New students wear their green and gold beanies as they take The Walk to Raley Chapel.
New students wear their green and gold beanies as they take The Walk to Raley Chapel.
Students gather with friends on the Oval before beginning The Walk.
New friends take time to pose and smile for a pic before The Walk.
New students file past upperclassman Tri-W's as they near the steps of Raley Chapel.
New Bison enjoy the feeling of acceptance that comes from experiencing The Walk.
Upperclassman Tri-W's raise their hands in a Bison salute as new students look on from the Raley steps.
New Bison enjoy the cheers from the Tri-W's as they are welcomed into the Bison family.
New students raise their hands in a Bison salute as the Tri-W's do likewise in the background.
New students, with beanies on and matching gray t-shirts, raise their right fists in the air as they passionately recite "Ka-Rip."
The front columns of Raley Chapel glisten in the golden light of the setting sun during The Walk.
New Students Take ‘The Walk,’ Join OBU Family
August 21, 2019
New students took “The Walk” Tuesday night, Aug. 20, on the OBU campus in Shawnee. The Walk is a cherished annual tradition that takes place each August during Welcome Week, and it mirrors the walk that will be taken four years later on graduation day. This year, OBU welcomed 521 new students, including 451 first-time freshmen and 70 transfers.
New students line up on the Oval for “The Walk.” As students approach the front of Raley Chapel and near the end of “The Walk,” Welcome Week Workers, faculty, staff, alumni, friends, family and community members wait in reverent silence. New students then mass on the south steps of Raley Chapel. After a silent beginning, the crowd erupts into cheers for the new Bison and ultimately joins them in the school chant “Ka-Rip” and singing the “Hymn to the Alma Mater.”