Campus Crew

During the week prior to the official start of O-Week, Campus Crew members will help to get the campus ready for the arrival of students and parents on Move-In Day. Crew members will work in groups of 8 fellow first-year students led by one upperclassman crew captain who will serve as your site leader and mentor for the week. Your crew captain will serve as a valuable resource, providing information and advice to help you during your transition to UChicago.

Each day, crew members will be deployed across campus to complete a variety of tasks, including moving luggage and boxes, setting-up spaces for activities like Orientation Check-In, putting out signage for Move-Day, and assembling check-in packets for athletes who may be traveling for games. Each day, crew members will be provided breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and each night will include a variety of fun activities that will give you a taste of life in Chicago. The work may be demanding, but there will be lots of time for rest, recovery, and exploration prior to the start of O-Week.

All students participating in Campus Crew must be legally eligible to work in the United States. Under federal law, crew members will be required to complete a Form I-9 and submit documentation to verify your identity and eligibility for employment. You can find more information about the I-9 process on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website. Your I-9 documentation will vary depending on your citizenship status and place of residence. Please review this table to determine which documents you will need to submit and ensure that you have these documents ready before you show up to campus at the start of the program. It is important to remember that only original documents may be submitted. No photocopies or scanned images may be accepted. If you are unable to provide this documentation at the start of the program, you will not be able to work. Only students accepted into the program will need to submit this paperwork. It is not required along with the application.

Dates: September 13 - 19, 2022, move-in between 11:00am and 2:30pm with programming beginning at 3:00pm.

Spaces Available: 16

Stipend Paid to Crew Members: $300

Inclusions: Housing, meals, and transportation during the program. Students will be responsible for incidental/personal expenses as well as transportation to campus prior to start of the program.

Please note that students may apply for and participate in multiple Pre-Orientation or Summer Experience programs, providing the dates of the program do not overlap.

• Monday, May 9: Applications open
• Friday, June 10 (now extended through June 17!): Applications close
• End of June: Decision emails sent out
• Friday, July 8: Last day to accept spot in program
• Monday, July 22: Last day for participant forms
• Tuesday, September 13: Program begins (Students move in to temporary housing)
• Monday, September 19: Program Ends (Students move in to term-time housing)
• Tuesday, September 20: Orientation move-in day

All students participating in a Pre-Orientation program will stay in one residence hall for the duration of their program. Upon arriving on campus, students will be given a chance to briefly put their term-time items into their permanent room before checking in for their program at the Pre-Orientation residence hall.

If you are participating in a Pre-O program, you may bring all of your belongings for the academic year with you, though you will be responsible for getting those items into your term-time rooms upon arrival, so we recommend limiting how much you bring with you. All items you bring should be labeled with your name and phone number. Students should pack a separate bag for the week to bring to the Pre-Orientation residence hall.

• Click here for more details about Pre-Orientation housing and luggage storage.

FAQs

All incoming UChicago first-year students are eligible to participate in Campus Crew providing they are able to complete the federally-required Form I-9 and provide proof of work eligibility at the start of the program.

There is no cost to participate in Campus Crew. In fact, it pays you! Crew members will earn a stipend of $300 for the week before any applicable taxes. Housing, meals, transportation, and admission to all events included during the program are also included. Students are responsible for providing their own transportation to campus prior to the start of the program.

The central goal of Campus Crew is to help prepare the campus for Move-In Day and the start of O-Week. Crew members may be asked to move luggage into residence halls, rearrange furniture, carry boxes, set-up spaces in preparation of Orientation Check-In, or other tasks related to Orientation. Our crew captains will be there with you every step of the way to provide you instruction and make sure that you have everything you need to complete the task successfully.

It should also be noted that there are lots of things that you will NOT be doing as part of this program, including working with hazardous chemicals, cleaning residence hall rooms, painting walls, or any sort of landscaping or repair work.

We believe that you will find the work done as part of the Campus Crew team to be a great way to get to know your fellow classmates and get a peek behind-the-scenes as to how Orientation is put together. The work done during this program is also a great preparation for students interested in becoming a part of the Orientation Team in their second year.

Not at all. The great thing about being a part of a team is that it allows you to play to your own strengths. There will be lots of different roles for crew members to play. Whether you're moving things, creating organization out of chaos, or double-checking the accuracy of our work, there is something for everyone, and your crew captain will be there to help you find the role that is right for you.

Unfortunately, yes. We legally cannot let you work if you arrive without the appropriate, unexpired supporting documents that we need to process your hiring paperwork. It is important that you review the information on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website and refer to this table to determine which documents that you need to provide.

Move-in for Crew members will be on Wednesday, September 14 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Students chosen to participate in the program will be given more information about where check-in will take place and where you will be living during the program over the summer.

All crew members should remember to bring the following items with them:

• Work eligibility documents (take a look at this table again to ensure that you bring the right stuff)
• Closed-toe shoes and clothes that you don't mind getting a little sweaty.
• A change of clothes for going out at night. Nothing too fancy, but you'll probably want to be able to change out of your work clothes.
• Toiletries, any required medications, an umbrella, a jacket...the usual stuff that you might need when going on a trip.

Campus Crew Members will be provided bed linens and towels for the period that you are staying in Pre-Orientation housing. However, you might want to think about bringing an extra blanket if you are prone to getting cold at night. The weather in September in Chicago can be a bit unpredictable. You will receive additional packing information from us over the summer.

Students may bring all of their belongings for the academic year with them to be stored during pre-orientation week. Locked storage will be provided for the duration of the program, and all bags stored during the program will be moved for you into your permanent room over the course of the week. We recommend that you pack one bag for the week to keep with you, and then you will store everything else. You are not required to bring all of your belongings for the year with you. If your family is arriving on Move-In Day, they are certainly welcome to bring your belongings at that time.

• Find out more about Pre-Orientation housing and luggage storage.

All students participating in a pre-orientation program will be living in temporary pre-term housing on campus for the duration of their program. Students participating in Campus Crew will be able to move into their pre-orientation housing between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Wednesday, September 14. You will move out of your pre-orientation housing and into your fall-term housing on Monday, September 19. You should assume that you will not be able to move into your permanent, term-time room any earlier than 3 p.m. on Monday.