Aug. 24 marked the start of the third academic year since IUPUI split into IU Indianapolis and Purdue University in Indianapolis. It also marked the end of Boiler Gold Rush 2026, Purdue University's one-week orientation program. This was the third year the program was held in Indianapolis.
"I think what makes BGR Indianapolis special is that it has always felt like we are building something together," said Grace Klein, a master's student in biomedical engineering and member of the Student Orientation Committee overseeing BGR in Indianapolis and West Lafayette. "Because the Indianapolis program is newer, there is a lot of opportunity for students and leaders to shape what BGR looks like here. We also get to incorporate Indianapolis itself into the experience. Instead of just introducing students to campus, we can introduce them to the city they're going to call home for the next few years."
This year, the program introduced freshmen to campus traditions, including the opening ceremony in Ross-Ade Stadium. Indianapolis students were bused to West Lafayette to be introduced to the sports teams and to hear a speech from Interim President Mitch Daniels. For the first time, Indianapolis students were able to participate in the Fountain Run in West Lafayette. Tony Yu, a West Lafayette freshman, said one of his highlights of BGR was the Academic Preview, where professor Anthony Freed gave a glimpse into two of his popular courses, Geosciences in the Cinema and The Planets. He, however, did not remember hearing a lot about Purdue Indianapolis in the sessions he chose to attend.
Rachel Myers, a freshman who participated in Boiler Gold Rush International, or BGRi, said that she left BGRi and BGR feeling connected to everyone on an interpersonal level and that she was given the resources to find a community at Purdue Indianapolis.
"Everyone is very friendly and very open to meeting new people," Myers said. "Some of the activities were pretty neat. The Fountain Run was pretty nice, everyone enjoyed that. It was nice doing some of the main campus traditions."
She said BGRi did a good job showing international students what resources they have and cultural differences they might have at Purdue. One memory that stood out to her was all the Indianapolis international students going to West Lafayette and being able to meet the West Lafayette international students. She said it was a good initial exposure to the United States for many students.
For Klein, BGR in Indianapolis holds a special place.
"I've been involved with BGR since 2024, when Indianapolis had its very first BGR program. I started as a team leader, then served as a team supervisor in 2025, and this year I moved into the Student Orientation Committee. So this was my third year being involved and my third different leadership role within the program," Klein said. "Getting to experience BGR from those different perspectives has really allowed me to see how much the program has grown."
On the orientation committee, Klein was able to support the team supervisors, who then supported the team leaders, who then served the new students in their groups. She said the Indianapolis campus has grown more confident. At the beginning, Klein said that Purdue Indianapolis didn't really have a lot of traditions, but the last three years have brought opportunities to build new traditions and to see and build on what has worked in West Lafayette.
"We aren't starting from scratch anymore," Klein said. "We can take the things that worked, improve the things that didn't, and add new ideas. It's been really cool to watch that process happen over just a few years."
Abigail Jebaraj is a junior majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in communications at Purdue Indianapolis and is a writer for The Campus Citizen. In her downtime, she enjoys reading, exploring Indianapolis and building Lego sets and 3D puzzles.
More than dumplings: APASMA's yearly gathering brings medical students together
By Regina Graves | Sept. 19On Sept. 12, medical students from the Indiana University School of Medicine gathered at an off-campus home for an evening of dumplings, conversations and cultural exchanges. The annual event, organized by the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA), brought students from different backgrounds together while giving them time to relax and decompress from the demands of medical school.
Dorms or debt traps?
By Raegan Nelson | Sept. 19College is expensive, especially if students have to factor in the additional cost of living. But dorms offer more than just a place to sleep: students are close to campus, have a place to rest between classes and may find lifelong friends from their assigned roommates.
Making space to create: Why Herron’s National Portfolio Day belongs to the whole campus
By Sarah Pinckard | Sept. 10Herron School of Art and Design will host National Portfolio Day on Saturday, giving prospective students a chance to present their work to art and design schools from across the country accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The event runs like a college fair, with students meeting representatives from the schools they choose and looking for the place they fit as an emerging artist.
