Sea of graduates sets sail from U.

From above, it may have appeared as if a raging river had emerged on Tuesday morning and completely hid Locust Walk from view. The seething black current slowly wound its way from Superblock through a half-mile course, with its end flooding into Franklin Field. Closer inspection would reveal the black tide to actually be the University's most recent graduating class, flowing toward commencement ceremonies accompanied by bagpipers and an endless rendition of "Pomp and Circumstance" by the First United States Army Band. Even closer scrutiny would show that the graduates expressed their individuality and sense of humor by decorating their caps. One senior made a last ditch attempt to find a job before graduation by taping the message "4 HIRE" on his mortarboard. Another graduate attached a scale architectural model to his mortarboard. Many taped on an assortment of Greek letters, peace signs and "I MADE IT" messages to distinguish themselves from the masses. The news anchor's speech focused, however, on the Defense Department's restrictions on journalists throughout the Persian Gulf war. Koppel said that although the public may not always find the products of a free press attractive, continuation of such restrictive alternatives to this system could be far more disturbing. President Sheldon Hackney's annual greeting to graduating seniors attempted to strike a balance between the recent "political correctness" movement and the traditional European scientific and creative thought which he said was developed by "DWEMs," or "Dead White European Males." He cited a recent "Doonesbury" comic strip featuring a university president whom Hackney said resembled the past president of an institution "we regularly demolish right here on this field." In the cartoon, the president offers a commencement speech which strives so hard to be politically correct, by editing out all non-P.C. language, that it only says, "Thank you and good luck." Hackney argued that the goal of universities should not be to "transform students," as both the old and the new movements on campus might dictate, but rather to offer students tools to transform themselves. In addition to recognizing the achievements of the University's current graduating class, Provost Michael Aiken conferred seven honorary degrees, including one on Koppel.

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