Seniors salute successes, enjoy laughs on Class Day

by Jennifer Greenstein Altmann
Wit and wisdom were the order of the day Monday, May 31, as members of Princeton's class of 2004 gathered for a laughter-filled Class Day ceremony that celebrated their accomplishments and saluted the parents, faculty and staff members who helped them reach this milestone.

The soon-to-be graduates and the friends and family who joined them on Cannon Green also enjoyed the droll observations of keynote speaker Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show."

President Shirley M. Tilghman welcomed the class members to their pending status as alumni, giving a symbolic key to the campus to alumni class president Maureen Monagle. "The bonds that unite you are one of Princeton's most important legacies," Tilghman told the class.

Senior Yuvon Mobley, co-chair of Class Day, said the event was a time to reflect on "the activities, friendships and experiences that have shaped your college career and helped to make you who you are today. We'd like to thank the faculty and staff for providing us with an intellectual and cultural environment where we have flourished. But most of all, we would like to say thank you to our parents for the love and support that has guided us along the way."

Senior class president Eli Goldsmith recalled the elation he felt four years ago when he received his acceptance letter from Princeton. "Today is the day to remind ourselves what an absolute joy it has been to go to school here for the last four years," he said.

In several other addresses, students reminisced about their early days at Princeton, arriving "four years ago in a U-Haul," as senior Adam Peterson put it. Others explained their reluctance to graduate because "some of us still want to cling to the warm glowing warming glow of Princeton," said senior Jay Katsir.

Awards for community service, athletics and leadership were presented to the seniors. Members of the faculty who are retiring were recognized as well.

In a speech that was punctuated with uproarious laughter, Stewart thanked the students for naming him as an honorary member of their class and presenting him with a class jacket.

"I feel very privileged to be here at this institution and to receive an honorary doctorate — I'm sorry, to receive a novelty jacket," he said. "What a thrill. I assure you that from now on I will think of Princeton University whenever I go into my attic, find and open the box that I keep the things in that I never use. Rest assured that your jacket will have a place of honor next to the visor I got for doing 'Arsenio.'"

Stewart also talked about growing up in neighboring Lawrence Township, "in the shadow of this great institution," and he saluted his brother, Larry, a member of Princeton's class of 1982.

"I have mixed emotions today," Stewart said. "I finally feel like I've been accepted by this institution that loomed so large over me as a child, and yet in some ways the invitation makes me lose a little respect for this place. Frankly, I think you can do better."

As he reflected on this moment in the students' lives, Stewart told the class, "I'm excited by your entrance to the real world, and I'll tell you why: We need your help. There's something we need to tell you about the real world. I don't know how to put this so I'll be blunt — we broke it. Sorry. . . . Here's the good news. You fix this thing, you're the next greatest generation."

Princeton's graduation activities culminate June 1 with Commencement ceremonies at 11 a.m. on the lawn in front of Nassau Hall.