University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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I Protected from the rain, University President Mary Sue Coleman addresses the class of 2004 at commencement. Even though the weather was less than ideal, speakers and graduates kept their spirits high as they rejoiced in the culmination of years of hard work. J. Neff photo G raduation A cold, drizzly morning greeted the class of 2004 on Saturday, May 1, as they entered the Big House. Commencement, the culmination of their years of hard work at the University, lay just inside the stadium walls. Donned in matching caps and gowns, the graduates solemnly filed in. They sang the fight song, listened to remarks by University officials and President Mary Sue Coleman, and then the poignant words of keynote speaker David E. Davis Jr., founder of Automobile Magazine, who was honored by the University with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree at the ceremony. Davis urged the new graduates to take responsibility for their own actions, and solemnly admitted, I did everything to prevent myself from succeeding and yet I still succeeded. The University ' s decision to cast Davis in March was met with protest from the student body. A letter from LSA graduate Adam Paterno to The Michigan Daily summed up the students ' frustrations. Paterno expressed the desire for what he deemed a more high-profile and relevant commencement speaker, such as Michigan State University ' s speaker, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor, instead of Davis, who never even officially graduated college. In his speech, Davis recognized Paterno, acknowledged his letter, and jokingly promised, I will find you. Davis continued on to remark about his life experiences, refusing to sugar-coat the hardships ahead for the new graduates, but encouraged them to remain optimistic and to choose something they truly enjoyed above all else. The commencement experience was disappointing for some, including engineering graduate Sara Grady who said, Graduation was the culmination of four years hard work: it was rainy, gloomy, cold, and overall, boring. Yet, other students were satisfied with Davis ' remarks after the completion of the graduation ceremony. I thought graduation was going to suck, but Davis was actually really interesting, computer science graduate Joe Williams said. He championed the experiences you gain from life, and had more to say than how valuable a good education is and ' Go Blue. '

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In between speeches, a graduating senior sits on the shoulders of a friend in celebration. The ceremony began promptly 9: 1 5 with the procession of the graduates onto the field. Tedjasukmana photo A graduate shows his excitement in the form of bubbles at commencement. Graduates expressed their enthusiasm in many ways at the 2004 ceremony, such as decorating their caps and wearing wigs. Tedjasukmatta photo

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Black and white striped sculptures of human figures attract Art Fair spectators. Along with sculptures, the Fair also featured other various styles of artwork, such as paintings, photographs, jewelry, furniture, and pottery. J. Neff photo ann aroor b ArtF air JLn July, the city of Ann Arbor boastfully held the biggest event of its kind in the United States: the Ann Arbor Art Fair. For four days artists, musicians, and festival-goers from all over the nation congregated in celebration of handmade crafts and artwork. The Art Fair was actually an accumulation of four different fairs: the Ann Arbor Street Fair, the South University Art Fair, the Guild Summer Art Fair, and the State Street Art Fair. These fairs all came together in spirit and festivities in the center of downtown. This year ' s 45th annual Art Fair was held from July 21-24. While perusing the sidewalks of this year ' s Art Fair, one was bombarded with an amalgamation of paintings, woodwork, pottery, sculpture, photographs, jewelry, clothing, and even surreally detailed wax renditions of humans. Since I ' m an art student, I like to walk around and see what people do and how they make their art. Some of the artists are pretty talented and they make good money at the fair. But whether it ' s good art or not, it doesn ' t matter. It ' s fun to walk around in the crowd and take in all of the eye candy, not to mention the greasy but great food, senior graphic design major James Ardnt said. Not only were the aesthetics and food stands an attraction, but the mime shows, face painting, beer gardens, and street musicians also drew a crowd. you start to see the same people and things. My favorite part of the Art Fair is the Urban Outfitters sidewalk sale. I bought four scarves, mittens, a shirt, and a pair of shoes for under twenty bucks. It ' s awesome, Eastern Michigan student Emily Crissey said. Whether one was there to buy art, sell art, see art, eat, drink, or just hang out and take in all the sights, the Ann Arbor Art Fair was definitely one of the city ' s main attractions this summer. During the Art Fair, this city i s crazy. It doesn ' t even seem like Ann Arbor; you can barely move on the sidewalk, senior political science major Andrew Ginis said. Despite the craziness, the Art Fair will always be a part of the backbone of Ann Arbor ' s summer life. Some people went just for the sales at all the local stores. I ' ve been coming to the art fair since I was in high school. I like seeing the art and everything, but after a few years