IU opens its 'door' to new freshmen

Since its inception in 1933, the Freshman Induction Ceremony has marked both a starting point and a finish line for parents and their newly collegiate offspring. For students, it's a kickoff to the next phase in their lives. For parents, however, it is a farewell to the era of cartoons and pajama parties, soon to be replaced with empty nests and the occasional bag of dirty laundry.\n"It's bittersweet," said Laura Mulligan, whose daughter Rachel is a freshman. "On one hand, we are excited for the opportunities she is going to have, but it's still a little sad. I'll probably shed a few tears on the way home."\nThe event, held in two ceremonies Wednesday at the IU Auditorium, brought in about 2,800 students and their families at the 3 p.m. induction, with the expectation of the auditorium being filled to capacity for the 5 p.m. induction, auditorium student manager Alyse Vail said.\nBeginning with organist and music professor Marilyn Keiser's processional, the event had a solemn atmosphere more reminiscent of an end than a beginning. But IU President Adam Herbert encouraged students to look forward to the four years to come.\nHerbert expounded on the possibilities and expectations of the newest "citizens" of IU. He urged them to begin their college careers with the courage to embrace adventure, the curiosity to expand their perspectives and compassion for the people around them.\n"Give yourselves the freedom to try something new, even if it involves the chance of failure," Herbert said. "We will open the door, but it is up to you all to walk through."\nHerbert's message especially hit home for freshman Logan Garrett.\n"I liked what Herbert said about them opening the door, but it being up to us to walk through," Garrett said. "We are on our own now, and it is up to us to take the initiative." \nIU Interim Provost Michael McRobbie conducted the induction of the class of 2010, urging freshmen to continually strive to improve both themselves and the community around them. His words also reminded students why they are at IU in the first place. \n"IU competes on a global scale for the best faculty and students," McRobbie said. "That is why you, the class of 2010, are here."\nFor many, the Freshman Induction Ceremony was a final family event before parents took their empty cars and headed back home.\n"I think that the ceremony was an important way for (my son, Adam Stout) to start college life," Rick Stout, an IU alumnus, said. "It was also one last thing we could all do together on the way."\nBut by the end of the ceremony, students were already finding their independence. \nWhile Ehrlich Neal detailed the hopes for his daughter Alexa's college experience, she quickly and quietly slipped away.\n"She's gone off to find her friends," her mother Melody Neal explained.