Where old Rutgers evermore shall stand.
For has she not stood, since the time of the flood,
On the banks of the old Raritan
Last Night was truly a night to remember.
I, as well as the members of Voorhees Choir, Kirkpatrick Choir, and the University Choir sang here, accompanied by the Rutgers' symphony:
I am sure that you are all jealous, but if you had an extra $25,000 laying around could could have at least come and joined the other 700 people there to watch us. No you did not read that wrong, the only people who were invited were those who had donated at least 25,000 dollars to Rutgers, this year alone. I don't know about you, but I don't really consider that pocket change.
President McCormick was the first speaker of the night and explained that the University has already raised 472 million dollars with only 50 million of it coming from corporations. That means that over 350 million dollars has come from Rutgers alumni. Furthermore, President McCormick stressed that we are not done yet, the goal of this 5-year campaign is to raise 1 billion dollars to go towards scholarships, buildings, and budget restoration. I can not imagine liking anything enough to hand over a check for 25k but the people who attended earned their success with the help of the Rutgers name and I think it was clear to anyone in that room that they were committed to seeing Rutgers, and its future graduates achieve that same level of success.
Together the symphony and the choirs made beautiful music but the highlight of the night was the last piece, the Alma Mater. The score was composed to sound like a movie - aka it was dramatic and loud and awe inspiring. The best part about it was that before the first stanza was sung, no one knew what it was. After the opening the orchestra quieted down and the men, in unison, sang the opening lines our alma mater, at that moment the audience gave a collective gasp stood and placed their hands over their heart. The image of people in tuxes (red cumber-buns, black bow-ties) and ball gowns who were moved enough to rise and hear us sing is one that will forever be branded in my mind. At that moment I was so overwhelmed with pride for my school that I had to tell myself to stop crying and sing the damn song!
I could not have asked for a better experience, and could not expect to find a better experience at any other University in the world. I was always told that there is a certain sense of pride that Rutgers students have about their school and after last night I could not agree more.
P.S A big thank you to anyone reading this who helped out last night, to the people who helped move us back stage, to the performers, to the donators - THANK YOU it really couldn't have been done with out effort from all.
Location: SinglePost