Freshmen Welcomed to Campus at Formal Kickoff to College Experience
Ioana Patringenaru | September 22, 2008
A few summers ago, Steven Schick, a professor in UC San Diego’s music department, walked from the border between the United States and Mexico to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. On the road, Schick, a well-known percussionist who sometimes teaches sound appreciation classes, listened to the sounds of California, from children playing at an elementary school to guns firing on a military base.
Sunday, Schick recalled his uncommon walking odyssey during UC San Diego’s third annual convocation for an audience of incoming freshmen about to embark on their own journey of sorts—their college experience. His 700-mile trip illustrates qualities that Schick said will help students succeed in life: curiosity, awareness and the willingness to do things that don’t always make sense.
Chancellor Marye Anne Fox greets incoming freshmen after Sunday's convocation.
Schick spoke after Chancellor Marye Anne Fox welcomed incoming freshmen to UC San Diego. Fox pointed out that when she was a freshman, professors told students to look to their neighbors in class and realize that a good portion of them were not going to graduate. She then reassured students that things are different today.
“Every one of you is going to succeed,” she said.
She added it will be up to students to seek opportunities that will make for a meaningful experience here on campus. “You’re going to make friends and memories that will last forever,” she said. “The future is going to be more spectacular than any of you might imagine.” On a lighter note, she said she hoped students already had found the ocean. “You’re going to have a wonderful, wonderful time,” she said.
Fox promised to see the students again in four years to give them their diplomas. During the hour-long convocation, she along with Schick, Associated Students President Donna Bean, alumni Chris Yanov and other top administrators sought to reassure students about life in college, while also doling out advice about how to succeed on campus and beyond.
Freshmen at Revelle College show their spirit.
“Today, you’ll become part of something bigger than yourself,” said Senior Vice Chancellor Paul Drake, who acted as the master of ceremonies Sunday.
Incoming freshmen’s average grade-point average is 4.06, Drake said, adding “So, you’re better than perfect.” This year’s crop of students indeed already has the talent necessary to succeed, said Schick, the music professor. Two other keys to success, hard work and perseverance, also are well within their reach, he said. But curiosity and awareness also are important, he added. The latter two sent him on his journey throughout California, which he called “his ‘Forrest Gump’ moment,” referring to the movie of the same title, starring Tom Hanks.
Schick particularly recalled a moment when he stood near the border between San Diego and Orange counties, with an elementary school on one side of the road and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton on the other. The sounds of students celebrating their sixth-grade graduation overlapped with the noise of tanks and machine gun fire, he recalled. The clashing sounds of innocence and violence truly are a good image of the world today, he added.
Incoming freshmen do the wave while waiting for the event to start.
Schick left students with one last piece of advice: “Every day, do something that doesn’t compute,” he said. Take time to listen to someone much older than you; do something kind and keep it secret; be joyful even though you’ve considered all the facts, he elaborated.
“Make us proud, and more than that, make us uncomfortable,” he told the freshmen.
Schick was followed by UCSD alumnus Yanov, who in 2001 started Reality Changers, a program designed to help inner-city youth go to college by providing scholarships, tutoring and a flurry of activities. The goal is to keep teens so busy that they won’t have the time to get into trouble, or even think about getting into trouble, Yanov said.
“Your life’s map is a blank slate,” Yanov told the freshmen. He also told them to study hard their first year on campus. “If you think it’s easy, you’re not studying hard enough,” he said. He advised them to volunteer starting in their second year. “Get involved, get connected and make it yours,” he said.
After convocation, students dined on Thai food and wraps.
Chief Diversity Officer Sandra Daley advised students to greet, work with and talk to people of different backgrounds and ethnicities. “It will take all of our minds, all of our energies to address all the challenges we face on this planet,” she said.
This year’s convocation kicked off Welcome Week, when 4,300 incoming freshmen and 1,800 new transfer students take part in more than 200 activities. Sunday, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Penny Rue encouraged students to attend many events this week and consider their time at UCSD as a treasure hunt.
“Now’s your chance to change your life and maybe the world,” Senior Vice Chancellor Drake added.
This year’s convocation was followed for the first time by a dinner on RIMAC Field. Over Thai chicken and tofu salad and beef and veggies wraps, many students, including Mariza Lockhart, an incoming freshman from Santa Monica, said they had enjoyed the event, and especially Schick’s speech.
“It eased my nervousness about college,” Lockhart said. “I really liked it.”
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