Freshman Induction Ceremony

Every year, IU welcomes thousands of freshmen to campus with the Freshman Induction Ceremony. The tradition began in 1933, when then-president William Lowe Bryan asked the new freshmen to take an oath stating they would "fight for the university’s best interests whether I stand alone or have the support of others." The modern-day ceremony is hosted by the university's president and includes the traditional brass ensemble processional and speeches, after which students and their families attend an induction picnic at the alumni center.

IU Athletics

For many, Indiana is synonymous with basketball, but IU's athletic tradition reaches far beyond college hoops. IU's first varsity sport, baseball, began in 1867. Today, the Hoosier athletic program includes 24 varsity teams and 600 student-athletes, and boasts one of the nation’s best overall records. IU holds 23 national team titles with men's swimming and diving and men's soccer accounting for six each, and men's basketball for five. In addition, IU student-athletes have claimed a total of 84 Olympic medals, including at least one at every Summer Olympics since 1932. Most recently, Sports Illustrated on Campus rated Bloomington the No. 6 sports town in the nation.

Rose Well House

The Rose Well House, an open-air pavilion in the heart of campus, covers the original well for IU and was a gift from Theodore F. Rose in 1908. Tradition holds that a female student is not officially a co-ed until she has been kissed beneath its dome at midnight. The Well House is a traditional stop on IU's campus tour.

IU Sing

Every February, more than 3,000 students (the most of any student activity) participate in IU Sing. Groups from the residence halls, student organizations, fraternities, and sororities write, produce, and choreograph song and dance skits for this annual competition and musical extravaganza.

Herman B Wells

Every great university needs a great leader, and for more than a quarter century, IU's legendary and beloved leader was Herman B Wells. Wells, who passed away in 2000 at the age of 97, was an educational visionary who helped transform IU into an internationally recognized center of research and scholarship. He was named IU's Man of the Century in 1999, after serving the university as its president for 25 years and as chancellor for another 37. Among his many accomplishments, Wells is credited with desegregating IU, promoting academic freedom on campus, creating the world-renowned IU School of Music (now known as the Jacobs School of Music), establishing IU's international presence, and developing an overall vision for the campus' architecture. Wells is memorialized on campus with a life-sized sculpture that sits near the Rose Well House in the Old Crescent area of campus.

Little 500 Bike Race

What began as one man’s idea of a bicycle race to raise scholarship money has become the premier intramural collegiate cycling event in the nation and a true IU springtime tradition. The Little 500, which was first held in 1951, inspired the 1979 Academy Award-winning film Breaking Away. Sports Illustrated and USA Today have featured the race in their pages, and it has been covered on national television by CBS, ESPN, Fox Sports, the Outdoor Life Channel, and live in high-definition television by HDNet. Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong called the Little 500, which has raised more than $1 million in scholarship money, "the coolest event I ever attended."

Homecoming

Hundreds of alumni return to Bloomington each fall for Homecoming, but students don’t wait until they graduate to get into the spirit. Weekend highlights include the "Yell Like Hell" student spirit competition, the annual Homecoming parade and pep rally, and of course the football game on Saturday.

IU Soul Revue

Founded in 1971, the IU Soul Revue has become one of the finest collegiate popular music ensembles in America. It was one of the first college acts to focus on soul music and rhythm and blues, and today boasts a repertoire that includes traditional rhythm and blues, soul, funk, and contemporary black popular music styles. The talents of the IU Soul Revue have not gone unnoticed. Michael J. Powell, producer of popular recording artists such as Anita Baker and Patti LaBelle, said of the ensemble, "I was pleasantly surprised at the cohesion of talent, professionalism, and quality centered within the Soul Revue."

Dance Marathon

Every year, more than 1,000 students dance for 36 straight hours (from 8 p.m. on Friday until 8 a.m. on Sunday) to raise funds for Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Dance Marathon began in 1991, in memory of Ryan White, the Indiana teenager whose courageous struggle with HIV/AIDS and against AIDS-related discrimination helped educate the nation. To date, IU's Dance Marathon has raised more than $2 million.

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