About 6,500 new students expected for Boiler Gold Rush; check-in procedures set

This map shows the main routes to the campus residence halls and areas of expected congestion. The yellow areas indicate some likely traffic delays, while the areas in red indicate likely longer delays. The long yellow line on the right side of the map is Northwestern Avenue. The red lines at the bottom are Martin Jischke Drive and Airport Road. Download image

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Organizers of Boiler Gold Rush, Purdue University's new student orientation program, expect 6,500 participants when it begins Aug. 15.

Students will move in to residence halls Aug. 14-15. BGR programming will take place Aug. 15-19, and Aug. 20 will be a free day. The first day of fall semester classes is Aug. 21.

“We hope the students take away being connected to the university,” said Kasi Jones, director of orientation programs. “We want them to feel they belong and that their pride and school spirit start at Boiler Gold Rush.”

BGR and Boiler Gold Rush International (BGRi) are closely connected, Jones said. BGRi leaders also are BGR leaders and will continue into BGR with their new students.

BGRi, which takes place Aug. 11-15, is designed to help new and transferring international undergraduate students adjust and acclimate to university life in the United States and help them transition into the BGR program.

The ongoing State Street construction project will provide a new check-in location and traffic patterns for new students arriving on campus.

Move-in for Boiler Gold Rush will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 14; and from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 15. Honors College students will move in on Aug. 13, which will alleviate some of the traffic during traditional move-in.

Traffic patterns and the initial reporting area will change this year for students living in Shreve, Earhart, Meredith, McCutcheon, Hillenbrand and Harrison halls, and First Street Towers. Students moving into these residences will stage and receive a packet with everything except keys when they report to the Discovery Parking lot, located off Harrison Street just off the roundabout west of Martin Jischke Drive.

Students moving into Harrison, Hillenbrand and McCutcheon halls will stage and receive a packet with everything except keys at the Purdue Airport Parking lot.

Other residence halls will operate as normal. People are cautioned not to rely solely on Google Maps or other related sites, as those might not have updated information.

Police officers will be in place directing traffic around the residence halls. Signage also will direct motorists to the proper staging areas. Those not connected with move-in should avoid the residence hall areas if possible.

Additionally, Honors College students will arrive on campus on Aug. 13. Those arrivals can take Stadium Avenue and then go south to the drive between Tarkington and Wiley halls, where they will stage.  Honors college students and parents will then be directed to the yellow curbs around the Honors College.

Once on campus, students participating in Boiler Gold Rush will experience many of the same successful activities from last year.

A freedom of expression session will return this year, giving students a better understanding of policies around free speech and their right to express opinions.

“That went fantastic,” Jones said. “Students were very intrigued and engaged in the presentation, so we’re continuing that.”

Faculty- and campus-taught orientations (Boiler Success Sessions) will continue this year. Faculty-taught sessions will include Academics 101 (expectations, success and integrity) and Information Literacy. Sessions led by experts will include Campus Safety (health and wellness, bicycle and pedestrian safety, and sexual assault), and Diversity and Intercultural Awareness. 

All new students will take an assessment called StrengthsFinder, used to identify a student’s strengths and how to use them in leadership opportunities.

Another popular feature of BGR, the new-student induction ceremony, also will return, on Aug. 15. It will be held in Mackey Arena. The commencement-like ceremony will feature the following speakers: President Mitch Daniels, a sophomore BGR leader, and interim Provost Jay Akridge. The event is open to parents of students participating in BGR and BGRi.

Other BGR highlights include a Boiler Up rally and the B-Involved Fair.

A send-off celebration on the evening of Aug. 19 will close the BGR program.  More information about BGR is available at https://www.purdue.edu/orientation/bgr/. 

Media contact: Brian Peloza, 765-496-9711, bpeloza@purdue.edu 

Sources: Kasi Jones, 765-496-3627, jones114@purdue.edu

Keene Red Elk, 765-494-8221, klredelk@purdue.edu