CEO and co-founder of City Year selected to be keynote speaker at 2008 commencement

Many seniors at UNH may have been keeping their fingers crossed for a famous talent from Hollywood to follow last year’s high profile keynote speakers—former presidents George Bush Sr. and Bill Clinton. While a face from Tinsel Town will not visit UNH this year, university administrators feel they have found an ideal speaker in City Year co-founder Michael Brown.

Brown has dedicated the last 20 years of his life to bettering the lives of others. A Harvard University and Harvard Law School graduate, Brown co-founded a youth service group called City Year in 1988. The program brings together over 1,400 people each year, ranging in age from 17 to 24, to commit to one year of full-time community service, which includes leadership development and civic engagement. City Year has many locations throughout the United States and South Africa, and even has a local office in Stratham.

Brown said he is inspired by the power of young people. In his speech, he plans to share part of his own life story to explain how he got into his line of work.
“I’m just honored to have the opportunity to talk about the tremendous role that young people can have in making change in society,” he said.

The keynote speaker is selected through the Honorary Degrees and Granite State Awards Committee. Anyone can submit nominations to the committee, and then the committee makes recommendations to the president and the Board of Trustees, based on outstanding academic, professional and civic achievement.

Susan Entz, director of presidential events and programs at UNH, said Brown was the school’s first choice. UNH President Mark Huddleston wanted to send an important message to students on the theme of giving back to society, she said.

“It was important to find someone to give an inspiring message to the students, and Michael Brown was a perfect fit,” Entz said.

Liz North, a UNH senior and member of the community service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, had never heard of Brown or City Year, but she hopes he will be a good speaker.

“I was hoping for Adam Sandler,” North said.

Fellow senior and APO member Morgan Eastman said last year’s speakers would be a hard act to follow. However, Eastman has done lots of community service and knows how much hard work and effort goes into it.

“I think the senior class is bummed it’s not someone from Hollywood, but we can relate to (Brown) because he is a real life, tangible human being and someone that we can understand,” Eastman said.

bathroom peeper reported in Devine Hall

UNH police recently received a report of a bathroom peeper in Devine Hall. Residents of the hall were informed of the incident through an e-mail on Wednesday, March 12, in addition to signs posted in the stalls and at the building’s entrances.

No crime has been committed, and police said they have no leads as to the identity of the man, who was described as 5’9” to 6’ tall, wearing a black Northface-style jacket with blue jeans and black Timberland-style boots. This description has led several residents to believe the peeper is a student.

“I can’t help but wonder if it was a student,” said Kelly Lamb, a sophomore and resident of Devine Hall. Fellow resident Megan Hilton agreed, adding that the clothes are “what everyone wears.”

Senior Hanh Doan said that while nothing has changed dramatically since the incident, “It’s kind of scary knowing someone can just come in.”

Other residents were less frightened by the peeper. “I think it’s kind of creepy,” said Hilton, “but he didn’t cause any harm … other than scaring the crap out of her.”
Some residents have added extra personal security. Doan now locks her door when leaving to use the bathroom. Hilton said she now makes sure someone is nearby when she goes to shower.

Freshman Niquesha Harrigan said the incident has definitely made her more safety conscious. “My door is locked 90 percent of the time now,” she said, adding that she worries about how easy it can be to get into the dorms. “Don’t let anybody in you don’t know,” she advised. “You don’t want to be rude, but you’ve got to think about the safety (of you and your fellow residents).”

UNH Deputy Police Chief Paul Dean was frustrated by the time lapse between when the incident occurred late on the evening of March 9 and when it was reported to police the following afternoon.

“We have no leads at this time,” said Dean, who added that, at this point, police have only a remote chance of identifying the man. He emphasized the importance of reporting incidents as soon as they happen.

“We want people to call us, call 911,” Dean said. “Don’t worry if you’re bothering us. I don’t care if you call us 100 times a night.”

According to Dean, there is no reason to believe that this incident was related to previous reports of a man prowling bathrooms and dormitories last fall.