Mullins Center rocks as Class of 2006 is welcomed

by Sarah R. Buchholz, Chronicle staff

The Doo Wop Shop performs.

art welcome, part pep rally, and part student-talent showcase, the convocation for the Class of 2006 rocked the Mullins Center Sunday night. More than 3,000 students, faculty and staff looked on as the Minuteman Marching Band, UMass cheerleaders, Chancellor John Lombardi, and others welcomed and entertained the crowd.

     It was a hip show.

     Striking a contemporary note, music by No Doubt flooded the spaces in the program and the Dance Team performed to a series of hip-hop selections. But numerous "retro" touches enhanced the flavor of the evening. The band played a medley of '80s Madonna tunes, the cheerleaders performed to the 1979 Romantics hit, "What I Like about You," and The Doo Wop Shop sang a rendition of Dion's 1961 classic "Run Around Sue" and James Taylor's 1977 song "Your Smiling Face." Alumni Association president-elect Hal Lane even introduced Lombardi by saying, "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Johnny!"

     Cheerleaders tossed UMass T-shirts and coupons for free pizza into the stands between rounds of teaching UMass Athletics cheers with the assistance of the band, who sat cross-legged along the edges of the basketball floor where the show was taking place. Band members and cheerleaders modeled both enthusiasm and attentiveness for their new colleagues.

Journalism senior Kori Chambers offers incoming students advice.

     Football head coach Mark Whipple, backed by new women's basketball coach Marnie Dacko, hockey coach Don "Toot" Cahoon and other coaches and student athletes, told the incoming students they were entering "a place full of quality." He pointed to his national championship ring and told them about the marching band winning the Sudler Trophy. "Best band, best chancellor, best freshman class ever!" he said. "Go nuts, and let's have some fun!"

     "Whatever you guys can possibly think of is here at UMass," senior Journalism major Kori Chambers told the audience. "[But] you have to write your own ticket. It's not about being someone else; it's about being who you've been for the past 17, 18 years, [and] it's about being a better you after four years. So go out and have a good time, learn some stuff, and make your parents proud."

     Lombardi echoed Whipple's reference to quality and aligned himself with the incoming class as a newbie on campus.

UMass cheerleaders teach new students some of the campus cheers. Stan Sherer photos

     "Both of us are going to discover what a spectacular place this is," he said after donning a Class of 2006 T-shirt. "You've seen the quality, energy and drive that comes from a first-class student population," he added, gesturing toward the band, cheerleaders, and student leaders in attendance. "We do this together. We cannot succeed unless the students take ownership."

     Lombardi told the class that what makes a campus great "is that each and every person in the University is on a personal crusade to see how much quality they can generate."

     "Four years from now, you will be empowered," he added.

     The band wrapped up the show with music from the film "Gladiator" and the fight song, and the newly initiated class filed out to attend one of five First Night activities in the Lincoln Campus Center/Student Union Complex. Students could choose from a dance party, a screening of the film "Spiderman," an Outing Club activities showcase and sign-up, UMass vendor giveaways, and an improvisational comedy show.