Student Commencement Speaker Reconsidered

It's usually taken for granted that the senior class president will give a speech at graduation each year, but the WSA is apparently entertaining a motion this week to turn over selection of a student speaker to a committee composed of senior class officers, who would choose from a pool of applicants and be barred from applying themselves.

Which seems kind of arbitrary. If someone's being chosen to represent an entire graduating class, they should be chosen by more students in the class than just a few WSA members.

But I'm surprised that the article and Wespeaks in the Argus about this issue neglect to mention the likely reason that this resolution was even put forward - last year's senior class president gave a speech to mixed reactions, and it was kind of embarrassing to have someone like Barack Obama (not to mention everyone else present) witness the Wesleyan student body represented by one somewhat erratic speaker.

Which isn't to say that would be the case this year - by at least several accounts, 2009's class president Ravid Chowdhury is deserving of the privilege, and it would be unfair to take it away when he was ostensibly elected by seniors last year with the knowledge that he'd be speaking at graduation.

But the Argus doesn't have a bad idea in proposing that in addition to the class president, who is elected mainly for being a good organizer if not necessarily a good speech-maker, another student be chosen to address the class based solely on their ability to deliver a great speech.

In any case, the WSA votes on the issue this weekend. You can watch the 2008 student commencement address here (cut ahead to 9:40 for it), or read the full transcript.

MSNBC's Graduation Dedication

By now you've all probably settled into some kind of summer routine (and here's to the hope that said routine is every bit as productive/ rewarding/ debauched as you intend it to be).

But here is yet another flashback from MSNBC's Nightly News to the graduation season of late May. This video montage dedicated to the class of 2008 shows bits from the commencement ceremonies of various schools around the country, but clearly most notable is the clip of Wesleyan's Taiko drummers and Barack Obama's address at 1:17:



Other commencement speakers featured in the segment (full addresses of several can be browsed on the site) are such luminaries as Al Gore at Carnegie Mellon, J.K. Rowling at Harvard, Angela Lansbury at UMiami... and George W. Bush at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

MSNBC.com: To The Class of 2008...

Obama in HD

Adam Bernier '06 has just gotten the Obama speech at commencement uploaded to veoh in all of its high-definition goodness, if anyone is interested. He says that he also has other footage he's willing to share if people want.

The Obama speech is here.

Poor In New York

This might be helpful and/or anxiety-inducing for graduating seniors moving to big cities (I mean, New York) this summer, especially if your parents are trying to cut you loose financially.

Some tactics have long been chronicled: sharing tiny apartments with strangers. Sharing those apartments with eight strangers. Eating cheap lunches and skipping dinners — not just to save money, but so that drinks pack more of a punch and fewer need be consumed.

But there are smaller measures, no less ingenious, that round out the lifestyle. These young people sneak flasks of vodka into bars, flirt their way into clubs, sublet their walk-in closets, finagle their way into open-bar parties and put off haircuts until they visit their hometowns, even if those hometowns are thousands of miles away.

NYTimes: Starting Salaries but New York Tastes

Your source for Reunion & Commencement

2008 COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
Barack Obama

Sunday, May 25
11:00 AM

We're working on getting the ticker tape scrolling along the bottom of your screen 24 hours a day, but in the meantime we'll be telling you everything you need to know about Reunion & Commencement, just like always... with blog posts like this one.

Here's a preliminary roundup of the resources we've assembled so far. We've got much more planned throughout the day, so stay tuned!




IF YOU'LL BE ON CAMPUS

Get a seat on Andrus Field at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. Seating on Andrus is limited and will require a ticket. Seating opens at 8:00 AM; no one will be allowed on the field prior to that time. Access will be from the Usdan/Fayerweather area of Wyllys Avenue. More details and map.

The weather will be beautiful: sunny and 68º with a gentle breeze.

For those unable to procure a ticket, Foss Hill, parts of Andrus Field, and the surrounding areas will be open to the public. More details.

For those traveling to Middletown by car, Ed McKeon reports:

I just spoke to a downtown merchant who was advised that he should not count on getting into or out of his shop on Sunday, because Main Street would be closed for some time. This same merchant quoted police as saying they are projecting up to 100,000 visitors to Middletown for the Obama speech.

The University has warned that you should not expect to find parking anywhere in the vicinity of campus.

Can't find a spot on Andrus Field or Foss Hill? The address will be simulcast in the Memorial Chapel, the ’92 Theater, Crowell Concert Hall, and in SCIE 150. Campus map [PDF].

IF YOU'RE AWAY FROM CAMPUS

Can't make it to campus? The University has contracted with an outside company to broadcast the address live on the web via Windows Media (blech) streaming video. The stream will be available approximately 15 minutes before the ceremony begins. I'm assuming the 600 viewer limit is no longer an issue. More details.

WTNH will also be streaming the address live at their website. More details.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Reunion & Commencement: includes overview, schedule, environmental information, and info on class reunions, honorary degrees, etc.

FAQs: contains information on fees, meals, transportation, parking, housing, WESeminars, and special needs.

Commencement Information: details on prohibited items and restrictions on political/campaign materials. Please note that campaign-related activity, political signs and banners, glass bottles, fireworks, and "selected other items" are prohibited from the event. You will be subject to removal and possible arrest for bringing any of these items to campus. The Secret Service ain't no fool, yo.

STAY TUNED TO WESLEYING

We'll be giving you the latest updates from Reunion & Commencement, including live reporting, photos, and footage from the media corral. Since both Wesleyan and WTNH will be streaming the address online, we will not be streaming live, but we will have footage available after the event (more details to come).
We've also be pared down the blog to speed up load time and save some bandwidth, but shoutbox and everything else will be back soon so don't worry.

FINALLY...

Congratulations, Class of 2008, and best of luck in wherever your post-graduation plans take you!

Taiko Drum Ensemble, Soundtrack to Graduation

If Obama wasn't enough to make this year's commencement an event to remember, the ceremony will be set to the beat of the Wesleyan taiko drumming ensemble. From the Hartford Courant:

When most schools celebrate commencement, it's set to the soaring strains of "Pomp and Circumstance." Not so at Wesleyan. Here, the students — as they do in so many ways — march to a different beat.

Specifically, the thundering beat of the campus's Japanese taiko drumming ensemble, a style of music that traces its roots back 1,400 years. On Sunday the ensemble will play, or more accurately pound, the processional and recessional music at the university's 176th commencement... It's a send-off for graduates that's undeniably different. And undeniably Wesleyan.

...And if the group's Wednesday morning rehearsal was any indication, it's a task they're tackling with gusto.

Or are starting to, anyway. As students stumbled into the World Music Hall at 9:30 a.m. under the eye of Mark Rooney, the ensemble's instructor, some were still wearing pajamas. A few looked bleary-eyed. "It was senior cocktails last night," one of them explained.

But once Rooney got them onto the performance floor, they awoke. After a circle stretching session that included a minute of meditation and a chorus of yelling, the students, all barefoot, took up position, legs spread, arms extended, bachi — the drumsticks — in hand.

Then came the pounding. To call taiko drumming loud would be an understatement. It's like a thunderstorm exploding in a small room. The performance hall reverberated as the bachi rose and fell, rhythmic as windmills, and the steady beat of the drums rolled like an adrenaline-fueled heartbeat from one wall to the other.

A video of what you can expect:

Undeniably Wesleyan, undeniably awesome.

Link:
Hartford Courant: Ancient Drum Music to Accompany Wes Grads

Kennedy Diagnosed with Malignant Brain Tumor

As of 1:15 this afternoon, the Associated Press is reporting that Senator Kennedy was diagnosed earlier today with a malignant brain tumor in his left parietal lobe. According to the brief report, treatment (which will be fine-tuned after more tests) will probably include radiation and chemotherapy. However, the senator has not suffered any further seizures and is "resting comfortably."

Still no word from the administration on whether Senator Kennedy will be speaking at commencement (probably because they are waiting to be able to make a statement one way or the other.) Meanwhile, we at Wesleying send our best to Kennedy and his family here and elsewhere.

How do you pronounce "Holly Wood"?

Check out this A+ guilt trip. My mother doesn't even do it this well.

Senior!

Why won’t you call in your name pronunciation? For us it seems a simple request. Now Wesleyan dollars that could be used for scholarships, paying workers, providing community resources, etc. need to be used to track you down and get you to call in. NEVER have so many seniors refused to let the name readers know how to pronounce their names. I am bewildered. Please call in your name. Call 685-2005.

Suzanne O’Connell
Faculty Marshall

Edit: My housemate just reminded me about how they accidentally DELETED ALL THE MESSAGES from the first round of people who called in...

Forgo the cap and gown, help T-Square

A longer, unedited version of this went out on the Woodframes listserv:

We'd like you to join us in not buying a cap and gown and instead giving that $54.50 to the Traverse Square After-school Program a.k.a. The Center. The Center is one of the only University-sponsored programs aimed at working cooperatively with Middletown's low-income families to improve the quality of life in their communities.

We have informed Marshal of the Faculty and faculty representative for Commencement Suzanne O'Connell of our plans and she assured us that anyone who elects not to wear the cap and gown will still be allowed to walk at Commencement. We can coordinate our attire or you can do your own thing.

Contact Michael Berger '08 (mwberger@wes), Zac Meyer '08 (zmeyer@wes), David Harris '08 (akdiamond@wes), or Alex Diamond '08 (dlharris@wes) for more information.