bearcat Alert, Northwest social media and Residential Life social media.
• Students and parents on the campus will shelter in their assigned buildings or the nearest accessible University building.
• All incoming students and parents will be instructed to delay their arrival in accordance with procedure and best practices for safety.
• Move-in day activities will resume at the direction of University Police or the University’s emergency management coordinator.

Advantage activities

The Northwest community is invited to gather around the Memorial Bell Tower about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20, to welcome new students as they participate in the annual March to the Tower. Ice cream will be served to students after they pass through the Bell Tower.

Northwest also will host its annual back-to-school fireworks presentation at about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20, at College Park.

A complete Advantage schedule and more information about new student activities are available by clicking here or on Northwest’s online calendar at http://calendar.nwmissouri.edu/.