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The Daily Tar Heel

Graduation Blues

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Member of the senior class give appreciation to their mothers on Mother’s Day.

The class of 2012 took almost 30 minutes to fill, and then overfill, the Kenan Stadium student section. With them they carried items ranging from a bright pink umbrella to a small planted tree.

Chancellor Holden Thorp presided over the ceremony and started by addressing the seniors.

“This is your day, and all of us join you in a celebration of your academic achievement,” Thorp said.

There were an estimated 32,000 in attendance, which Thorp compared to the small ceremony for UNC’s first seven graduates in 1798.

Speaker Michael Bloomberg began his commencement address with several Tar Heel cheers, and said innovation will make graduating seniors successful.

“Light and liberty; that is the motto of your university,” Bloomberg said. “And that, I believe, will be the defining spirit of the 21st century.”

Bloomberg said last week’s passage of Amendment One in North Carolina — an amendment to the state constitution identifying marriage between a man and a woman as the only form of recognized union in the state — is an example of a restriction of liberty.

The New York City mayor then concentrated on the value of a UNC degree.

“Only a lack of education can hold you back in America and today you’ve cleared the bar, and you’ve done it at one of the country’s finest institutions,” Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg said the economy is just one of many difficulties graduates must overcome.

“Failure is the world’s best teacher,” Bloomberg said. “Education is a lifelong journey.”

Class of 2012 Vice President Mohammad Saad said seniors’ reception of Bloomberg’s speech has been mixed.

“I think everyone was pleased that he had done his research on campus life, but some people thought his speech was too general and vague,” Saad said.

Senior and New York native Joshua Ford said he expected a general speech from Bloomberg.

“Giving advice to thousands of people is difficult, even if he were from North Carolina or Chapel Hill,” Ford said.

He said seniors were receptive to Bloomberg’s opposition to Amendment One.

“No one really expected him to mention Amendment One, but it showed just how far-reaching its passage has been,” Ford said.

Wade Hargrove, chairman of the Board of Trustees, asked UNC seniors to donate so the University can continue to be one of the nation’s leaders in public higher education.

“All of us in Chapel Hill arrived on the backs of others,” Hargrove said. “We hope you will come back, and come back often.”

Hannah Gage, chairwoman of the UNC-system Board of Governors, presented chemistry professor Linda Spremulli with the board’s teaching excellence award.

UNC-system President Thomas Ross said he is confident the class of 2012 will improve and give back to their community while pursuing personal success.

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During the ceremony, Bloomberg received an honorary doctor of laws degree from UNC, and renowned saxophonist Branford Marsalis received a doctor of music degree.

Saad was the final speaker, and said seniors should be grateful for their time at UNC.

“The University has given us so much that we should give back in whatever capacity we can,” Saad said.

The ceremony ended with the Clef Hangers, joined by Thorp, singing “Carolina In My Mind.”

Contact the University Editor at university@dailytarheel.com.

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