Seniors have fun at Commencement

The Class of 1995 was unable to meet the challenge. As the graduating seniors gathered at Superblock around 9:15 Monday morning, preparing to embark on the traditional march to Commencement at Franklin Field, organizers challenged the mass to complete the journey in fifteen minutes in order to be on time for their own ceremony. Lined up by school, the seniors spilled out onto Locust Walk. Caught up in the moment, they took their time making their way to Commencement. The entire class had converged for only the third time in four years, and they would never be together again. Many seniors had taken the opportunity to personalize their mortarboards, as they thanked their parents, pleaded for jobs and paid homage to such diverse figures as Batman and Miss Piggy. By the time the last senior was seated, it was ten o'clock, but officials did not seem overly concerned with the lateness. In the opening remarks of her first Commencement as the University's President, Judith Rodin remarked on how the Class of 1995 would always occupy a special place in her heart. She continued by recalling her own graduation ceremony in 1966, marvelling at the changes the world had seen since that year. Most seniors listened attentively to her speech, cheering loudly. But a few members of the Wharton undergraduate division found it hard to contain their excitement, and began to bounce a beachball from person to person as Rodin spoke. Jane Alexander, an Emmy and Tony Award winning actress and the Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts, then took the podium to deliver the commencement address. After briefly congratulating the class on its achievements and commenting on the significance of the day, she launched into a plea for support for her agency. Alexander urged the audience to "believe in the power of the arts to help us think how we should live." "As we approach the millennium, let's celebrate ourselves through the arts, the humanities, and reinvigorate the sense of community that is the heart and soul of our American dream" she said. Overall, the class responded positively to Alexander's speech, although some questioned its relevance to the ceremony. And although a few students were irritated by the content of Alexander's speech, most agreed that nothing could spoil the meaning of the day. "It was one hell of a ceremony," said College senior Jason Strauss. "It was beautiful. I don't think the speech was applicable, and I know it really annoyed some Whartonites, but I still enjoyed it. It was great."

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