IU inducts freshman class of 2013

Over the roar of “Hail to Old IU,” nobody heard the cries.

As the Freshman Induction Ceremony ended, new students and their parents sang the IU alma mater song along with junior Alyssa Martin, and a few could be seen flicking tears away.

This year’s ceremony, which took place at both 3 and 5 p.m. Wednesday in the IU Auditorium, welcomed freshmen and their families with speeches by prominent University figures such as President Michael McRobbie, Provost Karen Hanson and IU Student Association President Peter SerVaas.

“This particular ceremony has a sense of pride and joy as we welcome a new generation of students,” McRobbie said.

At the 3 p.m. ceremony, the auditorium was almost full of freshmen and their families.

Among the incoming class of about 7,100 freshmen, students represent 42 states and about 35 countries. In addition, this year’s class includes 38 sets of twins and one set of quadruplets.

“This is the world you are joining today,” McRobbie said. “Here in Bloomington may you begin your success today.”

McRobbie called on freshmen to savor the undergraduate experience.

“Now you have the luxury to lose track of time reading broadly and deeply,” McRobbie said.

SerVaas, one of several student organization representatives present, recalled his freshman year as an opportunity to make an impact and start anew in a new place with a new reputation.

“Don’t be intimidated by the title ‘freshman,’” SerVaas said.

Monica Miller drove from Pittsburgh to send her first child, Dennis O’Neil, to college and said she felt welcomed by the ceremony.

“The ceremony was impressive, and there was a lot of tradition,” Miller said. “And I know how quickly these four years go by.”

Art Downey drove from Milwaukee to move his son Graham Downey in and said the ceremony was more than just a break from the midday heat.

“It’s cool that at a school this size to have a ceremony that feels homey,” Art Downey said. “It shrinks the size.”

For Graham Downey, the ceremony was just a symbolic part of the move-in process.

“Coming down here was the big deal for me,” Graham Downey said.

But Art Downey said he couldn’t help thinking back on his own college years.

“It’s hard not to get a little weepy,” Art Downey said. “I’m cursed with old age, and I want to go back.”