‘The choice is yours:’ Academic year opens with 108th Convocation
The community we share is defined by the choices we make, Dean of the Institutional Equity and Inclusion Rodmon King told the students, faculty, staff, administrators and trustees gathered on Tempel Green for the 108th Convocation ceremony on Aug. 29.
“Our lives are filled with choices … so many choices that it is easy for us to lose sight of the power our choices have,” King said, before sharing a few examples from his own life where the decisions of others caused him deep pain.
“The choices you make can contribute to the suffering of others and the brutality of this world. … Or, our choices, our decisions, our actions, our beliefs can actualize a different picture for us. All of us—the students, the staff, the faculty, the administrators, the trustees—all of us have the power to create the community we want to have.”
King encouraged the entire Conn community to “stay vigilant,” learn about the lived experiences of others and contribute to the goal of full participation.
“It will take more than words,” he said. “It is when we combine our actions and intentions that something amazing happens.”