U of M began the year with a splash. So why did the president run through the fountain?

The first day started off with a splash, a new University of Memphis tradition proposed from a promise kept.

"You really get to know someone when you ask them a fun question that they're not expecting," said the student government vice president, Ansley Ecker, beginning to offer an explanation for the water dripping off her clothes.

In the fall, when now President Bill Hardgrave was interviewing for the job, Ecker threw him her "softball" question during the student forum.

"Would you run through the fountain if you were selected?" Ecker said she asked.

Hardgrave remembered his reply as something like, "Well, I don't know. Is that allowed?"

"And (Ecker) said, 'You'd be the president,'" Hardgrave remembered, beaming in his soaked dress shirt, slacks, and grey and blue striped tie.

On his first day of a U of M fall semester, the new president ran through the U of M fountain with Ecker and the student government president, Atlantica Smith.

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And then the trio ran through the fountain again.

"Every year, at the start of the fall semester, this oughta be a tradition," Hardgrave said. "So we just started it today."

U of M teased the run with a social media video last week. Hardgrave, Smith and Ecker began at the University Center, introduced with a few band members and cheerleaders.

Several university officials and students watched along as the trio jogged, hand-in-hand, down the sidewalk and through the fountain.

After the run, the university passed out U of M-branded sunglasses like the pair the new president wore through the fountain. At least one student snapped a selfie with the new president.

While students may not run through the fountain on the first day of school, it's a rite of passage some take as they wrap a semester or head to their graduation, a way to commemorate their U of M memories, Smith explained.

Her advice to students this school year is to "take advantage of everything that they do this school year and to really meet and connect with everyone, including all faculty and teachers. Have fun, take breaks and understand they're going to get there one day at a time, and not to rush anything. Enjoy your college years."

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Hardgrave's first day on the job was back in April, a month or so before spring graduation.

"We're just so excited to have everybody back. It feels normal. It feels great. The energy is fantastic," Hardgrave said, wishing students a great semester and looking toward his first full year as president.

Laura Testino covers education and children's issues for the Commercial Appeal. Reach her at laura.testino@commercialappeal.com or 901-512-3763. Find her on Twitter: @LDTestino

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: University of Memphis president runs through campus fountain