Joining the Dalhousie family

The Rebecca Cohn Auditorium was packed for Wednesday's Induction Ceremony. (Danny Abriel Photo)

Hundreds of chairs creaked and the Rebecca Cohn auditorium rumbled as everyone stood and intoned in unison, “I do.”

No, it wasn’t a mass wedding, but rather a welcome. Dalhousie president Tom Traves greeted first-year students to the “Dalhousie family” at the induction ceremony Wednesday morning.

The ceremony included the Dalhousie University pledge, the Dalhousie cheer, and a series of speeches including one by keynote speaker Sunny Marche.

A professor with Dalhousie’s School of Business Administration, Dr. Marche riffed on the Dalhousie motto “Inspiring Minds” for his speech.

He spoke of the difference between skills and knowledge, as well as distractions, dating and balance. “Your university years are when you are most open to change,” he told students.

Dr. Marche went on to say that excellence does not depend on talent, but on effort. “Never confuse enthusiasm with commitment... enthusiasm is easy, commitment is not.”

He encouraged students to transform themselves in several ways, other than just intellectually. “You will need to know how to pray if you are taking calculus,” he quipped.

The ceremony began with a bagpiper leading a procession of students and faculty members dressed in robes of different colours.

Students in the progress of completing their first degree wear a plain black gown. Once a bachelor’s degree is earned, the hood is lined with a colour that reflects the degree achieved.

The PhD students wear gowns with fuller sleeves and a band of velvet on the front.
The academic procession demonstrated robes of many colours and statures, providing a spectacular array for new students.

Full of pomp and ceremony, the morning event was imbued with history and tradition. The university mace was carried at the head of the procession. The mace is carved from oak that comes from the estate of the ninth Earl of Dalhousie, who founded the university 190 years ago.

First-year student Beth Crotau found Dr. Marche’s speech to be the most enjoyable and useful aspect of the entire ceremony. After her first few days at Dalhousie, the 18-year-old student said she was feeling “mostly terror, but an undercurrent of excitement.”

Let the terror subside and the excitement begin. Welcome to Dal and good luck class of 2012!

Michelle Hampson is back for a second year at Dalhousie University.