Thousands of students arrived on campus over the last two weeks and a whole host of events were held as the Fall 2026 semester got underway at East Texas A&M.

Additionally, the university is poised to be busier than ever, as preliminary enrollment numbers are trending toward the largest enrollment in ET history.

Take a look at some of the “welcome back” festivities for the first week of classes.

Lions Roaring in Commerce

While attending class can take up a sizable chunk of a student's day, they've also had their calendar chock-full of events hosted across several areas on campus.

The annual “Lions Roar” welcome week is a widely anticipated tradition for the beginning of each Fall semester, with several events every day for the first week to two weeks.

Highlights of this year's Lions Roar included:

• The Lion Walk: A long-running ETAMU tradition involving much of the campus community. New Lion students gather near the Victory Bell on the east end of campus and march together toward the Rayburn Student Center for new student convocation. Along the way, faculty, staff, student organizations, the Lion Cheer team, Lion Dance team and Lion Pride Marching Band flank their path to give a hearty welcome to the new students.
• RecFest: A yearly celebration at the Morris Recreation Center. The Rec Center is transformed into a festival-like atmosphere, with games, amusement rides, prizes and more. This year's event took on a special feel, as the Rec celebrated its grand reopening following a significant remodel and expansion. Students got their first look at the new space during RecFest.
• Student Org Fair: Lion students got a chance to meet face-to-face with student organizations on campus, from Greek organizations to service-oriented groups, to groups bound by their passion for a particular activity or topic; there was something for nearly every interest.
• Plus many more!

Most of the events were organized by ETAMU's Office of Student Engagement. Still, other areas of the university, such as the Office of Student Career Preparedness, Waters Library and Campus Recreation also took part.

How are students feeling about this semester?

We caught up with a few students to hear their thoughts on the Fall 2026 semester so far.

• Petra Hensley, Theatre major: “I'm in the Alpha Phi sorority, so it's been great to be back with all my sisters. We have a busy week coming up since it's almost recruitment week. It's also great to see the other students in the Theatre department, as we're a super close-knit group. It's been exciting to see the campus full of people again!”
• Sebastian Gonzales, Music major: I feel like there's a different sense of community this year. I don't know what it is, but I feel like the university is placing an emphasis on being proud of our place in East Texas, and I think the students are feeling that too. This is my third year here, and I feel like I'm more connected with the campus community than ever.”
• Keyla Jones, Psychology major: “The start of this semester has been exciting. I was kind of nervous, but I'm glad I'm here. You get a lot of freedom in college, but it's important to stay disciplined and focused. The classes have been kind of hard, but my professors have been great.”

The future ahead

The fun doesn't stop once Lions Roar ends. Here are a few dates to keep circled on your calendar:

• Family Weekend, Sept. 12
• Homecoming Week, Sept. 28 – Oct. 3
• Southland Conference Soccer Tournament, hosted at ETAMU, Nov. 10-15

Have a great semester, Lions!

See photos from campus events in our university photo galleries.