Junior Nathaniel Brauer helps move a mini-firdge into the MLC dorms, Thursday morning. He said the largest item he moved that day was a loveseat.

NEW ULM — Martin Luther College (MLC) students are returning to campus.

Thursday was the start of the moving-in process. By the end of the weekend, approximately 720 students will live at the college.

Move-in day is an important tradition at MLC, but this year is unique because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The school is taking extra precautions to keep students and New Ulm safe.

Unlike previous years, the move-in process is staggered. Instead of students all coming in on the same day and moving into the dorms, move-in times have been stretched from Thursday through Sunday.

In the first two days, only freshmen, about 200 students, will move onto campus. Upper-class students will move in on Saturday and Sunday.

Resident assistants (RAs) returned to campus last weekend and were on hand to help with the move-in.

RA Joe Grambsch said it was going as “smooth[ly] as butter.”

There will be over 700 students back by Sunday, but RA Leah Plocher said, “don’t worry, we will be staying on campus.”

MLC Director of Admissions Mark Stein said the idea to stagger the students’ return was one of the COVID guidelines. Stein said the move-in process was going well. Check-in and registration were implemented this year that kept the process organized.

“Quite honestly, we might not go back to the pre-COVID method,” he said. “It is easier to do this with the check-in.”

The first stop for returning students is a screening checkpoint near the parking lot. Third-year student Alyssa Heckendorf directed students where to register and made sure health screening was conducted.

Heckendorf said everyone was excited to be back on campus, especially after not seeing each other for so long. Her station decided to check for any COVID symptoms, but also to make sure all students had the Campus Clear application.

All students and staff are required to have the Campus Clear app on their phones. The application must be used every morning. It runs the students through the checklist of COVID symptoms. If a student reports an illness, the on-campus nurse will know immediately without the student needing to leave the dorm. A follow-up can occur, and the student can be tested. If a positive test comes back, a quarantine space has been set up on campus. The student could also return home.

Once the student and family have gone through the basic screening and registration, they are moved into the dorm. RAs and staff were on hand to aid that as well.

MLC junior Nathaniel Brauer helped move several students into the college. He said the process was going well considering the new guidelines. The largest item he helped move on Thursday was a loveseat.

MLC President Rich Gurgel was helping also. He said the largest item he moved was a futon.

Gurgel wore a freshman shirt since this is his first year as president, but it was not his first move-in day. He helped five sons move into MLC. He said it was now fun to see things from the staff side.

“I think it is going well,” he said. “It is wonderful to see students back on campus. It always seems a little sad not to see them.”

Gurgel was pleased with how students and parents were handling the transition. They were following the guidelines and understood the restrictions.

“We’re doing this for the campus, but we’re also doing this for New Ulm [which] is gracious enough to host us,” Gurgel said.

As much as possible, students will be kept on campus for the first few weeks. This is to ensure that if a student is sick, the illness will not spread to New Ulm. Students are even asked to attend church on campus rather than in the community. The campus grounds are filled with additional games and activities to keep students entertained.

Gurgel offered an apology on behalf of the college for needing to restrict certain areas from the public. The MLC cafeteria is a popular place for New Ulm residents to eat, but for the first semester, the cafeteria must be limited to only the students.

The 2020 school year will be different from past years, but students and faculty are hopeful it will be a safe and educational year.