{"id":6709,"date":"2011-05-02T07:49:53","date_gmt":"2011-05-02T11:49:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=6709"},"modified":"2011-06-09T14:58:21","modified_gmt":"2011-06-09T18:58:21","slug":"emu-grads-grin-and-bear-it-at-graduation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2011\/emu-grads-grin-and-bear-it-at-graduation\/","title":{"rendered":"EMU Grads Grin and Bear it at Graduation"},"content":{"rendered":"

The more than 3,600 people gathered Sunday afternoon, May 1, under a sea of colorful umbrellas at Eastern Mennonite University learned some lessons from bears, but not just any bears.<\/p>\n

Michael Berenstain,<\/strong> author and illustrator of the popular Berenstain Bears children\u2019s book series created by his parents, Stan and Jan Berenstain, addressed the graduating seniors parents, friends, faculty and staff at
\nEMU\u2019s 93rd annual commencement exercises held on the front lawn of campus.<\/p>\n

Light rain was falling as the two-hour ceremony began, but it stopped by the time Berenstain finished his talk and the graduates prepared to receive their diplomas. Berenstain\u2019s son, Samuel A. Berenstain,<\/strong> was a member of the undergraduate class of 2011. He received a bachelor of arts degree in environmental sustainability<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cMy family\u2019s special contribution to the literary bear clan has come to be universally identified with what are loosely called family values,\u201d Berenstain said. \u201cIt was never our intention to take on this role of do-it-yourself family counselors, but people are always telling us that they like our books not because \u2018they teach good lessons\u2019 but because \u2018they teach lessons, good.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ethical messages of our books are not very original,\u201d he continued. \u201cThey lean heavily on such standbys as the Golden Rule and Love Your Neighbor \u2013 scarcely an innovation. Their appeal comes, rather, in the way in which the material is presented. We work hard to make our books funny and visually engaging, to make our characters full-dimensional and we try to tell good stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

The speaker drew from a number of short poems that introduce the subjects of many of the Berenstain Bears books in presenting markers, or guideposts, to the graduating class:<\/p>\n

Small bears get big eyes<\/em>
\nwhen they take off and roam,<\/em>
\nand sometimes forget<\/em>
\nall the good stuff at home.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t forget your roots and the basic values of home and family as you venture forth into the brave new world of post-graduate existence,\u201d he advised.<\/p>\n

When peer pressure<\/em>
\nrears its ugly head,<\/em>
\nit\u2019s easy for most cubs<\/em>
\nto be misled.<\/em><\/p>\n

Berenstain contined: \u201cWhen your summer fling is over and it\u2019s time to buckle down at a job, because to stay true to your underlying beliefs and ethical standards \u2013 don\u2019t let an amoral corporate culture lead you astray\u201d:<\/p>\n

One\u2019s sense of self-worth<\/em>
\nis often undone<\/em>
\nthe first time one feels<\/em>
\nleft out of the fun.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLearn to reach out to others to help you on your way \u2013 after all, no man, or bear, is an island,\u201d Berenstain counseled. \u201cBut, don\u2019t submerge your own identity to the interests of the group or go against your conscience just to fit in\u201d:<\/p>\n

When bears are angry<\/em>
\nand don\u2019t get along<\/em>
\na hug makes up<\/em>
\nfor what went wrong.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cConflict is inevitable,\u201d he continued. \u201cAlways be quick to make up after a quarrel. Bearing a grudge never did anyone any good.\u201d And further, \u201cAlways adhere to truthfulness as a bedrock ideal, because:<\/p>\n

No matter how you hope<\/em>
\nno matter how you try,<\/em>
\nyou can\u2019t make truth<\/em>
\nout of a lie.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"
Michael Berenstain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIn going out and finding the work that is meant for you to do may be daunting, [but] it will give you a profound sense of achievement and self-worth\u201d:<\/p>\n

We all have something<\/em>
\nwe do the best \u2013<\/em>
\na little bit better<\/em>
\nthan the rest.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou are about to move on with your lives both physically and spiritually,\u201d Berenstain told the graduates. \u201cYou will face many challenges, trials and tribulations \u2013 but many more joys and triumphs, successes and satisfactions.<\/p>\n

\u201cMay the best wishes of the Berenstain Bears go with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

EMU President Loren Swartzendruber<\/a><\/strong> conferred 451 degrees and certificates: 320 undergraduate (including 119 Adult Degree Completion Program<\/a> recipients), 120 graduate degrees, five graduate certificates in conflict transformation<\/a> and six certificates in pastoral ministry studies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Students who walked the platform wearing green ribbons indicated they had voluntarily signed a \u201cGraduation Commitment,\u201d a nationwide initiative with the language of the pledge tailored to fit EMU\u2019s mission:<\/p>\n

\u201cI commit myself to a lifestyle of social and environmental integrity and will seek to improve these aspects of the community in which I work.\u201d<\/p>\n

The undergraduate class had 107 people who graduated with honors, finishing with cumulative grade point averages between 3.6 and 4.0, including three who earned a perfect 4.0 GPA.<\/p>\n