Reporter Volume 25, No.28 Commencement Extra

Dear Members of the University at Buffalo Class of 1994:

This commencement weekend, as you proudly celebrate your
accomplishments during your time at UB, you bring one phase of your
life to a close. At the same time, you begin another phase of your
life, one in which many challenges and opportunitiesQinextricably
intertwinedQawait you.
	Among these is the challenge and opportunity of understanding
and building upon the great diversity of people, perspectives, and
possibilities that is America. Neither the challenge nor the
opportunity is new, of course; both were with us long before we were a
nation, when colonists from various parts of the world took the first
tentative steps toward establishing a society together on this
continent.
	Today we are all too aware that, even after the centuries of
opportunity which the American social contract has meant to millions
of people, millions of others are still without the rights,
privileges, and dignity that many of us take for granted. Too many of
our fellow citizens are still hungry or homeless, unemployed or
underemployed, angry or resigned or despairing. Too many talents and
dreams still go unrecognized and unfulfilled because we have not yet
learned to celebrate and cherish the rich differences that give
America a vitality unmatched anywhere else in the world.
	We hope that during your time at UB you have gained a fuller
appreciation of the myriad ideas, influences, and possibilities that
have shaped the United States. Now, as you and your classmates work to
build the world of the 21st century, you must rely on the breadth of
your appreciation and education in order to help extend to all people,
here and everywhere, the opportunity for the best and fullest life
possible.
	A moral, ethical, and legal imperative, this commitment to
preserving human dignity and possibility is also increasingly a global
economic necessity. If the United States is to continue to compete
economically and politically with our international neighbors, if we
are to maintain the quality of life and exceptional level of
achievement that have made our country a model for the world during
this century, we must see to it now that we accord every one of our
people the full privileges and opportunities that were long ago
guaranteed to all citizens.
	To be sure, there are laws and regulations and formal
government programs in place that protect the access of all Americans
to employment and education and certain social services. But for our
nation to truly make the most of its exceptional diversity, we need
more. We need every member of our societyQand especially those, like
you, who have had the chance to learn broadly about the worldQto
embrace the principle that every other member of our society deserves
her or his greatest compassion, fullest assistance, and utmost
respect.
	How can you help to bring this state of affairs about? Draw
upon all the understandings that you have gained at UB; remember the
many different people you have met here and the many different ideas
with which you have come into contact; analyze critically for yourself
both sides of any social issue, as we hope you have learned to do
here; judge others only on the basis of their actions and efforts;
devote a full measure of your energy, intelligence, and concern to the
people around you, no matter how different from you they may be; and
take with you the certainty that every one of these people is as full
of life and potential and value as are you yourself on this proud
commencement weekend.
	This responsibilityQultimately, as Toni Morrison called it in
her 1993 Nobel lecture, the responsibility to "take the time to
understand other languages, other views, other narratives"Qis no light
or simple one. But you, members of the Class of '94, are perhaps more
ready than any Americans have ever been to accept this responsibility;
you have more at stake in the decision to accept it; and you and your
children stand to benefit more from your acceptance of it than any
human society in history. "Complicated, demanding, yes," says
Morrison, "but a view of heaven as life I ."
	We, your mentors and friends at UB, wish for you the
fulfillment of this greater vision and of every hope you cherish. We
are the better for having known you; we will long remember you, as we
hope you will remember us. Come back to us from time to time as proud
alumni, and share with us your new understandings. Much happiness and
success to you in everything you do.

William R. Greiner