“Gone To Texas,” a traditional celebration welcoming new students to The University of Texas at Austin, will be held at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23 on the university’s Main Mall.
The annual program, held every year on the evening before classes begin, underscores what it means to be a Longhorn and highlights the academic mission of the university. It introduces new students, including incoming freshmen, transfer, graduate and law students, to the traditions of the institution and core purpose, values and honor code of the university.
The university’s schools and colleges also have scheduled programs earlier in the evening to welcome new students and introduce them to fellow students, faculty and staff. A list of the pre-event activities by schools and colleges is online.
The event’s theme is inspired by a chapter of Texas history. More than 200 years ago, as adventurers pulled up stakes seeking a fresh start, three letters etched on homestead doors revealed their destination. “GTT” was written on the doors of people indicating they had “Gone to Texas.”
The event, presented by the Office of the President with support and sponsorship of the University Co-op, will feature greetings from student leaders and President William Powers Jr. It will include performances by student groups showcasing the diversity of the university community and the range of opportunity available to students. Short video productions by student winners of the GTT Video Contest will be shown. The finale will feature the Longhorn Band.
Advice to new students from graduates in the Class of 2011 and additional information about the event are available on the Gone To Texas Web site.
Gone To Texas will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 23 on channels 11 and 13 of the campus cable system. A RealVideo stream can be viewed online. Captioned viewing is also available. RealPlayer is required to watch the webcast. Download RealPlayer.
