JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
Cart by cart volunteers, parents, and students carried dorm room supplies into McAllister-Whiteside dormitory Saturday afternoon during Jackson State's annual Move-in Day.
There was plenty of excitement and a little angst.
"I'm an only child and not really used to a lot of people live with me. So the dorm experience is gonna be great, I guess," says incoming freshman Arianna Cargin.
"It's just a new learning experience. You have to learn how to adjust and that's through life. You know, you can't stay at one spot forever," explains freshman Leria McClendon.
New friends, Cargin and McClendon, both have academic scholarships, but the costs of going to college hasn't escaped their thoughts.
"It discourages people about education and they don't want to go to school because they don't think they can pay for it. You know, it does kind of worry me about other people and the generations to come," says McClendon.
In recent years the Institutions of Higher Learning has raised tuition rates from 4.5 - 9% at the state's eight public universities.
However on Saturday, parents and students were more concerned with the next four years.
"It does scare me just a little bit because it is time to grow up and adult life is coming," says Cargin.
"You can say excited in a sense because she worked hard to get to this point. And you know, you can say I rejoiced. Bring her here and let her you know, see the world," explains father Fredrick Copeland of Corinth.
Move-in Day kicks off a week of activities at J.S.U. designed to help students find there way around campus, meet new people, and find out more about college life.
Copyright 2012 WLBT. All rights reserved.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WLOX, a Raycom Media Station. 
