HOUGHTON — Despite indoor mask mandates and traffic backlogs, Michigan Technological University’s vision for the start of the year is to preserve as much of the traditional college experience as possible.

“I want to reclaim the community spirit the pandemic has stolen from us for the past year and a half or so,” said Wallace Southerland III, Tech’s new vice president of student affairs and dean of students. “So I think that’s what families and students can expect. They can also expect the Husky friendliness, they can also expect the same commitment to making sure students of all across the state students who are coming from abroad really feel welcome, and a sense of belonging in a university.”

More than 80 events are planned for this year’s orientation. Welcome Week, which runs from Aug. 28 to Sept. 4, will add another 30.

Throughout September, students can also build job skills and connections through 25 career-focused workshops, culminating in the virtual Career Services Fair.

While students will be able to participate virtually in many events, Southerland said the emphasis will be on in-person events. Thursday night, he attended the graduate Student Government’s annual softball game and picnic.

“There was an overwhelming sense of joy and camaraderie and excitement, and just good spirit,” he said. “…When students get back, they’re going to reconnect with their friends, they’re going to get reconnected to the clubs and organizations that they were involved in before the pandemic, and we’re going to encourage them to create new clubs and organizations.”

Southerland and other university staffers also volunteered shifts during Tech’s move-in. Like last year’s, the move-in is being split into two days to reduce the potential spread of COVID. The university is also making masks available for students; like many universities across the state, Tech is requiring masks indoors at the start of the year as it evaluates the threat from the Delta variant. Students are also being told about health and safety protocols as they move in.

“We have a phenomenal team of housing staff, campus police, Facilities staff, Student Affairs staff, and others really working together to make sure that we have a smooth and safe process,” Southerland said.

As students arrived on campus Friday, Southerland was already helping with move-in problems, such as a student who needed to get their campus ID. A newcomer to the area still looking for permanent place to live, Southerland said he can relate to the incoming students.

“When my graduate and international students tell me they’re struggling to find housing, when new employees we hire tell me they’re struggling to find housing, I can relate to that, and I’m very concerned about that,” he said.

With student enrollment continuing to increase, one opportunity for creating more housing could come through public-private partnerships. The idea will be on the table as the university develops its master plan, Southerland said.

“I’ve come from a public institution where there’s been public-private partnerships,” he said. “So I think Tech will explore that as well to see what works best for our environment. The one thing I think we can all agree on is we are at a pivotal moment in Tech’s history where we have to look at some additional housing scenarios.”

Beyond making sure students arrive on campus safely, Southerland’s top priority for the year is developing a robust plan to make sure students are engaged and their needs are met. That encompasses everyone from Greek organizations to remote students, he said.

That also means giving staff proper resources and technology, and partnerships with the admissions office on diversifying the student population, and reaching out to the community to make sure people from Tech are doing their part as good citizens.

“When students choose to come here, my priority is to make sure that they stay here, that they graduate from this university,” he said. “But the really big thing that I want … is when students leave Tech, and we reach out to them 5, 10, 15 years in the future, I want them to look back and say, ‘Because of my experience at Tech, and because of my experiences in student affairs, I feel prepared for life’s challenges. I feel prepared for the job that I have.'”

Southerland said one of the reasons he came to Tech was its commitment to increasing access to STEM for women and underrepresented minorities. He previously served as the associate vice president of student affairs at Salisbury University in Maryland.

Preliminary fall enrollment numbers show increased levels of women and underrepresented minorities at the university, while maintaining the university’s high GPA for incoming students, Southerland said.

“We spent the past year-and-a-half in a pandemic, we have the Delta variant creeping up on us, and students are like ‘We’re ready to get back, we want to be at Tech. We want to take advantage of the outdoor activities that we have in the Upper Peninsula,'” he said. “And I think that speaks to the reputation of the university. I think that speaks to the strength of the values of the institution.”