A stormy Thursday evening was the backdrop of the annual Chancellor’s Assembly welcoming the Class of 2020 in the University Recreation Center.

The assembly, which is usually held in the Amon G. Carter Stadium but was moved due to weather, featured speeches from TCU administration, music from the TCU Marching Band and Frog Corps, and even a surprise visit from football head coach Gary Patterson.

The rec center was filled with first-year and transfer students gathered in their Frogs First group. Once they were seated, the Frog Corps led the group in a rendition of the National Anthem. The new horned frogs were then told that they are now an important part of shaping the TCU community.

“TCU is what it is because of the passion and commitment of those who’ve come before you,” Boschini said to the students. “You will also help shape it.”

Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Nowell Donovan captured the new students’ attention by talking about their “place in the Horned Frog community.” He said the TCU community is one that “nourishes respect, dialogue, and thoughtful conversation.”

Carlo Capua, the president of the TCU National Alumni Association, told the Class of 2020 how important it is to connect with each other.

“Students who have the most enriching and successful experiences in college are the ones who plug themselves in,” Capua said.

The assembly was accompanied by music from the TCU Marching Band as the final speaker, Gary Patterson, approached. In his excitement for the new class, Patterson went off-script. His excitement was reciprocated by the students.

Cooper Thompson, a first-year pre-business major, said the assembly “showed how united TCU is as a school and how the class of 2020 is already a part of it.”

In TCU tradition, the new students were given candles to light. According to Boschini, the candles are meant to represent the “light of knowledge that stands against the darkness of ignorance.”