Class of 2021 carries on whitewash tradition
ASU's newest freshmen introduced to one of the school's oldest rituals over the weekend
It's a tradition that started in the 1930s and is still going strong.
For the past eight-plus decades, Arizona State University's freshmen make the short hike up "A" Mountain in Tempe, grab a cup of white paint and cover the 60-foot (usually gold-colored) "A" that gives the mountain its nickname. It will later get painted back to its traditional gold color before the first football home game of the season, but for now, the whitewash symbolizes a fresh start to the new school year.
On Aug. 19, ASU's latest crop of students capped off their first week of classes by taking part in this time-honored tradition. Check out a gallery and video from the event below.
Video by Jordan Currier/ASU
More Sun Devil community
A family tradition: Aubrey Lines is fifth-generation ASU grad
As Aubrey Lines sat on the steps in front of Old Main on a bright and beautiful late April morning, she thought about the black-and-white photo. In the photo, 18 young men and women are posed on…
The latest class of 'Flying Devils' is ready for takeoff
Earlier this year, the U.S. Air Force ROTC named Arizona State University's Detachment 025 as the best large ROTC detachment in the nation. Its most recent class of graduates is another testament to…
ASU grad, veteran pursues career in mental health to meet demand for more counselors
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2024 graduates. When Yasmeen Duarte’s time in the U.S. Army as a combat medic was cut short with an honorable discharge…