教师们戴着五颜六色的帽子，穿着五颜六色的长袍，列队入场;管理部门唤起了历史人物的智慧;学生们和他们的父母坐在一起，看着周围的新同学。这一切都发生在本周三的新生入学典礼上，使2004级正式成为IU的一部分。当学生、家长、教职员工和平台派对在印第安纳大学铜管乐团的音乐中步入大会堂后，校长迈尔斯·布兰德向大家介绍了在学生们的大学生活中会发挥重要作用的人。“这对你来说是一场冒险的开始，”布兰德说。总统在他的演讲中加入了一些幽默，他说:“你会知道，一本价值40美元的心理学教科书，不管你是否使用，16周后只值12美元。”所以我建议你把钱花在刀刃上。布兰德还向这些家庭保证，他们的孩子会得到很好的照顾。“整个大学社区都支持你，”他说。“我们都会伸出援手。”随后，负责招生服务的副校长唐·霍斯勒(Don hosler)发表了讲话，他提醒所有的新生，无论他们是如何在印第安纳大学毕业的，这里都有一个包括所有学生的网络。霍斯勒告诉观众，在他们的课堂上有64个国家，每个州、哥伦比亚特区和三个美国领土。印第安纳州学生协会主席、大四学生梅雷迪思·萨福伦(Meredith Suffron)向观众传授了她作为印第安纳州学生三年里学到的一些窍门。“我在这里的经历非常棒，”萨夫伦说。“我有点想家，但只持续了几个小时。”尽管在一个有36,000名学生的校园里，她提醒学生们，“你不是一个数字或一个统计数字。”下一位发言者是肯尼斯·r·r·格罗斯·路易斯，IU布卢明顿大学校长兼负责学术事务的副校长。 He recently announced his retirement effective at the end of the 2000-2001 academic year, making this his last freshman class induction. \nGros Louis made a number of comparisons between when he was in college and now. Among those included the fact that when the new students' parents were in college, the United States was deep into the Vietnam War. But last year Gros Louis and the School of Education deans were able to travel to Hanoi.\nHe also promised the freshmen class, whose members range in age from 15 to 45, that by the time they leave IU they will care about issues and countries currently unbeknownst to them. \nAfter the singing of "Hail to Old IU" and a benediction, the freshmen were officially a part of IU's history. \n"This is definitely the time when you're given the opportunity to be your own person," Suffron said.
