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First-Year Students Welcomed
 Members
of the class of 2002 got a taste of what they can expect from
the Ithaca weather during their time here, when a sudden thunderstorm
blew through the CommUNITY Welcome Picnic held on the Campus
Center quad following the Convocation ceremony. Perhaps the freshmen,
some 1,360 strong, even thought it was planned, since it dovetailed
so nicely with some of the comments made by president Peggy R.
Williams in her Convocation address.
"Along the way you will have cloudy,
stormy days, as well as days filled with sun and blue skies,"
Williams told the gathering, drawing parallels between the vagaries
of the weather and the college experiences that lie ahead. "The
cloudy and stormy days will be those difficult times when everything
seems to be going against you, seemingly keeping you back, making
you feel uncomfortable and even causing you to doubt your own
capabilities and your reason for being here.
 "Accept
these days as part of the journey. Work through them and learn
from them. These days, albeit gray and cloudy at the time, will
frequently be the days that lead to significant intellectual
and personal development."
Williams reminded the students that their
college experience will not take a linear path, but will be a
journey with many bends and turns, taken against a backdrop of
uncertainty and opportunity. "Your challenge will be to
find your way. Your clear goal, as you set out, is to earn a
college degree and to gain new knowledge. However, it is the
journey itself and how you shape that journey that will affect
the quality of your learning and your overall college experience."
Also speaking at Convocation were Herman E.
Muller Jr. '51, chairman of the Ithaca College Board of Trustees,
and Mark A. Naparstek '99, president of the Student Government
Association. Muller said the class of 2002 represents 39 states,
34 foreign countries, and 879 high schools; with 12 of the freshmen
national merit finalists and 70 of them either valedictorian
or salutatorian of their high school class. Naparstek gave examples
of teachers, staff members, and fellow students who have "built
bridges" in order to make an Ithaca education more meaningful.
 The
CommUNITY Welcome Picnic following Convocation was designed to
bring incoming students closer together with faculty, staff,
and administrators. The event was sponsored by the Community
Enhancement Committee.
Top photo by Bob Ellis; others
by Cascadilla Photography |
