Quincey Sablan/Nevada Sagebrush
Students unpack the back of a car as they help move freshmen and others into the dorms on campus in 2015. About 50 percent of students are returning to on-campus living in 2018.

After a long summer, a new class of students is set to move into the dorms creating wariness for heavy traffic.

The University of Nevada, Reno, is anticipating hectic activity surrounding the residence halls on campus on Thursday, Aug. 23, as over 2,500 students will be moving into on-campus housing. The students coming to the residence halls this year will be both returning and first-year.

Since Sat. Aug. 18, 40 percent of students have been on campus as they participated in NevadaFIT, a freshman intensive transition camp. More than 1,700 students moved to the residence halls to participate in the boot camps to prepare them for the transition to college.

“Many of these students will be moving into the residence halls and, according to University Residential Life and Housing, this move-in day makes up 60 percent of the total student population moving into the residence halls this semester,” the university said in a statement.

Due to the large magnitude of students moving into the residence halls in a short time period, university administration released a statement advising parking accommodations to relieve heavy traffic. The university is allowing students to park in the West Stadium Parking Complex after items are unloaded.

“With limited parking spaces around the residence halls, parking is available in the West Stadium Parking Complex, once items are unloaded from vehicles,” the university said in a statement. “For free parking after unloading, follow the signs to the West Stadium Parking Complex, located on 16th Street, off of North Virginia Street, just north of Lawlor Events Center. A taxi/Uber/Lyft drop-off zone will be available to families. This will be at the turn-off bus lane in front of Church Fine Arts on North Virginia Street.”

To speed up the move-in process inside the dorms, families are advised to have all paperwork completed prior to move-in.

“University officials would like to remind students moving into the residence halls to come prepared with forms completed, to allow extra time for parking and check-in, and to follow move-in maps and directions for as little confusion as possible,” the university said.

As students move into the residence halls, officials are unsure of what the reasoning is for such high magnitudes of students choosing to live on-campus. According to university officials, there was a 50 percent increase of students choosing to return to the dorms. University officials are nervous that the Reno housing crisis may be to blame.

The Reno median housing price is $400,000, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. While the RGJ reports that this will still buy a three- to five-bedroom house, the price of these homes for rent is out of reach for college students.

Olivia Ali can be reached at mpurdue@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush.