College President James Wright reflected on the lessons of Hurricane Katrina as he officially opened the College's 236th year Tuesday. Paralympic skiing gold medalist Sarah Billmeier '99 and Student Body President Noah Riner '06 joined Wright in speaking at the Convocation ceremony.
In a speech that at times resembled a sermon, Riner invoked Jesus as a model of good character, naming the Christian religious figure as a solution to human corruption.
Wright began his address by greeting students from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, stressing that their association with Dartmouth is permanent. In return for the gift of a Dartmouth education, Wright exhorted the Class of 2009 to take full advantage of opportunities here, to advance the work of the College and to contribute to the greater world.
"A natural disaster has provided you a pre-matriculation opportunity to understand the nature of your life assignment to contribute to the world in which you live," Wright said.
Wright spoke of his faith in the current generation to assume these responsibilities, citing record numbers of Dartmouth graduates joining community service efforts, including the Peace Corps and Teach for America.
Although Riner called the Class of 2009, who comprised the majority of the audience, the "smartest and most diverse group of freshmen that Dartmouth has ever seen," he chose instead to focus on their potential shortcomings.
"It takes more than a Dartmouth degree to build character," Riner said as he enumerated examples of "corrupt" Dartmouth alumni including condemned murderer Daniel Mason '93 and indicted rapist P.J. Halas '98.
Riner, the son of a Baptist minister, used his belief in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross as a prime example of character.
"He [Jesus] is the solution to flawed people like corrupt Dartmouth alums, looters and me," he said.
Riner included himself and the audience among the flawed, again asking those in attendance to look to Jesus for redemption.
"The problem is me. The solution is God's love: Jesus on the cross, for us." he said.
Some students expressed discomfort with Riner's high-profile display of religion.
"Honestly, as an agnostic person, the religious part made me slightly uncomfortable," Kimia Shahi '09 said.
Although he considered the ceremony to be timely, Zak Moore '09 said he thought Riner's religious references were over the top.
"It seemed like he went out of his way to condemn us when talking about the problem of looting in New Orleans, and I thought that was illogical," Moore said.
In an interview with The Dartmouth after his speech, Riner said he was pleased he created a dialogue about character issues on campus.
"I just think that we rarely talk about some of the most important issues at Dartmouth because they're sensitive," he said. "The core of my speech is about character. Whether people are discussing Jesus or discussing character in its base, I'll be happy."
Sarah Billmeier '99, a fourth-year student at Harvard Medical School, advised incoming freshmen to take advantages of the many opportunities college provides by meeting new people and finding new interests on "the Dartmouth journey."
Billmeier also reflected on how Dartmouth influenced her life. After losing most of her leg to bone cancer at age five, Billmeier went on to become an eight-time Paralympic gold medalist in alpine skiing.
Billmeier, who took six years to complete her undergraduate degree, said she cherished the flexibility of the College's schedule and a lifestyle that allowed her to experiment with varied courses and activities.
"Having been devoted to athletics most of my life, Dartmouth allowed me to see the world beyond," she said.
Provost Barry Scherr presided over the convocation ceremony, while the Glee Club led the audience in singing "America the Beautiful."
