The Class of 2009 packed into Duke Chapel Thursday morning for the undergraduate convocation ceremony, in which administrators encouraged students to reach their full potentials.
Prior to introducing President Richard Brodhead, Director of Undergraduate Admissions Christoph Guttentag reassured students that “no mistakes were made” in accepting any of this year’s class of 1,728 students.
Guttentag discussed the importance of each of the diverse accomplishments of this year’s freshmen class—which includes the 2004 junior chess champion, a published author and an accomplished drag racer.
“Each of you possess some unique talent that caught the eyes of someone on my staff and made that person support your admission,” he said.
After Guttentag presented the Class of 2009, Brodhead addressed students’ parents as they watched from Page Auditorium and Reynolds Theater through a simulcast feed.
He noted a major component of their role as parents was complete and encouraged parents to let their child become self-sufficient.
“Only by stepping away can you create the space in which your son or daughter’s independent self can emerge.” Brodhead said. “Today marks that day for separation and independence—an occasion for pride, but also grief.”
During his address to students, Brodhead spent several minutes summarizing the accomplishments of world-renowned humanitarian Paul Farmer, Trinity ’82.
“When Farmer sat where you’re sitting, he was mostly just some bright kid from somewhere—in his case a trailer park in South Florida.”
Brodhead stressed that Farmer created his own undergraduate experience by penetrating diverse interests such as theater, anthropology and fraternity life at Duke before going on to change the landscape of healthcare. “[Farmer] was open to anything and up for everything,” Brodhead said.
He urged each member of the Class of 2009 to foster a community of “openness and continual engagement.”
“Examples of how Farmer stepped out of the box really inspired me to do the same,” freshman Kassity Liu said about Brodhead’s speech. “It feels like all the mistakes you can make [while doing something new] don’t matter.”
After Brodhead’s convocation address, Chair of the Duke University Honor Council and Chronicle columnist Jimmy Soni spoke about Duke’s long-standing tradition of honor. He encouraged each freshman to stand by their commitment to the Duke Community Standard, which freshmen signed after convocation.
“On paper the ideals are simple,” Soni said. “But we are young, dynamic, in flux...it can often seem impossible to hold onto something firm and unmoving—to a tradition.”
Several students said they felt reassured by Guttentag’s reaffirmation of their value, and that the speakers reached out to them on a personal level.
“Brodhead told us a story related to our lives,” freshman Itohan Aghayere said. “Be bold, try new things—these are important messages at a time when I’m adjusting to new things and likely to seek out comfort.”
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