Northern Michigan University's fall semester begins Monday, Aug. 24. Media are welcome to cover some of the traditional events leading up to the new academic year. 

Students will begin moving into their residence halls on Thursday, Aug. 20. NMU President Fritz Erickson will be among those assisting students and their parents with the process. He is scheduled to be at Payne/Halverson Halls from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday. The move-in will continue from 8 a.m. to 3 a.m. through the weekend in advance of Monday classes.

The notebook computer distribution runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, in the Superior Dome. NMU will issue 1,800 new computers from Lenovo's higher-performance Carbon line, which will be on a four-year refresh cycle, and 120 MacBooks. 

NMU's Fall Fest will coincide with the first day of classes on Monday, Aug. 24. It is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the University Center lawn. Fall Fest is an "opportunity fair" where students can learn about local businesses and how to get involved in student organizations or community volunteer agencies. There will also be a roving artist and free ice cream.