Approximately 4,000 students in the Class of 2029 and 700 incoming transfer students were welcomed to the University Sunday evening with the annual opening convocation and Honor induction held in the John Paul Jones Arena. This convocation came two months after former President Jim Ryan’s resignation and was Interim President Paul G. Mahoney’s first formal public appearance since his appointment Aug. 4.
Student and faculty leaders spoke of anticipating challenging conversations, growth in and out of the classroom and an expansive curiosity about society and the world during students’ time at the University.
Upon entrance, the students were handed an informative pamphlet about their First Amendment right to free speech. The pamphlet was published by Freedom Forum, a non-partisan initiative to spread information about First Amendment rights, and was a new addition from previous years. It clarified students’ rights with regard to when, where and how to protest lawfully, freedom of expression and the implications of the First Amendment for students.
The pamphlet additionally clarified that the First Amendment protects hate speech, meaning that the University is not put in the position to judge if speech is objectively hateful. However, the amendment does not protect illegal behaviors including vandalism, assault, threats and harassment.
Faculty speakers included Mahoney, who compelled students to strive to be citizen leaders. He conveyed his expectation for University students to work to interact productively with people with different values and establish trust in the community around them.
“[The University] prepares students to contribute to the well-being of their fellow citizens as leaders, … [and] a more educated society is a more dynamic society, better prepared to face large scale challenges and seize emerging opportunities,” Mahoney said.
Mahoney implored students to view college not just as a means, but a winding and explorative experience. To do so, he encouraged pursuing students’ individual curiosities and avoiding waiting until graduation to assume leadership roles.
“We do not just hope that you will lead, we expect you to,” Mahoney said. “Get outside your comfort zone, get to know people with whom you think you have little in common, try things … [and] find your passion.”
Other faculty speakers included Kenyon Bonner, vice president and chief student affairs officer, and Brie Gertler, interim executive vice president and provost.
Bonner asked the crowd of students to raise their hand if they felt anxious about fitting in at the University and were wary that this was the place for them. The majority of hands in the audience rose, and Bonner encouraged students to look around, observing that their peers felt similarly unsure and that they were not alone in their initial discomfort upon arriving at the University.
“There is this voice in your head suggesting that you're an imposter, questioning your decision to attend U.Va. and casting doubt on your belongingness,” Bonner said. “You belong here, you matter, and we admitted each of you because we believe you have the talent, the work ethic, the ability, the creativity, the capacity and potential to be successful here and contribute to our community in ways that will leave this place better than you found it.”
Student leaders spoke to the crowd on making the most of their time at the University, reflecting on their experiences and sharing the tradition and power of student self-governance.
Clay Dickerson, Student Council president and fourth-year College student, shared his experience entering the University as a first-generation, low-income student and how he utilized the student self-governance system to make his own voice and perspective heard.
“[Student self-governance] gives you the ability to take your personal stride, your unique experiences, your struggles, and turn them into service — not only for yourself, but for those around you,” Dickerson said. “I learned that my past problems [as an FGLI student] … had solutions already in place, resulting from students on governance.”
He affirmed that students have the ability to change the University, and he encouraged them to act upon this power.
Allison McVey, University Judiciary Committee chair and fourth-year College student told new students that the University attracts bright individuals. She encouraged them to embrace the trial-and-error process that comes with adjusting to University life and understand that making mistakes is normal.
“I encourage you to master the noble pursuit of losing your way,” McVey said.
McVey explained to the students that the University Judiciary Committee is a system in which students — masters of making mistakes, as she called them — hold trials and adjudicate fellow students who have violated one of the 12 Standards of Conduct. The system is unlike any other university, according to McVey, and allows students working with the UJC to truly empathize and understand the accused student's viewpoint.
Aside from the convocation portion of the event, Thomas Ackleson, Honor Committee chair and fourth-year Engineering student, led the students in the Honor induction portion of the event. He explained the role of the Committee — to protect the University’s’ community of trust by dealing with cases involving lying, stealing and cheating — and informed the students of the multi-sanction system the Committee recently adopted, allowing students grace and better fitting the disciplinary needs of the school.
Following the assembly, students signed the Honor Code, vowing to maintain the principles of honesty and integrity during their time at the University.
The event concluded with the University Singers leading the students in “Virginia Hail All Hail” and “The Good Old Song.” Immediately following the convocation, students were invited to a new student ice cream social.
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