68 - The Michigan Daily Graduation Edition - Thursday, April 15, 1999
GRADUATION '99
A beloved city
FILE PHOTO/Daily
An aerial view of Ann Arbor provides a glimpse of the campus senior students have called home for several years. After
May 1, many will be leaving behind the familiar sight of Angell Hall and Central Campus.
Alear
Class of 1999
T he Class of 1999 has
observed and participated in
tremendous growth at the
University. As the world moved
into the information age, so did
the Class of 1999. As the world
struggled with social issues such
as racism, domestic violence and
alcohol abuse, so did the Class of
1999. As the world wondered
what is ahead for them in the
coming millennium, so did the
Class of 1999.
But the Class of 1999 is dis-
tinct from the rest of the world in
countless ways. Each one of the
thousands of people who will
stand on Michigan Stadium's
field next Saturday has had a
unique experience during their
four or more years in Ann Arbor.
Those experiences have shaped
who they are as they enter the
"real" world.
The students experienced a
shift in the University's long-
term objectives. When they
began attending, the
University's administration was
focused on physical develop-
ment - construction rendered
many parts of the University
useless for many years. Current
students are reaping the bene-
fits of past construction, with a
greatly expanded North.
Campus and a new home for
the School of Social Work.
When then-President James
Duderstadt's relations with the
University Board of Regents
became rocky, he resigned in
June, 1996. After a transition
period, the University chose for-
mer Law School Dean Lee
Bollinger as its 12th president in
November 1996. In a move that
should have occurred in the pre-
vious administration, Bollinger
changed the University's focus
from construction to academics.
He spearheaded the Year of the
Humanities and Arts, which
highlighted the University's
strengths in non-scientific fields
and ended with an outstanding
speech from Hillary Rodham
Clinton.
Behind the scenes, Bollinger
has worked to maintain good
relations with students, adminis-
trators and the regents, unlike
many of his predecessors. This
has greatly improved the cam-
pus's learning environment.
The Class of 1999 has seen the
University in the national spot-
light many times. In 1995, then-
University student Jake Baker
sparked a nationwide First-
Amendment debate when he was
expelled for posting a sexually
violent story about one of his
classmates on the Internet.
One year later, the University
was bombarded with reporters
nationwide when former mathe-
matics graduate student Ted
Kaczynski was accused and later
convicted of being the
Unabomber. Not since Madonna
has a University alumnus
received so much media atten-
tion.
The Class of 1999 has wit-
nessed and experienced many
tragedies. Students banded
together as the campus came face
to face with death, overdoses,
murders, suicides and accidents.
In September 1997, LSA
senior Tamara Williams was
stabbed to death by her on-and-
off boyfriend, who was shot by a
Department of Public Safety offi-
cer in an effort to prevent the
stabbing. This forced many stu-
dents to confront the issue of
domestic violence and realize
that it could happen to anyone.
This was made clearer last month
when LSA senior Natasha
Qureshi fatally shot her
boyfriend, University alumnus
Chris Groesbeck and subsequent-
ly killed herself. These incidents
proved that nobody is safe from
violence, as it could occur any-
where.
But the Class of 1999 has also
seen its share of triumphs -
most notably in the field of inter-
collegiate athletics. Most notably,
thousands of University students
flocked to Pasadena on Jan. 1,
1998 to witness the Wolverines
win the Rose Bowl and share the
1997 college football national
championship.
Fans at Yost Ice Arena saw their
share of national championships
as well, as the Wolverines won
the NCAA I tournament in 1996
and 1998.
The University's academics
also have evolved - keeping it
among the top universities in the
world. With the recent creation of
two new schools - the Schools
of Public Policy and Information
- the University realized the
demand for new curricula.
Throughout hardships and
victories, the thousands of
graduates have gained experi-
ence only the University could
provide. Their years in Ann
Arbor can be described as fun,
sad, adventurous, tearful, intel-
lectual - the list is endless.
But every graduate hopefully
will leave Ann Arbor with a
tremendous knowledge of life
and the love of learning.
,AILY: A' TAFF DITORIAL
ning experience
saw eventful years in Ann Arbor
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