Matriculation: an affirmation

Okay, I get it! Right now, to you, participating in an annual matriculation ceremony in the midst of your hectic days of setting up your room, finding class locations, and just hanging might appear insignificant to your individual well-being and fulfillment. But now, Matriculation – like community – is a crucial, inconvenient, and worthwhile activity. The act of participating in common campus life beyond the necessary personal errands is the way that we renew communities, create connections with each other, and display our sense of self-respect.

So is it mandatory to learn of and affirm our collective values and to celebrate new members of our community (and maybe meet a person or two, for real)? I say, “Yes!” I almost missed my college’s version of a matriculation ceremony during the first days of my first year. (It was too early and too far from my dorm for me to be engaged in a morning of boredom with hundreds of others.) Glad that a random sophomore saw me lollygagging and called me out. She made me run to get into the procession line. I heard world-class inspiration and was proud to be starting on an experience – with so many others from around the world – that would be the liberation of my mind and my spirit. I enjoyed my first mandatory experience. It made it difficult for me to lose my way as I began a personal journey in a brand-spankin’-new university community. It was the one and only chance I – we – had for that particular moment.
We have so many convenient ways to contact each other. But does the contact mean connection? As we amble, schmy, and gam around the campus and the City how are you going to define meaningful relationships and community?

Sunday’s Matriculation is a contraption – the apparatus of our common ground. Look forward to seeing you tomorrow.