By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Ask for help and you will get it.
That was the message new students at Bowling Green State University received at convocation Friday morning. The event was the official welcome for the 3,300 incoming members if the class of 2026.
And as if to prove that point, when first-year student Luis Gamez had a brief lapse of memory in singing the National Anthem, the crowd kick in and lifted him along.
If students seek that help, they will find success, the speakers said.
That was true for Gamez who brought the anthem to a strong, rousing conclusion.
And it was true for 1973 BGSU graduate Dave Wottle who finished his 800 meter run at the 1972 Olympics, competing with ailing knees, to win the Gold Medal.
President Rodney Rogers summoned on video the image of Wottle coming from behind the pack to win.
He once was a first year student just like those gathered on the Bowen Thompson Quadrangle.
“I urge you to run your race, never giving up, always pushing through,” Rogers said. But he also told them that Wottle had support, and he urged them to seek the assistance they needed.
It was a theme picked up by other speakers on the program., including Zachary Noesen, who served as master of ceremonies.
Provost Joe Whitehead told students success was a team effort. “We’re committed to supporting you to reach your dreams and aspirations.… We need you and your efforts to reach that success.”
“Be all in in the classroom, and supporting each other. Be all in in seeking help when you need help,” Whitehead said. “We all need help sometime in our lives.”
For Mary-Jon Ludy, a BGSU graduate who came to the university after attending Buckeye Girls State here, that help came at the Learning Commons when she was struggling with the chemistry that was crucial to her nutrition major. Ludy is now the Chair of the Department of Public and Allied Health.
“Reach out for help as soon as you know it’s needed,” she said. “We all want to see you succeed.”
For second year student Caleb Lorenzen, that help involved reassurance from his advisor after a disastrous haircut.
Sarah Jurden, director of the Academics Investment in Mathematics and Science Program, said it was to be expected that many of them had mixed feelings as they started their BGSU careers. There was the excitement of facing these new opportunities and possibilities, but there is also nervousness about facing those opportunities and possibilities.
She gave the new students a challenge. Seek out two staff members who can be part of their BGSU team.
“At BGSU,” she said, “we have a bias toward action.”
