You might be sitting in Gampel Pavilion reading this to keep you occupied during a stale speech or as a long train of indistinguishable people accept their degrees.
Far below you is one of your loved ones, clad in a cap and gown, about to go through one of life's rare rites of passage. Or maybe you're one of the ones in the cap and gown, sitting on the floor of Gampel, a place where you've watched basketball games, concerts and lip sync contests. Now you're the performer. Look above you at the banners on the ceiling—many of those were added during your tenure here. Maybe you're one of the athletes who won us that banner. Maybe you're one of the fans. Is "Big Red" sitting in his corner, waiting for us to chant his name? Maybe I'll start the chant. Look around, if you see one random graduate shouting "RED RED RED," it's probably me.
My sentimental father has always been eager to make every small change in my life a rite of passage. "Jennifer, this is your last day as being a single digit," he solemnly told me the day before my 10th birthday. "Jennifer, this is the third to last night of homework you'll ever have," he told me last week. But today is a biggie, Dad; I'll give you that.
Many of us on the floor of Gampel are not duly proud of what we have achieved. A common question I have heard over the past few weeks has been, "Are you walking?" Most people say it's a waste of time because most of our names are not read.
All of our peers are graduating, so it almost seems like getting a degree is just a matter of meeting someone's expectations. But it's so much more than that. The most recent graduation rates from UConn show that only 68.3 percent of the freshmen who came to Storrs in 1993 had graduated by 1999. In 2000 the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 26 percent of people over the age of 24 had attained a bachelor's degree or more. We are not meeting someone's expectations—we are doing something exceptional.
I think I made a mistake by saying that those of us gathered on the floor of Gampel are going through a rite of passage. That detracts from our accomplishment—it makes it seem as if graduating college is just another stage in life. But we are part of the minority of the American population who was not only given the opportunity to get a degree, but also to attain wisdom.
If you are reading this while bored during the graduation ceremony, I hope I have given you a few moments of distraction. But now kindly fold up this paper and watch the ceremony. It may be boring to watch, but it truly is an amazing event.
—Jennifer Hoyt/News Editor, 2001-2002
•••
As a member of the news department, I have never really had the chance to discuss issues of the day in a column or other opinion piece, for a variety of different reasons. Now for my last piece ever as both a student at UConn and an employee (technically) of The Daily Campus, I've been given the opportunity to talk about some of the things I've learned over the past four years.
These are things I will always remember:
*I learned that sports are always more fun when played at midnight.
*I learned that, no matter how much you may dislike certain songs at first, some of them will cling to your brain until you can't help but love them.
*I learned that there are really very few people around anymore who remember "Doctor Who."
*I learned that people do find amusement in a spaz.
*I learned that women love it when you sing to them (undying respect goes to Chris Gillon for this one).
*I re-learned something that I learned when I was a child but forgot in high school: There are really very few people cooler than Mr. T.
*I learned that seeing your name in print for the very first time is one of the most exciting feelings a person can get.
*I learned that, if you promise yourself you're going to take a week off from covering the police beat in order to recharge your batteries, the chances are better than average that someone is going to hijack a bus.
*I learned that going to a live wrestling broadcast is one of the biggest rushes a person can get. Seriously. They combine the best parts of a rock concert and a sporting event. How can you go wrong?
*I learned UConn has the best basketball teams, both men and women, both on and off the court.
*I learned UConn has the best basketball fans.
*I learned that one should remove their glasses before jumping into a muck-filled lake.
*I learned that men and women are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum in their opinions on the attractiveness of Alyson Hannigan (Willow from "Buffy," Michelle the band geek from "American Pie"). For the record, she is beautiful.
*I learned not to mess with New York.
*I learned that ophthalmologists are bad-asses.
*I learned it doesn't take much more than duct tape or PVC pipe to keep my roommates and me entertained for hours.
*I learned that Jen Grogan is the best.
*Finally, I learned that I was blessed with some of the coolest friends a guy could ever ask for. Thanks for everything, you guys. I am better off for having known you all.
—Luke Foster/Associate News Editor, 2001-2002
Be the first to comment on this article!