John Applegate, IU interim provost and executive vice president, inducted the class of 2025 at a ceremony at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall featuring speeches from Applegate and IU Student Body President Ky Freeman.
The freshman induction ceremony began in 1933 on the steps outside of the Francis Morgan Swain building, Applegate said. The ceremony was conducted as a virtual event last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Incoming freshmen were introduced to multiple campus leaders, student organizations, culture centers, residence hall associations and the student foundation. Applegate also said the class of 2025 is entering IU with one of the highest average GPAs of any class in the university’s history.
“Every single student sitting here has the capacity to shine,” Applegate said.
Applegate finished his speech listing the accomplishments of IU’s alumni, including the 16 Hoosiers who competed at the Tokyo Olympics.
Freeman told the freshmen to embrace the unknown and to open themselves to change as well as to learn from their mistakes.
“College is an act of exploration and, through this exploration, you can find what you love,” Freeman said.
Freeman said family and guests of the incoming freshmen should accept the changes college will have on their beloved students and to afford them the independence they need to grow.
Applegate returned to the podium following Freeman’s speech and led the Class of 2025 through a rendition of the Indiana Promise, after which Jacobs School of Music student Haley Paulin sang the Alma Mater.
