The Michigan Daily - FridayMay 9, 1986- Page 5
feel like I'm going to a fun football
game but this time in a hefty bag."
Jennifer Graham, a theater
major, wore a multi-colored wig of
streamers under her cap.
"I'm going to New York to
become an actress or starve in the
gutter. By the way, the hair is
natural," she said.
OTHER creative students ador-
ned their caps and gowns in an at-
tempt to distinguish themselves
from the other 6,100 members of
"the class of 1986.
Some students decorated their
caps with gold "M"s, hearts, an-
chors, peace signs, "hi Nora", "Hi
mom" and "I made it."
Sports enthusiast Justin Lowen-
berger abandoned the traditional
black mortar board for a blue
baseball cap emblazoned with a
big "M". Lowenberger said the
cap showed his true maize and
blue blood.
One art student built an over-
sized version of his cap, and
another painted a multi-colored
design on his.
UPON the granting of their
degrees, the business students
threw handfuls of paper money in
the air, and after University
president Harold Shapiro announ-
ced the graduation of library
science students, the audience
responded, "Shhhhhhhhhh!"
Bart Gorman, a history major,
said the best thing about the
University was meeting Kerry
Helmers, his girlfriend, who also
graduated Saturday.
Helmers was overwhelmed by
the feeling of comraderie.
"Coming through the tunnel was
the first time you felt (the whole
class) was doing the same thing,"
she said.
On a more serious note,
hundreds of students wore "Honor
Mandela" stickers on their caps
and gowns to protest the Univer-
sity's honorary degree policy.
THE POLICY prohibits the
awarding of honorary degree to
persons unable to accept them in
person. Nelson Mandela, a South
African activist, has been in jail
for twenty-four years. He was
honored at an alternate ceremony
earlier Saturday.
"I think it's ridiculous," said
Betty Folwer, "Nobody even knew
what the University's policy was."
Dan Boorstein, who also wore a
Mandela sticker, said "Divest-
ment should occur and this is my
last chance to protest."
CHANTS of "Honor Mandela"
and "Bullwinkle" were heard
throughout the ceremony.
Shapiro, who gave the opening
remarks, asked the audience not
to think of the class of 1986 collec-
. tively, but to consider it asa series
of individual efforts and
achievements. He asked the
graduates to be sensitive to the
abundance of opportunity before
them and "to the future of
humanity itself."
United Nations Secretary-
general Javier Perez de Cuellar,
who received an honorary degree
from University Regent Sarah
Power (D-Ann Arbor), was the
main speaker at the commen-
cement.
"Looking at this large assembly
of young people, I am reminded of
the determination expressed in the
U.N. charter 'to save succeeding
generations from the scourge of
war," Perez de Cuellar said, "You
are the first of the succeeding
generations the founders hoped to
save."
HE SAID he was inclined to
speak of the "golden promise" of
the world rather than its
problems, but that the problems
must be addressed. He went on the
discuss them.
Perez de Cuellar concluded by
encouraging the graduates to
"look with fresh, unprejudiced
eyes for the solutions to the great
problems of our time."
Victoria Bald, a political science
major, felt that Perez de Cuellar's
speech was pessimistic and inap-
propriate for a college graduation.
Although she agreed that peace is
indeed a fragile and important
topic she felt that his speech was
too media-oriented.
Honorary degrees were also
awarded to lexicographer
Frederick Cassidy and
mathematician Deane Mon-
tgomery.
After many years of schooling, a group of doctoral students patiently await their bi
Daily rhOTO by AIUI SMK
Elvira Osman, surrounded by friends, complies with security's
request and happily drinks in the parking lot.
Daily Photo by ANDI SCHREIBER
A well-"educated" individual watches the festivities from high above in the stands.