VCU Convocation Welcomes Class of 2016

Charles Couch

Staff Writer

Virginia Commonwealth University officials welcomed more than 3,000 freshmen to the university on Tuesday during the New Student Convocation at the Siegel Center.

“This is really one of the most transformative times that you’ll ever experience in your life,” University President Michael Rao said to the new students. “And just think, from this point, you really can become anything that you imagine.”

Several speakers joined Rao in his welcome, including several of the institution’s provosts and Kristen Iversen, the author of “Full Body Burden,” the book chosen for this year’s University College Summer Reading Program.

According to Rao, the class of 2016 had the highest GPAs and SAT scores of any incoming class in VCU history. This makes them perfect candidates for the university, which has recently become a national research university, Rao said.

“It means that you will have a tremendous responsibility because you will become one of society’s important leaders,” he said.

After Rao finished, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Beverly Warren took the podium. Warren said she encouraged the new students to aim to graduate in four years, even though it has become more common for students to take five or six years. Doing so is what one of VCU’s new mottos, “Make it Real,” is all about, Warren said.

“‘Make it real’ means you need to make your education become real, to really grasp it, to give meaning for you-self,” she continued.

The provost also gave some advice that she said would help students achieve their bachelor’s degree in four years, which included taking advantage of university resources, treating college as a full-time job and connecting with faculty and student organizations.

Jae Lee, president of the Student Government Association, eventually took the stage. On Friday, new students will get the chance to learn about the different ways they can get involved in student life at the Student Organization and Volunteer Opportunities Fair, Lee said. These organizations let students interact with their university on almost every level, Lee added.

“What you guys do will set the precedent for the future generations of students coming in,” Lee told the freshmen class. “Your actions will shape the direction of VCU.”

Toward the end of the convocation, Iversen gave her keynote speech. The book chosen for the reading program chronicled Iversen’s discovery of plutonium pits used in nuclear weapons in her hometown and her changing attitude toward environmental justice, the author said.

In addition to her novel, Iversen also shared with students the fears she experienced as a college freshman. Iversen said she had no idea which career path to choose even though she always wanted to be a writer. Then, she took a creative writing class and was handed back an assignment with the words “You are a writer,” scribbled on the top, Iversen said.

“Those four words changed my life,” Iversen said. “So one of the things I want to tell you today is that a teacher can indeed change your life.”

After the convocation ended, thousands of members of the class of 2016 joined the marching band for a spirit march down West Broad Street to Monroe Park for a relay and picnic. CT