Stirring speeches by College President James Wright and guest speaker Michael Arad '91, a renowned architect charged with the World Trade Center's redesign, marked the opening of Dartmouth's 235th year during Tuesday's convocation exercises.
Audience members crowded Leede Arena and warmly welcomed Wright's keynote address, which received the strongest audience response when he discussed the current election campaign.
Wright underscored the importance of free expression as a "bedrock principle" of the Dartmouth community and the United States at large.
At Dartmouth, "arguments, conclusions, assumptions are tested and tested again," Wright said.
Applause erupted after Wright rebuked people who seek media outlets that "reinforce what [they] already think rather than challenging those views."
After this interruption, attendees applauded Wright's speech twice more as he continued to discuss the 2004 election. By the third interruption, nearly everyone in attendance participated.
Wright criticized both the media and the candidates for focusing on trivial issues such as dividing America into "red and blue states" or emphasizing a candidate's personality instead of concentrating on "real issues."
He emphasized that discourse of this nature, "serve[s] to reduce the great issues of a great republic to a board game."
"Ideas need to be challenged," Wright said, and noted that the current election campaign concerned him due to the lack of debate.
"We deserve better ... we must insist on better," Wright said.
His address connected this national sentiment to the Dartmouth community by explaining how the school must be a place where genuine discourse occurs.
"These years are about challenges to certainty ... reach beyond your circle of comfort," he said, encouraging people to befriend those with divergent beliefs.
Wright highlighted the importance of youth in the political process to bring real issues to this campaign, "remember, this is your future they are discussing."
"Talk to one another," Wright said, encouraging healthy debate among students, "We [at Dartmouth] are sustained by vigorous discourse."
Another important aspect of Wright's address remembered the lasting influence of late President Emeritus David McLaughlin. Wright discussed McLaughlin's contributions and called for a moment of silence in the late president's honor. Wright furthered commemorated McLaughlin by announcing the approval to name the future residence halls on North College and Maynard Streets as the McLaughlin Residential Cluster.
After wrapping up his lively address, Wright received a notable standing ovation for his remarks.
Speaking earlier in the ceremony, Arad connected with students by speaking about passion and vision and his recent experiences while designing the memorial for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centers.
Arad discussed how Dartmouth could be a "catalyst for change" in an individual's life, noting that his own life had been altered and influenced strongly by the institution.
While Arad attended Dartmouth, he was forced to interrupt his career for three years and join the Israeli national military.
Upon returning to Dartmouth, he completed the requirements for a government major one year early and decided to explore classes in different departments. It was then that he found an interest in studio art and eventually architecture, he told the audience.
"[I] never would've been an architect without Dartmouth ... it wasn't just the classes, but the totality of the Dartmouth experience."
Arad noted that some of his most enjoyable classes were in departments he only took one course in, leading him to tell incoming students to remain impulsive.
"Be irresponsible. How's that for a convocation speech," he said.
Drawing on his experiences with the WTC memorial, he encouraged Dartmouth students to own strong opinions, while remaining open to other viewpoints.
Arad concluded his speech with a simple statement to ponder, "Study, reflect, act."
Student Body President Julia Hildreth '05 also addressed the Class of 2008, centering her speech on the power and capability students have to change the College. As a senior, Hildreth felt that leaving a lasting impression on Dartmouth is the best way to ease the pain of graduation.
