A new year begins

In his first convocation speech at Dartmouth, President Freedman impressed upon his audience the need to shape a life that is "both satisfying and interesting." Freedman told the audience that such a life is most likely found by "those who appreciate the importance of nurturing and integrating two separate selves: a 'public self' that is committed to discharging the responsibilities of citizenship and a 'private self' that is dedicated to developing the capacities to reflect, to create and to understand."

Freedman explained that the late Yale School professor Alexander Bickel and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall both influenced him. Freedman studied under Bickel and later clerked for Marshall. Bickel, Freedman said, taught "the importance of process" and Marshall taught "the indispensability of legal craftsmanship and the moral obligation to put that craftsmanship in the service of a significant public cause."

Pulitzer-prizewinning author Robert Coles was awarded an honorary degree earlier in the ceremony. Coles spoke on America's moral traditions and related the topics to his experiences with the civil rights movement. His account of the faith and strength of a 6-year-old black girl who tried to attend an all-white school struck an emotional chord with the crowd of 3,000. They gave Coles a standing ovation.

Unlike last year's ceremony, there was no protest against the singing of "Men of Dartmouth." Students linked arms and swayed as they sang either the contemporary or the traditional lyrics to the alma mater. Jim Tonkovitch '68, associate director of development at the Thayer School, noted that a large number of upperclassmen attended and that students "enjoyed themselves, enjoyed the event and listened to the speeches."

Haunting music: Sherryl Smith-Babbitt, college organist, dresses in appropriate garb forher annual Halloween concert. Babbitt performed such scary and entertaining organ favorites as Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Wagner's "The Ride of the Valkyries,Liszt's Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H, and Boellmann's Toccata from Suite gothique,Op. 25.

"I hope you will find time for the cultivation of pursuits that add texture and mystery to your life whether it be reading philosophy, or maintaining dear friendships, or playing the piano, or keeping a journal. I hope, in short, that you will cultivate the means of discovering yourself." Excerpt from President Freedman's convocation speech.