Hurrah for the Class of '04

The members of the Class of 2004 filed into the convention hall of the Philadelphia Civic Center last night for the official beginning to their Penn careers. During Convocation -- the only time that the entire class will be together until their graduation -- administrators, teachers and fellow students welcomed the newcomers to the University. Following dinner and presentations from several of Penn's performance groups, the evening officially began with opening remarks from Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, vice provost for university life, and the procession of the faculty and administration. Admissions Dean Lee Stetson described the new freshman class as "standing out from nearly 19,000 applicants as the students who would benefit from a Penn education and offer something very unique to the University community in return." In her welcoming remarks, University President Judith Rodin congratulated Stetson on once again bringing to Penn the most talented and academically accomplished class in the University's history. "Our goal for you is to provide a transformational life experience in which each one of you grows intellectually, socially and morally into outstanding men and women who will make Penn and the world better than it has been," Rodin said. On a lighter note, Rodin made the summer TV sensation Survivor a theme of her remarks. "As far as I know, no one will force you to eat a rat," she said. "We want you to survive and certainly thrive." Said Wharton freshman Rina Vazirani: "I really liked President Rodin's speech because it was relevant. It's not that it wasn't academic; it was academic with a more realistic twist." Provost Robert Barchi also addressed the freshman class and emphasized the impact each member will have not only on the Penn community at large but on each other. "As you sit together tonightS take a moment to carefully look around you at your most important teachers, for no one will help you learn more than your suitemates, your teammates and your classmates," Barchi said. Convocation concluded with the presentation of the Class of 2004 flag by Ray Valerio, the senior class president, and the singing of "The Red and the Blue." After the ceremony, College freshman Stephanie Restifo commented, "I thought it was more casual than what I was expecting." Vazirani added, "It's hard to comprehend that this is the last time we'll be with our entire class until graduation." The Class of 2004 is the most selective ever, as only 22 percent of the nearly 19,000 applicants were accepted

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.