Vol.24, No. 02	Sept. 11, 1998

On College Walk, a New Year Begins with Move-in Day and Convocations

By Hannah Fairfield

Mike Gerstein, CC'02, was determined to get to Columbia early on the morning of his first day of orientation. "Moving into John Jay was so quick," he said. "And everyone was so friendly. I was done in time to get breakfast at Tom's Restaurant!"

Mike's mother, Judy Gerstein of Morristown, NJ, with hundreds of other parents who left their children and a car load of clothes, books and CDs on Sept. 1, grew teary as the moment for saying good-bye finally arrived.

To prolong that moment, and to seek reassurance that they were leaving their children in a safe and supportive new home, many parents accompanied the students to the ceremonies officially opening the new academic year.

At the convocation for the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, President George Rupp welcomed students into Columbia's family. "We here are eager to join with all of you as you embark on this exciting adventure," he said. "You will journey to a vantage point that will allow you to see more broadly, understand more empathetically and criticize more incisively."

Zvi Galil, dean of the engineering school, also addressed the crowd packed into the Low Library Rotunda. "This year we have a new structure designed to foster class unity and provide the best advising and planning services," he said, mentioning a new undergraduate advising system based on class year rather than residence hall. "Students at Columbia are educated for life, not just for work."

Later in the afternoon in Levien Gymnasium, Columbia College welcomed its 957-member Class of 2002. Jeremy Sheff, CC'99, one of the two coordinators of the New Students Orientation Program, encouraged the new students to feel proud of the accomplishments that had paved their road to Columbia. That pride, he said, binds students together.

Kathryn Wittner, a Columbia College first-year dean, announced, "The class of 2002 is the largest and most talented in the history of Columbia." Throughout the crowd, proud parents and students smiled. "The market may be down," she continued, "but Columbia's stock is up - way up."

On the other side of Broadway, 545 new students enjoyed their convocation in Barnard Hall. Barnard President Judith R. Shapiro greeted the students and advised them that although they were facing a complicated journey, they did not need to make all the decisions at once. She told them about her own path to the presidency of Barnard - from working as a folk singer to pursuing ethnographic field research in the Brazilian tropical forest, and then becoming a professor of anthropology.

"While you may not always know exactly where you'll end up," she said, "you can feel confident that, as Barnard women, you will become particularly well-equipped to ask the right questions and make strong and sound decisions."

As the convocations drew to a close, students faced the reality of saying good-bye to their parents and joining the family of other Columbia students who make the campus their home.

"This morning, it was hard to imagine that I was going to live here," said Andra Behrouz, CC'02, as she walked toward John Jay Hall with her mother, Nancy. "But now my room feels like home."