NEW ALBANY, Ind. – Indiana University Southeast invited new, accepted students on campus to celebrate their admittance with current students and active student organizations. The event, held in McCullough Plaza, was held in the afternoon between 4-6 p.m. and occurs annually to celebrate Admitted Students Day. This year, student organizations arranged inflatable obstacle courses, food stalls, and tables to give out free swag to all students and community members. This event was a great experience for many of the organizations involved, as it helped broaden the sights of incoming students and helped students visualize themselves on campus.
Gus Fest was split into two different events this year. During the early evening, there were tables to register new and current students for classes, food trucks, catering provided by Indiana University Southeast’s own chefs, places to sit, music, and a nice environment. The event was a great opportunity for students to share joy in being part of the IU family. Alpha Epsilon, a sorority that is focused on diversity, inclusivity, respect, and strength, set up at the entrance of the event this year passing out blue and pink cotton candy to those who passed by. Andie Myers, the current president of the Alpha Epsilon, explained what she does for the sorority, the process of bid day for Greek Life, and who they want to represent the sorority’s core pillars. As president, Myers is involved in the organizational management, social relations and actively works with the community while connecting with the members of the sorority. When bidding day comes, the members of Alpha Epsilon come together and decide if this person meets their core values, such as being inclusive and respectful. When asked what she would like students searching to join Greek life know, Myers responded: “We have a lot of different options for different people [on campus]…If you don’t find your place in one organization, there is absolutely another organization on campus that is for you.” She emphasized that Alpha Epsilon is a Greek organization that welcomes people who may not fall into “normative categories” and have different gender and sexual identities and would otherwise feel unwelcome or uncomfortable in other groups. “There’s a lot of cool opportunities in Greek life here.” Andie added.
“ My favorite part of Gus Fest was talking to people my age and enjoying the complimentary food and treats,” said Scarlett Stepro. The event created a joyous environment and seemed to have been a blast for those who attended. “ I thought that Gus Fest was very fun, and signing up for classes with help from staff was very beneficial,” said Stepro. As Gus Fest has once again been a success with incoming students, we can expect to see it brought back next year to continue building the campus experience for IUS students.
IUS students have a lot to look forward to, as college can be a crucial part of finding your calling in life. For Scarlett, she’s looking to strengthen her knowledge and experience life outside of her home. “ I am most excited to meet new people, learn new skills, and explore what living on campus has to offer,” said Stepro.
Gus Fest is a great event for all incoming students to learn more about what IUS has to offer, and get a glimpse into the college life. For incoming freshman Owen Shaugnessey, IUS allows him to stay close to home and prosper at the same university some of his family attended. “I chose IUS because I’ve had family attend, and they thoroughly enjoyed their time here. I also chose to attend IUS for their well-renowned business program,” said Shaughnessy. As for incoming freshman Stepro she said, “I chose IUS because of their amazing art program, and living on campus is really appealing to me,” said Stepro.
“I’m definitely most excited to get an IU degree and education from my hometown. I also get the opportunity to catch up with older friends who attend IUS,” said Shaughnessy.
Indiana University Southeast’s own mascot, Gus the Grenadier, even attended Gus Fest. He greeted people as they walked in and even pretended to fit in with some of the attendees and their friends. He even managed to take a group photo with PIKE, one of the on-campus fraternities, and played on their team by throwing balls and making it into the cans they had set up. Gus was overall friendly towards students and gallivanted around the event proudly with his signature smile.
Student Blade Lazrovitch, graduating senior at IU Southeast, walked outside and was utterly surprised at what was going on. After asking Blade if she had heard about the event, she replied, “I had been walking around and seeing them setting up, but when you walk out here, you’re in the middle of it.” Since Blade is graduating this upcoming May, the event was bittersweet as it was welcoming new students while also celebrating the end of many seniors’ last event on campus. Blade looked around to see what student organizations had set up at the event and was surprised to see her old orientation leader group together. However, Blade had expected more organizations to attend and set up tables. Besides the fraternities and sororities, there were not many other groups involved in the festivities. Blade’s favorite thing about the event was Alpha Epsilon’s cotton candy, and her least favorite thing about the event was how little talk there was about the event. “There wasn’t a lot of hubbub about it. It’s also pretty small this year, but it certainly is not doing too bad.”
After the main event was over, students were invited to celebrate the End-of-year Student Bash from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. While most of the tables were packed up, the food trucks had left, and most students had gone by now, the inflatables were still blown up and the food options changed from nachos to a dirty soda bar with hot dogs and hamburgers. The dirty soda bar had limited syrup choices to DIY your own soda, but it is safe to say that the dirty soda bar was a massive hit amongst students and staff. The music was turned on high and played artists like Reba McIntire, Fleetwood Mac, and popular pop artists like Pitbull. While the wind deterred many from staying much longer, and as the night turned young, the event was a success by all means. Everyone started packing up after a successful day of celebrating Indiana University students and getting them registered for Fall 2026.
