KSC’s new group of Owls have flocked to campus for the 2025-2026 academic year.
With the start of the semester, first-year students are adapting to college life and all that comes with it, like classes, dorm rooms, roommates and new friends. From Carle Hall to the Living and Learning Commons (LLC), many of these students are finding their flight paths for the next four years of their education.
Hayden Bassett, an LLC resident, said he has been having fun at KSC so far.
“I love a lot of my classes and [the LLC] is close to the Sizzler,” Bassett said.
Bassett added he felt the move-in process was easy and efficient and that he was glad he lived in the LLC.
“I had six people come with me – parents, brother, girlfriend and all that, so it made it a lot easier to move in,” Bassett said. “But it was also very helpful having the CAs [community assistants] and other people in the building help move stuff in … They brought it up to the room, which was really helpful.”
Austen Hamel, Bassett’s roommate, expressed that he shared Bassett’s love for the LLC.
“It feels very homey, very luxurious,” Hamel said. “I went to Carle and it just feels very old. I feel like the Commons feels very new, very fancy.”
Miranda Poirier, a Carle resident, said she had been stressed leading up to move-in but felt relieved upon arriving.
“I just knew everyone was taking stuff out of the cars,” Poirier said. “But once I got here, they just literally put your stuff in the hallways and it was really easy to bring stuff in and just like, breathe.”
Poirier added she has already been able to make friends with other Carle residents.
“On the first two [or] three days, we just walked around into dorm tours and tried to talk to people,” Poirier said.
Poirier said she was looking forward to continuing to meet people and make friends as the year continues.
Jazmyn Salemi, also a Carle resident, said she participated in dorm tours as well.
“The other day, my roommate and I walked around handing out cookies, and a lot of people invited us in,” Salemi said.
Salemi said she appreciated how walkable the KSC campus is.
“I like that it’s not much of a hike to the classes,” Salemi said. “I do have a class in Morrison [Hall] where I have to go all the way across, but it’s honestly not that bad. My sister goes to Plymouth [State University], so I can only imagine her hike to her classes.”
Salemi added she has made her dorm feel like home.
“Leaving for the weekend, I’m like, ‘Oh no, we have to leave the dorm, it’s so cute,’” Salemi said.
Joshua Mikell, who lives in Carle, said he and his roommate found a unique way of engaging with other students on their floor.
“[People] wrote on our whiteboard … We’ve been writing a poll, so that’s usually how we’ve been interacting,” Mikell said.
For Mikell, walking around campus has been a way of getting out into the sun.
“I feel like I’ve been getting out way more, which is really good,” Mikell said. “My watch keeps telling me I keep breaking my move record.”
Charlotte King can be contacted at
cking@kscequinox.com
