Class Day speakers and the Class of 2005 commencement participants were announced Wednesday over wine and a live band at the Canoe Club during '05 Night, an event hosted by the Senior Executive Committee. The 15 available positions were filled by the SEC based on nominations solicited from the Class of 2005.
History professor Craig Wilder will serve as the faculty speaker. The class orator will be Craig Peterson '05. Seniors Andrew Dah, Thomas Dickie, Erin Osborn and Archie Price will be the class historians. Seniors Sabrina Singh, Ralph Davies, Benjamin Grinnell, Julia Hildreth, Daniel Hui, Stella Lee and Nicole Valco will lead their class into commencement ceremonies as class marshals. Clayton Smith '05 and Merrick Johnston '05 will be flag bearers.
Class Day will be on June 11, the day before graduation. The entire graduating class, along with their families, guests, administrators, and some faculty will gather at the Bema where Wilder, Peterson and the class historians will all speak.
"The faculty speaker speaks to the class offering words of advice. The class orator gives a more serious reflection on the class, while the four class historians present a light-hearted sketch of our four years here at Dartmouth," SEC member Timothy Millikin '05 said.
Wilder specializes in urban history, focusing on race and religion.
"I think it's a wonderful honor particularly because [the Class of 2005 is] the first class at Dartmouth I really got to know," Wilder said.
He suspects that one reason he was chosen is because he shares the same "cultural space" as the Class of 2005. Wilder says that he enjoys watching "Pimp My Ride" and "The Real World."
Peterson was chosen to be class orator because of his speaking skills and name recognition.
"[The class orator] should be someone who can speak to the campus as a whole as opposed to just some specific section," Millikin said.
The SEC chooses marshals based on how they have represented different sections of the school during their time at the College.
"They are people who have shown great dedication to school in their respective communities, whatever that may be -- in athletics, fraternities, academics, in a minority group, in the DOC so that every student can look and identify someone who may represent them," Millikin said.