More than 120 students have filed to move in early to Ithaca College as of today as the East Coast braces for Hurricane Irene, a Category 3 storm gaining power and momentum in the Caribbean.

Nathan Platt, assistant director for The Office of Residential Life, said his office is working to accommodate students who want to move in early because of the severe weather.

“Anyone who wants to come Saturday is being automatically approved at this point,” he said.

If students want to move in earlier than Saturday, they need to fill out a request and explain why they want to come that day, Platt said.

Taking in additional students early should not be a problem, Platt said, because staff and resident assistants are already at work on campus. But there are not as many volunteers Saturday to help with the move-in as there will be Sunday, he said.

“We haven’t developed that infrastructure for Saturday, so people are going to be a little bit more on their own as far as moving their belongings in,” Platt said. “But again, it’s not the same volume of people that we’re expecting Sunday, so we don’t really anticipate it will be too much of an issue.”

Several students on a class of 2015 Facebook group also expressed concern over the impending storm, some saying they changed their move-in plans to escape the weather.

Platt said he urges students to contact Residential Life if they have concerns about moving in.

“We do understand there’s concern out there and we want to be accommodating, they just need to contact us and let us know how we can help,” he said.

Students who have a need to move in early because of the hurricane should call The Office of Residential Life at (607) 274-3141.