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GRADUATION
Tuesday, April 21,2009
AS CLASSES FINALLY COME
TO A CLOSE, FINAL EXAMS
are the only thing standing between
you outgoing seniors and the daunt-
ing challenges of the real world.
Sooner than you may want to accept,
you will be the movers and shakers
of society - the businessmen, sci-
entists, athletes, lawyers, writers,
artists, engineers and all the other
professionals who give us in the
newspaper business things to write
about. When you accept that diplo-
ma, you're not just adding another
ornate certificate to your collection.
You're taking your place in a world in
need of talented minds and different
perspectives.
This section exists to help you look
back at your time here, rediscover
the events that shaped your experi-
ence at the University and learn from
that experience as you go out and
impact the world around you. The
things you've learned here - both
in and out of the classroom - will be
invaluable resources in the journey
ahead.
You've all learned to pull all-
nighters, to dress for the chilliest of
days and to distinguish what work
you need to do for from what you're
merely encouraged to do. But beyond
these day-to-day chores, there were
times that took you beyond the rou-
tine, forcing you to examine both
your own choices and the choices of
those around you. These moments
came in many flavors, from exhila-
rating to exhausting to downright
excruciating. Or as we like to say...
(1) ANNA BAKEMAN/Daily (2) SAID ALSALAH/Daily (3)
RODRIGO GAYA/Daily (4) JED MOCH/Daily
(5) ROB MIGRIN/Daily (6) ANNA BAKEMAN/Daily
(7) CLIF REEDER/Daily (8) CLIF REEDER/Daily
THE GOOD
Sometimes you just can't help but smile.
Whether it's the A you can't believe you got, the professor
who truly inspired you or the assignment that took all night
to finish but ended up being the most fun you've ever had,
academia probably put a grin on your face once or twice.
Politics finally gave us something to celebrate. The cam-
paign for and election of Barack Obama as the next presi-
dent of the United States ushered in a new era of political
activism for our generation. Along with this victory came
the passage of Proposals 1 and 2, legalizing medical mari-
juana and paving the way for new stem cell research respec-
tively.
And of course there's basketball. Head Coach John Beilein
took Michigan to the NCAA tournament for the first time in
over a decade and brought some much-needed optimism to
Michigan athletics. ' ,
Even the campus itself thrived. The new Ross School of
Business opened for, well, business. And the newly-renovat-
ed University of Michigan Museum of Art finally opened to
the art-starved masses.
But most importantly, you've made some real friends here.
They got you through the hard times and made the good
times even better. Years from now, you can all go grab a beer
and fondly remember your time spent at the University.
THE BAD
Wouldn't college be so much better if it weren't for all
those pesky classes? While there are certainly classes that
captivate students, there are undoubtedly many more that
leave students sleeping, drooling or mindlessly doing Sudoku
at their desks. And if one of those tedious classes required
the operation and maintenance of a Quizdom remote, then
you've truly been through hell and back.
What makes the bad classes worse, though, is how much
you paid to take them. Tuition went up 34.6 percent over your
four years here. Then the economy came along and brought
even greater burdens upon many of you. And because of the
economy, you'll have a more difficult time getting a full-time
job to pay your massive loans.
The economy also took away some of our most beloved
businesses. For you loyal customers of Red Hot Lovers and
those of you who bought last-minute gifts for your family at
Steve and Barry's your freshman year, the closing of these
staple stores is a thing to be mourned.
But possibly the most glaring blemish on the last four years
was the banning of affirmative action. Glaringly misnamed
the Michigan Civil Rights Act, the passage of Proposal 2 in
2006 undermined everything that decades of civil rights
laws sought to accomplish, and it damaged the Uninversity's
ability to promote a diverse and accepting campus.
THE UGLi
Disgusting things aren't always so bad, right? Well, at
least they build character.
In your time here, you've probably seen your fair share of
vomit, whether it was out on the street, on a frat-house floor
or in the bathroom of your dorm.
And chances are at least one of those instances was caused
by the dorm food. While it could have definitely been worse,
it could have been much better. If it tasted like it was a week
old, looked like it was a week old and smelled like it was a
week old, then you still had no choice but to eat it.
The downturn of Michigan football certainly inspired its fair
share of disgust. Some call it a "transition year" and others "the
death of an era," but almost everyone calls ita disaster.
But the Michigan football team wasn't the only meltdown
in Michigan Stadium during your time here. The Universi-
ty's failure to provide wheelchair-accessible seating in the
stadium was downright embarrassing. And its moving of
commencement to a new location due to stadium renovations
was equally botched (though graduation on the Diag turned
out to be kind of cool).
But without a doubt, the ugliest, most vile and repulsive
thing to ooze its way into your college experience was the
fagade of the Shapiro Undergraduate Library. Come on - it's
in the name.