U of R students settle in as hundreds arrive for Move-In Day

Boxes, suitcases and a few nervous smiles filled the entrance to Kīšik Towers as hundreds of University of Regina students turned campus into their new home.

More than 600 students were expected to move into university housing between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday, ahead of the start of the fall semester.

For education student and newly hired resident assistant Kashy Antonio, the day is about carrying more than boxes.

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“It’s nice to be here and just be that friendly face and reassure them that it’s going to be a good semester,” Antonio said.

Faculty members, staff and student volunteers met arriving students outside Kīšik Towers with moving carts, helping them unload vehicles and carry their belongings inside.

Antonio, who moved to Regina from Lloydminster and began studying at the university in January, said the teamwork was immediately noticeable.

“It’s definitely beautiful seeing the community and the teamwork that’s put into this, making this successful,” Antonio said. “Everyone’s all hands on deck.”

Education student and resident assistant Kashy Antonio helps welcome students during Move-In Day at the University of Regina on Aug. 28, 2026. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)

Antonio said some students and parents arrived expecting to make several trips between their vehicles and new rooms. Many were surprised to find volunteers and carts waiting for them.

“Some parents were like, ‘Really? We can get carts to help us bring stuff in?’” Antonio said. “They were expecting to have to haul it in multiple trips.”

The carts were in high demand as the morning progressed.

“At one point, they were all gone and we had to wait for them to come back,” Antonio said.

The practical help also eased some of the anxiety felt by students moving away from home for the first time.

Devyn Grajcznyk moved from Moose Jaw to begin her first year in the university’s journalism program.

“I’m feeling great,” Grajcznyk said. “Everybody here has made it so easy. Everybody’s so helpful.”

First-year journalism student Devyn Grajcznyk moves into University of Regina housing on Aug. 28, 2026. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)

She said volunteers regularly approached her family to ask whether they needed help carrying anything.

“Everybody’s been so sweet and so helpful, which is really making the whole process so easy,” she said.

Grajcznyk said she is looking forward to meeting her classmates, particularly because the journalism program has a smaller class.

“I’m so excited to meet new people and just really get to know everybody in my program,” she said.

Living away from home will still require some adjustment.

“I’m a little nervous about being away from home, but at least I know I’m not too far away, so I can always go back,” Grajcznyk said.

For other students, Move-In Day felt more familiar.

Griffin Hayes, a second-year education student from Rosetown, lived on campus last year and said the experience helped settle some of his nerves this time around.

“A little bit of emotions moving from home, but it’s my second year, so I kind of know what I’m doing,” Hayes said. “I’m just getting settled in for the next couple weeks.”

Second-year education student Griffin Hayes returns to University of Regina housing for the fall semester on Aug. 28, 2026. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)

Hayes originally studied business before transferring into education. While starting a new program brings some uncertainty, he said he feels more prepared than he did one year ago.

“Definitely not as nervous as I was last year,” Hayes said. “Coming into my second year, I’m feeling more calm and collected.”

Hayes will share a two-bedroom apartment with a friend from Rosetown. He said he is excited to reconnect with the friends he made during his first year and participate in campus events.

For Keira Davie, moving from Moose Jaw means sharing a four-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with three other students, including her brother.

Davie, who plans to study history, had only seen videos of the apartment before arriving Friday.

“It looks pretty nice, I’ve got to say,” she said.

Keira Davie, right, stands with her mother, Erin, after arriving for Move-In Day at the University of Regina on Aug. 28, 2026. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)

She rated her excitement about meeting her roommates and getting involved in campus activities at “seven and a half out of 10.”

Davie said the part she had worried about most was getting to Regina and unloading everything.

“It’s not as bad as I thought,” she said. “It’s been pretty simple, pretty easy and pretty streamlined.”

Asked what she was looking forward to most about moving out, Davie did not hesitate.

“I’m really excited to not be living with my parents,” she said.

The university expects approximately 1,250 students to live on campus this fall. That is up from the roughly 1,100 students it expected in campus housing one year ago. The university has more than 1,500 rooms across five buildings.

Move-In Day also begins a series of activities intended to help students meet people and adjust to campus life.

Friday’s schedule includes a barbecue, a Green versus Gold Rams game and an outdoor movie. Welcome Weekend will continue with activities including an escape room, a Saskatchewan Roughriders game and a night at the museum.

Classes begin Tuesday, Sept. 1.

For Hayes, however, the best part of returning may be much simpler.

“Honestly, just seeing all my friends again that I made last year,” he said.