President Hunter Rawlings addresses a new student convocation crowd in Barton Hall Aug. 24. Robert Barker/University Photography
Letting go and not getting lost. These were two of the themes of last weekend's President's Convocation for New Students and Families.
On Saturday morning, 6,500 people poured into Barton Hall from the surrounding sun-splashed sidewalks for a formal introduction to Hunter Rawlings, appropriately introduced by Orientation Steering Committee Co-chair Valerie Novellano '97 as "Cornell's 10th and tallest president."
A relative newcomer to campus himself he began his term a little more than a year ago Rawlings assured the new students that they could find a niche, even at such a large university. For parents, he borrowed from the late columnist Erma Bombeck to acknowledge the pain that must inevitably accompany their pride upon parting with college-bound sons and daughters.
"You spend a lifetime trying to get them off the ground," Rawlings said. "You run with them until you're both breathless. They crash; they hit the rooftop. You patch and comfort, adjust and teach. You watch them lifted by the wind and assure them that someday they'll fly.
"Finally they are airborne. They need more string, and you keep letting it out. But with each twist of the ball of twine, there is a sadness that goes with joy. The kite becomes more distant, and you know it won't be long before that beautiful creature will snap the lifeline that binds you two together and will soar, as it is meant to soar, free and alone. Only then do you know that you did your job."
Rawlings urged the newly independent students to get involved in both the Ithaca and Cornell communities, even in helping to address contentious issues facing the university.
"Last spring, the board of trustees approved the general outlines of a new residential housing policy whose aim is to assure that freshmen have the widest possible exposure to the full range of intellectual, cultural and social opportunities available at Cornell," Rawlings said. "Our aim this year is to involve the entire campus in planning and implementing changes in our residential housing policy that will link the academic and nonacademic lives of students into a cohesive whole.
"I invite you to be a part of those discussions. Even as new students, you can have a major impact on one of the most important questions facing Cornell."
Rawlings compared the Cornell experience to the Centennial Olympic Games, from which he and his wife, Elizabeth Trapnell Rawlings, had returned a few weeks earlier.
"Even the tragic bomb explosion that occurred on our last day in Atlanta could not lessen what those athletes achieved or diminish the games as a symbol of international understanding and peace," he said.
"And in many respects, those games are a metaphor for what you can expect at Cornell. Just like Atlanta, Ithaca is for many of you a long way from home. Your classmates and faculty members come from every state in the nation and from more than 100 other countries. And they may have ideas and ways of looking at the world that are very different from your own.
"You'll also face a higher level of competition here . . . [but] I know you can set new records for intellectual engagement and personal fulfillment during your time at Cornell."
After Rawlings' talk, as they finished off 190 gallons of lemonade served by Cornell Catering, several new students and their parents said they had already begun experiencing the bittersweet emotions and daunting obstacles Rawlings had just described.
Colleen Marocco '00 was invigorated by a recent four-day backpacking trip as part of Wilderness Reflections, a freshman orientation program run by Cornell's Outdoor Education Program. "It got me off to a good start for college," she said, "because now I know I can take on hard challenges and be successful."
Marocco is one of the first three Cornell students to be advisees of Rawlings, a professor of classics who offered to mentor some incoming students expressing interest in his field. "He seems down-to-earth and excited about Cornell," she said, "and I'm excited about having him as my adviser."
Colleen's father, Ray Marocco '72, said, "I'm feeling these tremendously opposing feelings for Colleen the happiness and excitement in her coming to Cornell, but also the sadness in saying goodbye."
While most attendees prepared for tearful goodbyes, some anticipated joyful family reunions. Andres Lopez, an incoming doctoral student of civil engineering from Chile, said he looked forward to being joined by his wife and 2-month-old child in a few weeks.
Until then, "I'm trying to participate in all of these orientation activities," he said, "because I want to introduce myself to the university. And because I'm trying to practice my English."
Other articles related to freshman orientation:
Freshmen are oriented toward public service
Ken Blanchard offers students tips for success
Welcome to Cornell photo package