Orienter 2020
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From sports to studying, IU is rich in its traditions By Marissa Hubbard hubbamar@iu.edu
Founded in 1820, IU’s classes began with an enrollment of 20 men. Today, the school is home to nearly 44,000 students. However, the student population hasn’t been the only thing to grow at IU. Over the years, there has been an increase in school spirit leading to several IU traditions that continue to take place each year. Given the effects of COVID-19, it’s very likely incoming students will not have the same experience with these traditions as students in the past. Hoosier Hysteria The core of IU is full of age old basketball traditions. In the fall, Hoosier Hysteria introduces many of of these. This event takes place at IU’s Assembly Hall and introduces the basketball teams in a series of activities and contests. This early semester event also incorporates the songs, spirit and colors of IU — traditions in themselves. Fight song The IU fight song, “Indiana, Our Indiana,” was first performed at an IU football game against Northwestern in 1912 and has been played at IU football and basketball games since. The song “Indiana Fight” is also played at IU sporting events and though rarely sung in its entirety, its final chant, “GO IU! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!,” is yelled by nearly all in attendance. This song is accompanied by IU’s “fist and blades.” First, fans raise their hands in an outstreched fist above their head to make the letter “I,” then they bring their hands down to their shoulders in a blade to make the letter “U” as they shout the letters respectively. Cream and crimson All IU events are a chance for students to represent the school colors of cream and crimson. The school’s colors didn’t become official until 1899 after having several makeovers since the school’s founding in 1820, as archived in the IU libraries. The catchy alliteration of “the cream and crimson” is what made the colors so popular. However, over time it changed to a simpler red and white. In 2002, a company by the name of Michael-Osborne Design was hired to rebrand the IU design and “crimson it,’ making cream and crimson the official colors once again. IU gear has become the dominant way for students to quite literally show their stripes and school spirit. The tradition of the IU candy stripe fashion began with the swimming and diving teams in the 1960s,
FILE PHOTO BY EVAN DE STEFANO | IDS
Top People pack into Simon Skojdt Assembly Hall for Hoosier Hysteria on Oct. 21, 2017. FILE PHOTO BY ALEX DERYN | IDS
Bottom left A mask covers the face of the Herman B Wells statue April 20 on IU’s campus. FILE PHOTO BY SAM HOUSE | IDS
Bottom right Riders race down the track April 13, 2019, during the Men’s Little 500 race at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
Homecoming
Students and alumni gather to celebrate and join in events such as the annual parade and the Nearly Naked Mile, a run through campus to collect clothes for a philanthropic organization. The week is then capped off with the Homecoming football game. In 2019, IU snapped an eight-game Homecoming losing streak in a 35-0 win against Rutgers.
Homecoming typically takes place in midOctober and is marked by a full week of events.
Old Oaken Bucket
as noted in the IU libraries. This design was used to help coaches spot them in the pool. Later, the candy stripes were added to the basketball team’s warm up pants and continued to spread. Now, the candy stripe staple can be found on lots of IU apparel.
The Old Oaken Bucket is a tradition established in 1925 to celebrate the rivalry between IU and Purdue, according to the Purdue collections library. The Old Oaken Bucket serves as a trophy in observance of Indiana football and is awarded to the winner of the annual game between the two rivals. Not only does the victor get to take home the bucket, but they also get to attach a small bronze letter to a chain on the bucket for their school. The first bronze piece
