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Matriculation unites Class of 2005

By Jason Pallante (COM'02)

"Man, be afraid, be very afraid."

This was one of the warnings given by Adam Swensek (COM'01) during his alumni allocution speech to thousands of freshmen at the September 3 Matriculation Ceremony in the Armory.

	President Jon Westling addresses freshmen at the Armory during Matriculation. Photo by Vernon Doucette

Swensek, 2001's Commencement student speaker, wearing his ceremonial scarlet cap and gown, addressed the students in front of many BU dignitaries, including President Jon Westling and Provost and Dean of Arts and Sciences Dennis Berkey. Swensek pleaded with the freshmen to heed other warnings.

"As if your parents this weekend weren't scary enough," he began, "you're going to graduate four years from now with a truckload of debt into a rocky economy." He then cautioned incoming students to look both ways before crossing the T tracks, a reference to train-versus-student accidents that have occurred in the past.

But Swensek quickly left that topic and bragged to students that the MBTA map accurately portrays BU's size and importance. "You probably know that the T goes everywhere that's good in Boston. There's a stop for Boston Common; there's a stop [near] the North End. Ladies and gentlemen, Boston University has three. Harvard has one!"

The ceremony began at 10:30 a.m. when a number of BU faculty members hoisted the yellow flag representing the Class of 2005 and paraded down the building's center aisle. Shortly after, CAS Associate Biology Professor Fred Wasserman, winner of the 2001 Metcalf Cup and Prize for excellence in teaching, attempted to soothe the uneasiness of the audience by invoking great names like Charles Darwin and Jane Goodall, who both were instrumental in their respective fields at a young age. Darwin was only 22 when he served on the expedition of the HMS Beagle, and Goodall was a teenager when she became interested in primate behavior.

Despite Wasserman's words of encouragement, the theme of his speech dealt with battling uncertainty. "Uncertainty is not necessarily a bad thing," he said. "It can be a great source of motivation for personal and societal achievements."

Achievement made up a good part of Westling's address, as he spoke about the makeup of the newest addition to the Terrier Nation. He said that the 3,640 freshmen came from 48 states, 2 U.S. territories, and 64 foreign countries. The class, whom Westling referred to as the most accomplished in the school's history, has an average SAT score of 1290, 270 points above the national average. He encouraged the new crop of students to aim high and take advantage of the vast educational resources that the BU environment can provide.

"I urge you not to plow steadily along paths that you already know well," Westling said. "You have four years here at the very beginning of your adulthood to follow the auguries of the marvelous. Please take that chance."

Berkey spoke about the tradition surrounding the ancient matriculation ceremony, saying that the word matriculate is derived from the Latin word mater, meaning mother. The earliest universities, founded in Europe in the 13th and 14th centuries, held matriculation ceremonies to formally induct their students. Berkey also compared the relationship between a student and the university with that of a parent and child.

"Within the University's classrooms and laboratories, your abilities will be shaped and nurtured," he said. "Frequently, difficult demands will be made upon you. We are confident, however, that not only will you meet these challenges, but you will excel."

Each of the deans of Boston University's undergraduate colleges was then called to the podium to formally matriculate the students into BU. As each school was presented to Westling, that class roared in unity. As the last school was called, the entire crowd of freshmen was standing -- BU's Class of 2005 had completed matriculation.

7 September 2001
Boston University
Office of University Relations