Arms full of pillows, stuffed animals and CDs, freshmen moving into residence halls this weekend will be among the first of about 30,000 students arriving at UC Davis for the fall quarter. And almost 400 of those freshmen will be welcomed by three campus "freshmen" of another kind -- new residence halls.

The halls, at the southeast corner of La Rue Road and Russell Boulevard, will be home to 382 students living two to a room. Each building will have a television lounge, study lounge, laundry room and meeting area on the ground floor, and a lounge on each of three residential floors.

Student Housing will accommodate an increased number of freshmen -- 4,348 in total -- in response to the need for more housing as enrollment continues to grow.

Here's a glance around the rest of the campus as the academic year begins:

Student Numbers

When classes begin Sept. 25, the student body is expected to number 30,623, up 1,536 or 5.3 percent from last fall's 29,087 students. On-campus enrollment is anticipated to average 27,166 over the three academic quarters.

Total undergraduate enrollment is expected to rise by 1,263. About 4,880 new freshmen, drawn from a record pool of 32,500 applicants, likely will register by the start of classes. That's 115 more than last fall.

An estimated 725 of the 1,885 new transfer students, from a record applicant pool of 7,150, will have participated in the Transfer Admission Agreement program with 81 community colleges throughout the state.

Upper-division students will make up 55 percent of the undergraduate student body this year.

New graduate and professional students are expected to increase their ranks by 300, for a total of 4,514. Students in the School of Medicine and School of Veterinary Medicine, including interns and residents, are expected to number 2,096, for a decline of 27.

Fees and Financial Aid

Undergraduate students who are California residents will pay $6,437.50 this school year, and resident academic graduate students will pay $7,062.50.

About 60 percent of the undergraduate student body is expected to be receiving some form of financial aid. By the end of August, aid totaling $113 million -- in loans, grants, Federal Work-Study and scholarships -- had been awarded to about 12,000 undergraduates for 2003-04.

New Programs

More than 50 undergraduates are enrolled in the new minor in technology management offered through the Graduate School of Management. The program is expected to grow to accommodate up to 200 students.

Pass the Torch, a new program administered by Student Special Services, offers academic assistance and other support services geared to the needs of transfer students from traditionally underrepresented groups -- Native American, Chicano/a, Latino/a and African American.

The second annual Campus Community Book Project will focus discussion groups and other activities on "Gandhi's Way: A Handbook of Conflict Resolution" by Mark Juergensmeyer. The 185-page book offers an overview of Mahatma Gandhi's principles of moral action and conflict resolution, illustrates them with practical examples and shows how people can expand their views to find resolution to everyday conflicts.

This academic year the campus officially begins its four-year transition from Division II to Division I in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Last spring UC Davis accepted an invitation to join the Big West Athletic Conference.

One of the buses with the lowest emissions in the nation will enter service with the student-operated bus service this fall. The performance of the bus, which uses a blend of hydrogen and compressed natural gas, will be evaluated through a research project of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis.

Housing Projects

In addition to the 4,348 freshmen in campus housing, 1,795 other students will live in Student Housing facilities, privately owned projects or family housing at UC Davis.

With the three new resident halls completed at a cost of $24 million, construction continues on a larger dining commons to serve students living in the same Segundo area. The new facility is scheduled to open in the late spring of 2004.

In the Tercero area, work will begin in 2004 to build residence halls for 412 students and to expand the dining commons. Included in the project will be a lounge and an academic advising center. Both projects are scheduled for completion in fall 2005.

Other Building Construction

A draft for a new Long Range Development Plan, under development for the past three years, is scheduled to be reviewed by the UC Board of Regents in November. The comprehensive policy and land-use plan for campus growth would allow for the construction of up to 2.5 million square feet of space for the campus. Included in the plan are proposals for a new neighborhood that would provide housing for students, faculty and staff; a research park; and other campus developments.

Meanwhile, the campus continues one of its biggest building booms, and many other projects are or will be in construction during the academic year. Among them:

• The new $7 million Rand and Ted Schaal Aquatics Center will have its grand opening Nov. 1. The facility -- to serve as the main competitive pool for intercollegiate athletics -- includes an open-air swimming pool, a warming pool, and men's and women's lockers.
• The $95 million Genome and Biomedical Sciences Building is being built in the Health Sciences area and is scheduled for completion in early 2004.
• Construction continues on a $46 million activities and recreation center attached to Recreation Hall. The new facility will provide recreation and activity space including multipurpose athletic courts, weight and exercise areas, and a gymnasium. It is scheduled for completion in spring 2004.
• The $56.7 million Sciences Laboratory Building continues to be built east of Briggs Hall. The project, scheduled for completion in late fall 2004, will include teaching laboratories and a 500-seat lecture hall.
• Expected to break ground in early 2004 are the Vet Med 3A project and a new Mathematical Sciences Building. The Vet Med 3A project will provide teaching and research space for the School of Veterinary Medicine. The Mathematical Sciences Building will provide departmental space for mathematics and statistics.
• Later in 2004, construction will begin on the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, including research laboratories and a winery.