After a long day of moving boxes and meeting roommates, Bradley’s freshman class hurried into the Renaissance Coliseum for the second “B United” pep rally.
The B United pep rally took place at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, and included various activities aimed towards the new students.
“It was really cool, especially as a freshman,” freshman physical therapy major Aleece Duggan said. “I got introduced to things and I am more excited about what all goes on here. There are so many things that we can explore.”
With the aid of Bradley’s cheerleading squad and various athletic teams, the students in attendance were taught the school cheer and given advice for the upcoming school year. T-shirts were also awarded to the winners of student-led games.
“The program is fairly new,” Vice President for Student Affairs Nathan Thomas said. “Last year was the first time we had the ‘B United’ rally, and it was mostly freshmen in attendance.”
In addition to the freshman class, a large number of upperclassmen chose to attend the rally this year.
“The audience was bigger than last year, that’s for sure,” sophomore English major Rachael Kosinski said. “I definitely think this year’s freshman class was more enthusiastic about the rally. The upperclassmen there were pretty excited, too. Next year will probably be even better.”
Kosinski was not alone in her praise.
“The rally was actually a lot of fun,” sophomore special education major Victoria Gleichman said. “My mom works here, so I’ve been around Bradley for years. I’ve been to things like this before, but “B United” still got me super pumped up.”
Thomas said he hopes more upperclassmen will continue to attend.
“It’s good that the audience was more than just freshmen,” Thomas said. “I want more students to know about this and feel excited about going.”
Although B United has only taken place twice at Bradley, the pep rally has proved to be an overwhelming success.
“I definitely plan to go again next year,” Duggan said.
The pep rally has grown since its first year as a Welcome Week activity, and it included more speakers, from coaches to student tour guides.
“Last year, the first year, went incredibly well,” Thomas said. “It was awesome. I think this year was even better.”
In regards to keeping the rally around, Thomas said he believes “B United” is here to stay.
“It’s gone so well,” Thomas said. “We’re definitely planning on having it again.”
