BROOKINGS — So the adventure begins, with a small step on the rite of passage to becoming a South Dakota State University Jackrabbit: move-in by freshman students Friday morning and into early afternoon. Meeters and greeters — SDSU staff and students — in yellow-and-blue T-shirts were on hand to move the worldly goods needed by students making the transition from a room at home to a shared-with-a-roommate digs in one of several residence  halls.

In most instances, the newcomers were dropped off by mom and dad and often a sibling or two — and maybe  a boyfriend or girlfriend. Cameron Whitaker, 19 and from Brandon, is looking to major in aviation.  His parents, Kevin and Karen Whitaker, helped unload  his goods — there were plenty of them — unto a boulevard, where the meeters and greeters took over and got them up to his room in Ben Reifil Hall.

He admitted he got off to a rough start, because his car broke down on the way up to Brookings. But once he got on campus, his move-in went smoothly. He jokingly noted that he had brought just about everything but the kitchen sink: “I don’t need one,” he said with a smile. “There’s one on the floor where I’ll be living.”