Move-in and move-out on both our campuses is a major undertaking, and the residence population has grown significantly over the past decade.

In Vancouver, these moves would not be able to run smoothly for thousands of students and families without the support of a year-round, dedicated role.

Gillian Wallis, the Manager of Residence Transition and Community Engagement, shares more about this role, herself and all the ways she helps create a great experience for students and their families—during move-in, move-out and everything in between.

 

Q&A with Gillian

What’s your role in SHCS?

The key projects I’m responsible for at UBC Vancouver include:

  • Residence move-in: two big move-in days in late-August/early-September each year, plus smaller ones in January and May.
  • Residence move-out: a month-long process each spring where students move out or transition to different residence spaces, plus a small move-out in December and June.
  • Year-round residence programming: the Professor in Residence program, Residence Life Presents workshop series, Fitness in Residence (which offers over 500 classes annually), and more.
  • Developing and implementing large-scale, residence-wide sustainability initiatives.

What makes move-in and move-out planning a year-long initiative?

While there are some very large move-in and move-out days on campus, there are several medium-sized moves that take place throughout the calendar year. But also, planning for our biggest days starts a full year in advance—the moment students move in, we start planning for next year’s.

A typical year looks like this: we welcome nearly 7,500 new Winter Session students in September, support exchange students moving out in December, say farewell to thousands of Winter Session and Year Round residents in April, while also navigating the complexities of up to one thousand Winter Session residents transitioning to Year Round residence in early May (i.e., the Great Shuffle), and one month later, in June, we also say goodbye to Year Round residents after convocation.

Over 7,500 students move into residence at the end of the summer. How is that possible?

As they say, “it takes a village”. Three things make this event possible: effective planning, the collaborative efforts of several hundred staff across SHCS and UBC, and the implementation of thoughtful processes and equipment to make the magic happen. Having great weather is also very helpful!

For a picture of the logistics involved in our big move-in days, in the weeks and days leading up to move in:

  • Residence rooms and commonsblocks are cleaned and prepped. 
  • Thousands of keys are created. 
  • Emails are sent with detailed arrival instructions. 
  • Student staff are trained to check students into residence. 
  • Over two hundred road and pedestrian signs are deployed on residence property and across campus. 
  • Barricades and traffic cones are set up in preparation for several road closures. 
  • Tables, chairs, stanchions and tents are set up at central check-in sites: Flag Pole Plaza and Life Sciences Centre. 
  • Countless other supplies and resources are thoughtfully put in place. 
@ubcliving Last week, we welcomed nearly 6,500 students to UBC Residence! We're so excited for all our new and returning residents to meet new people, live in an inclusive, supportive and study-oriented environment, and be a part of all that UBC has to offer. A huge thank you to the hundreds of staff and volunteers who helped ensure Move In Day was smooth and successful! Check out our Move In Day recap video and see if you can spot yourself! #ubc #ubcvancouver #university #fyp #movein #moving #firstyear #college #ubcfoodie #vancouverbc #ubcliving #studentlife #student #students ♬ original sound - UBC_living

How does your role collaborate with other SHCS colleagues?

To be honest, this is difficult to quantify because so many SHCS and UBC staff come together to make move-in a success. But the only way we make move-in day a big success is through an incredible amount of collaboration.

Across UBC, I’ve worked with everyone from Campus and Community Planning to the team responsible for Jump Start, and within SHCS, I’ve worked with nearly every department to make sure everything from traffic control and parking to rooms, keys, check-in packages, signage and staff are ready to go on Move In Day.

Get to know Gillian

  • What did you do before joining SHCS? I worked as an event manager at non-profit organizations for many years. Most recently, I worked as a high school child and youth worker.
  • Where did you grow up? I was born in Ontario, but grew up in Colorado. After I graduated high school, I knew I wanted to be by the ocean, so I ended up going to UVic. And I haven’t left BC since!
  • Do you have any pets? Yes! We adopted a dog named Kenneth last August.
  • How do you spend your time outside of work? Lots of outdoor time with my family, yoga, travelling, reading, home renos.
  • What’s your favourite part of your job? For this year’s move-in, I had more opportunities to meet with students and facilitate training sessions, and I really enjoyed getting to do that. But overall, I really like being able to meet and work with so many dedicated people, and I like being able to solve problems and make things easier for everyone involved.

How does sustainability play a role in your work?

In collaboration with Facilities and Building Services, one of my largest sustainability-focused initiatives is our Mindful Move Out campaign in residence, which helps educate students on how to plan their move-out, clean up their unit and sort their stuff to reduce how much waste ends up going to the landfill.

Last April, we collected 35,000 kilograms of donations that were diverted to the Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver, our own Mindful Market and the AMS Food Bank.

What’s your proudest accomplishment in SHCS?

I’m really proud of the work I’ve done to enhance our waste diversion during spring move-out. Our collaboration with the AMS Food Bank and the UBC Free Store was new this year and it allowed non-perishable food and other household goods to go directly back to students, faculty and staff in need.

I’ve also enjoyed enhancing the Fitness in Residence program. After chatting with students, we’ve added a few new classes, which have been really popular!

Anything new and exciting this year?

My team is always looking for ways to innovate and enhance the experience of students living in residence. Right now, I’m working on a residence-wide energy reduction competition that I’m excited to launch later this year.

We’re also planning to add more cardio-pop dance classes to Fitness in Residence. For move-in next year, we’re also looking at a better solution for students to select and modify their move-in timeslots.

What impact do you hope to have through your work?

My goal is that students living in residence have an exceptional experience, from their arrival right through to their departure.

Living on a university campus can be a foundational experience for students and truly helps shape their futures. If I’ve done my job well, students will feel warmly welcome when they arrive, engaged in everything from sustainability to their wellbeing while they’re here, and supported as they depart.

I loved living in residence and I’m still extremely close with a lot of people I lived with. It’s special to know that I have a hand in the experience of our students, from the moment they arrive to the moment they leave.