Good morning, Class of 2018! 

Well, we have made it: exams are over, papers are graded, internship reports and honors theses have been submitted.   Spring semester is behind us, and what a semester it was.  Who on campus will soon forget the Waterman takeover of February 26?  Who in Burlington will forget the demonstrations that brought rush hour traffic to a halt on the evening of February 24?  UVM student activists gained a lot of media attention through these maneuvers.  Those in the community and around the state might well have gotten the impression that UVM students are a disruptive and unruly lot.

But while lights were flashing at Prospect and Main, while shouts were shaking the panes in Waterman, other student activists were at work.  These activists were advocating for an expanded system of peer advising on the UVM campus, in response to the demand for this valuable student-to-student service.  They were arguing for expanded student health services, including mental health services.  They were working to make the campus more sustainable, reducing waste in the dining halls and introducing composting in the residence halls.  They were working to make the Student Government Association carbon neutral. These student activists were raising thousands of dollars for the UVM Children’s Hospital, volunteering with the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, taking part in the COTS walk, spending spring break building houses with Habitat for Humanity.  These activists excelled in team sports, boasting landmark seasons in lacrosse and basketball.  Hundreds of these activists presented their work in science, humanities, and the creative arts at the 2018 Student Research Conference.  They participated in the shared governance of the University through their work on the Student Government Association and the Graduate Student Senate, they served on Faculty Senate Committees, and they served as student members on the Board of Trustees.  Some served in the armed forces.  These are the UVM student activists who perhaps didn’t get as much media attention as those who grabbed the limelight last February, but they have worked tirelessly in service to UVM, to the Burlington community, and to the wider world.  Look around you: we are surrounded by UVM student activists, and we are immensely proud of them. 

And what of that first group of activists, those calling themselves NoNames for Justice?  NoNames, though your tactics were sometimes disruptive and distressing and your language inflammatory, you spoke out for social justice.  You bridled against the slow pace of change in the academy; you demanded action in the cause of diversity and inclusion.  We, the faculty and administration, heard you and we have redoubled our efforts.  We know you and we call you by your names: we are proud of you, too.

Student activists all, we hope that as you leave UVM and set out to change the world, you will carry your passions with you.  May all of you, poets and philosophers, scientists and social workers, bring to your life’s work the energy and commitment that you have showed here at the University of Vermont.

Class of 2018, UVM is immensely proud of you.  Please stay in touch: we look forward to hearing from you.  Good luck and God bless.