More than 1,400 students from 40 states and 32 countries filed Under the Oaks this evening for New Student Convocation, an annual ceremony welcoming the incoming freshmen and transfer students to the beginning of their time at Elon.
Students and their families were met with words of greeting from Elon University administration including Jan Fuller, Chaplain and Director of Religious Life, Sam Warren, Executive President of SGA, Smith Jackson, vice president and dean of student life and President Leo Lambert.
The ceremony, moved from its original time tomorrow morning due to the threat of Hurricane Irene, began with an invocation from Fuller, who drew from the recent East Coast Earthquake and hurricane in her address.
"Let all thunder be an expression of your energy and a true reflection of joy," she said. "Let all shakings be the deep power of expanding minds."
In his address, Lambert expressed a sense of connection with the parents of the incoming students.
"Remembrances big and small come into sharp focus on a day like this," he said, expressing memories of reading to children at bedtime, cheerios ever-present on the kitchen floor and the constant love of a parent.
He went on to encourage students to set aside their anxiousness and fully embrace Elon, which will become an inherent part of their lives.
This year's human bar graph, an annual tradition under the direction of Lambert, stressed the privilege of having access to a four-year degree from a private institution. Using the freshmen class as a living example of the world's population, four of the 1,428 students represented citizens of the world with access to such an opportunity.
"By God's grace, your parent's hard work, your hard work, good luck or a combination of these, you are here," he said. "Your presence here today places you among the most gifted people on the planet."
Drawing on advice garnered from Class of 2011 alumni, he went on to encourage the incoming class to take advantage of all that the university has to offer outside of the typical classroom, including study abroad, undergraduate research, internships and service.
"You have arrived at a great banquet, don't make yourself a bologna sandwich," Lambert said, met with loud applause from the parents in attendance.
He concluded his address by explaining another Elon tradition – the presentation of an acorn to all members of the incoming class. The acorn will be replaced with an oak sapling at their commencement in 2015, a time at which Lambert said students will leave Elon with the assurance that their education has prepared them for life's journey.
"This acorn is a symbol of the promise of an Elon education," Lambert said. "You have everything within you to grow and become strong."
Ayesha Delpish, an associate professor of statistics, succeeded Lambert, emphasizing the importance of critical thinking, academic integrity and engaged learning.
"True learning is an active process that requires engagement," she said. "It's not immediate or easy. You and only you are in charge of your learning."
The faculty at Elon, Delpish said, are committed to the success of their students, and should serve as a source of guidance and inspiration.
"We will expect your best here, but we will give you everything you need to achieve it," she said.
Coral ribbons were distributed to incoming students and placed on faculty programs in remembrance of Lauren Astley, a member of the Class of 2015 allegedly murdered at the hands of an ex-boyfriend earlier this summer.