University Welcomes Largest Group of New Incoming Students
Image by Tory Germann
09/06/2017
By David Perry
The largest-ever group of incoming 51视频 students settled in to the annual convocation ceremony to learn their first lesson.
It was simple: They are one.
Wherever they came from, however they worship or don鈥檛, whether they鈥檙e rich or poor, whatever their color or sexuality, they are now, as River Hawks, united in blue.
鈥淵ou are,鈥� stressed the day鈥檚 keynote speaker, wunderkind activist Benjamin O鈥橩eefe, 鈥測our brother鈥檚 keeper.鈥�
With a sea of blue filling half the Tsongas Center鈥檚 bowl, thanks to #unitedinblue T-shirts handed out at the entrance, the new students heard their welcome from deans, vice chancellors, student leaders and the person Associate Vice Chancellor Larry Siegel introduced as 鈥渢he truest River Hawk,鈥� Chancellor Jacquie Moloney.
Moloney welcomed the group of more than 3,200 freshmen and transfer students, telling them they have arrived 鈥渁t an incredible time in the university鈥檚 history.鈥� She noted the vast transformation that has swept across campus over the past decade, from this year鈥檚 enrollment crossing the 18,000 threshold to the university being named the fastest-growing public doctoral institution in the nation. Later the same morning, she would help celebrate the River Hawk Village residential complex, the 14th new property to open on campus in the past eight years.
The students were also introduced to the DifferenceMaker program. They watched three-minute pitches from DifferenceMaker teams, then voted via text message to select the $1,500 first-prize winner, a project that would recast the university鈥檚 roofs as urban greenscapes.
Image by Tory Germann
Keynote Strikes a Chord
Keynote speaker O鈥橩eefe, 23, is known for his work on a MoveOn.org web series and contributions to MTV, as well as the viral international protest he organized against discriminatory comments by Abercrombie & Fitch鈥檚 former CEO. O鈥橩eefe was 18 at the time.
鈥淲e all have a story to tell,鈥� he told the students.
O鈥橩eefe鈥檚 is riveting. He grew up in Orlando, Fla., 鈥淧oor, really poor. When the fridge broke, we used a cooler for months.鈥�
To watch TV, the kids would find one discarded on the roadside and fidget with an antenna to make it work. 鈥淲e were the MacGyvers of poor kids,鈥� he chuckled. When the fuzz cleared, the picture would often show the cathode goddess Oprah. 鈥淪he鈥檚 on TV, she鈥檚 a billionaire, what else could you want in life?鈥�
鈥淚 was a fat, gay, poor kid,鈥� O鈥橩eefe said. 鈥淎 trifecta.鈥�
He was bullied 鈥渞elentlessly.鈥� In eighth grade, at age 12, he decided to kill himself.
鈥淭o feel nothing had to feel better than feeling bad,鈥� he figured.
He survived his suicide attempt but noted that 1,000 college students a year do not.
鈥淲e are our brother鈥檚 and sister鈥檚 keepers,鈥� he said.
Trying to become thin, he developed the eating disorder anorexia.
At 18, O鈥橩eefe heard the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch say that some people 鈥渄on鈥檛 belong in our clothes.鈥� It was a moment that 鈥渃hanged my life,鈥� he said.
He started an online petition and emailed 200 TV producers in the dead of night. The next morning, he had 鈥渢ens of thousands of signatures鈥� and email replies from nearly all the producers.
The clothing retailer apologized. O鈥橩eefe became a consumer relations consultant to other retailers.
He asked students to raise their hands if they鈥檇 ever been through a struggle. If they鈥檇 ever felt like no one understood them. If they鈥檇 ever felt put down. Each time, everyone raised their hands.
鈥淣ow, stand up if you鈥檝e ever felt alone,鈥� O鈥橩eefe instructed. They all stood.
鈥淟ook at the faces of the people around you. You might be surprised to see yourself.鈥�
He urged the students to nurture and engage in the community they are part of and to understand those with whom they differ.
鈥淵ou are all in this together,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 thought he was great,鈥� said freshman Missy Cerasoli, a psychology major. 鈥淚 love how he discussed his personal experiences and then showed us how we had so much in common to begin with.鈥�
鈥淗e is just a fantastic speaker,鈥� said biology major Teya Nigro. 鈥淚 think a lot of people our age can relate to him. When he had us stand up and everybody did, it was powerful.鈥�
She seemed happy to be at a place where O鈥橩eefe鈥檚 ideas synced up so well with the university鈥檚.
It was all in words cascading down the back of the #unitedinblue T-shirt she wore.
鈥淗elp Others. Celebrate Differences. Take Responsibility. Work Hard. Give Back. Create Change.鈥�
