Sunday, August 24, 2008 | 9:08 p.m. CDT
COLUMBIA — With few clouds and a cool, summer breeze washing over the Francis Quadrangle, MU freshmen made the first steps of their college careers. The Tiger Walk, an MU tradition for more than a decade, takes first-year college students through the six pillars known as the Columns and toward Jesse Hall. “The symbolism is great,” said Mike Middleton, deputy chancellor of MU, who gave a speech prior to the walk.
This year is a record-breaking Tiger Walk, with more than 5,860 freshmen having paid the enrollment deposit as of June, an all-time high according to the MU news bureau. MU stopped accepting freshmen applications for the fall semester on June 16. That fact was not lost on the MU Alumni Association, which had prepared 10 large tables filled with cups of Tiger Stripe ice cream.
But Middleton showed no signs of intimidation at the record number of students.
“We love it,” he said. “It tells us we’re doing something right.”
It took several minutes for all of the incoming students to squeeze through the pillars to their reward of ice cream and live entertainment.
“I think it’s a good experience for freshmen to get a look at the diversity,” said Jared Thomas, a junior at the university and the recruitment chair for the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity. “It’s pretty cool to start it off like this; a nice tradition for the university.”
Craig Lalumandier, president of the MU Alumni Association and one of the speakers at the event, shared Thomas’ sentiment.
“I think it’s a great way to gather all the freshmen, to reinforce family and community,” he said.
Students eat Tiger Stripe ice cream on the Francis Quadrangle as others continue the traditional Tiger Walk on Sunday evening on the Francis Quadrangle of MU's campus. The Class of 2012 is the largest incoming class in Missouri's history.
¦ PHOEBE SEXTON
Incoming freshmen stream toward their free Tiger Stripe ice cream after passing through the columns on the Francis Quadrangle as part of the traditional Tiger Walk on Sunday evening at the University of Missouri.
¦ PHOEBE SEXTON
Incoming freshmen pass through the columns as balloons fly through the air on the Francis Quadrangle as part of the traditional Tiger Walk on Sunday evening.
¦ PHOEBE SEXTON
Cartons of Tiger Stripe ice cream wait for incoming freshmen to walk across the Francis Quadrangle after the Tiger Walk on Sunday evening at MU. Toward the end of the traditional walk, volunteers had to throw cartons into the crowd because students, part of the largest incoming class in Missouri's history, could not reach the tables.
¦ PHOEBE SEXTON
Marching Mizzou and the Golden Girls perform for a crowd of mostly new MU freshmen after the Tiger Walk on Sunday evening on the Francis Quadrangle. Before the concert, new freshmen ran through the Columns, symbolizing their entrance into MU.
¦ JOSHUA A. BICKEL
Students try to grab tubs of Tiger Stripe ice cream being tossed into the crowd after Tiger Walk on Sunday evening. The students, part of the largest incoming freshman class in Missouri's history, could not reach the tables, so volunteers improvised delivery methods.
¦ PHOEBE SEXTON
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