As the sun sets on Don. W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Razorback, cheerleaders stand six feet apart wearing cloth masks and a small number of masked band members with instruments in hand also keep their social distance. A DJ stands alone with his equipment, spinning music to get everyone pumped. And the student section, normally full of screaming new freshmen, were empty.
This is what a pep rally looks like in the times of COVID-19, with students watching the event live on Twitter and Facebook from their residence halls and homes. And pulling it off was no small undertaking.
The Freshman Pep Rally is a long running event created to introduce freshman students to University of Arkansas traditions, songs and cheers, ahead of the first Razorback home football game.
“We moved the Pep Rally to Razorback stadium in 2012,” said Trisha Blau, assistant director of programming for Student Activities. “We did this so we could start a new tradition of taking the class picture on the field and also introduce students how to navigate on game day, such as which entrance to use to get in the stadium and where the student section is located.”
The event is not just about learning the traditions but also designed to help students develop a sense of pride in being students at the University of Arkansas, and to create memories and connect with their peers.
So, Blau and her student planning team hoped to hold the Freshman Pep Rally this year as an in-person event but were unsure of what that might look like.
Anna Thompson
“We were trying very hard to come up with a way to facilitate the event in person. This included so many meetings and emails. Unfortunately, there were some circumstances caused by the pandemic that we just couldn’t avoid, and we quickly shifted to working on a plan that would allow us to do the event online,” Blau said. “We made this decision to go virtual at the very end of July”
“In the beginning of planning we really tried to have an in person option but in the end we did want to go virtual to keep everyone as safe as possible during the event,” said Anna Thompson, a junior majoring in psychology and criminal justice, and the traditions chair for University Programs. “Everyone was really accommodating to the changed we needed to make to have a successful virtual event.”
There are many groups that have taken part in the event over the years, including members of the football, soccer, and volleyball teams, as well as appearances by the Athletic Director, and head coaches for football, soccer, volleyball, and gymnastics teams. The Marching Band, Spirit Squads (including cheer, pom and the mascots) and Razorbacks Athletic staff help make the event possible each year.
“We have also had great support from across the Division of Student Affairs,” Blau said, “including Administrators, and staff from New Student and Family Programs, Housing, Greek Life, and UA Productions.”
Many things made this event difficult to plan because of the pandemic, from trying to broadcast live across multiple platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, to logistic and technical issues, to ensuring the event was safe for the participants.
“Navigating the process of getting the students and staff we needed for a successful event at the venue while keeping their safety at the forefront of every decision was not easy,” Blau said. “We also had to figure out the best way to teach the traditions while keeping the event exciting and something students would want to tune in to watch. UA Productions in Student Affairs and Razorback Athletics we were able to create some videos that featured the traditions.”
Blau said for future events she would love to expand on these videos and include instructions on how to do each of the traditions so students can review them prior to coming to the event.
“It was very weird experiencing the pep rally in this format because I have gotten so use to the excitement and ecstatic environment created by our traditional event,” Blau said. “But in the end I think we were able to engage individuals that we may have missed under the traditional format.”
“With hosting the event online, we were unsure of how students would be engaged into school spirit,” said Thomas Patterson, graduate assistant for Student Activities. “While I was nervous about this, we were still able to host a successful event. We had plenty of engagement on our social media platforms which was awesome, and students still seemed to enjoy their time even from their homes. I think this year we were able to not only engage our incoming students, but also an audience who maybe just needed a nice reminder of how amazing it is to be an Arkansas Razorback and see some of our traditions we have on campus and have had for many, many years!”
“Experiencing the pep rally online was very different but still positive,” Thompson said. “The band and cheer squad really helped pep up the volunteers and hearing the band play is always a treat. I think the pep rally over all was successful for the conditions we were under and I hope that the new class next year gets to experience this tradition in person next year!”