“You are not special.” Bernie Noe’s words during his commencement speech reverberated throughout campus and caused community uproar. The issue was recently brought back to the public attention after a Stud Gov candidate was quoted saying, “Bernie Noe doesn’t think you’re special, but I do.” Soon after, a video surfaced of Mr. Noe apologizing for his comments. The video has since been scrubbed from the internet, but Tatler managed to obtain a transcript of Mr. Noe’s words that day.

Hello all. Normally when I make announcements, I like them to be exciting and upbeat. This occasion is different. I decided that, in the name of my personal value of honesty, I needed to come clean to you all about my past actions. I need to show you the real me.

At the beginning of this year’s convocation speech, I said, and I quote: “You are not special. None of you are special.” I would like to preface this by telling you all that my ghost-writer wrote those words, which I did not check before the speech, and they are truly not reflective of who I am as a person. At the same time, I’m not trying to provide an excuse for my actions. I am just simply speaking my truth. I despise myself for what I did. I should not have gotten up on that stage and said those words. I looked at myself in the mirror this morning and saw a person I didn’t recognize. This is not me. This does not embody me as a Lakeside Lion. I am better than this.

As I approach my retirement, this is not what I want to be remembered for. This event has impacted me so much as a person, and I’ve grown tremendously from it, but I just want to move on. As a token of my apology, I want to offer each and every one of you a complementary bag of pretzels—check your student mailbox! You, the Lakeside community, are my dearest companions, and I’m truly sorry for anything I’ve done to harm you all. I hope to earn your forgiveness. You are all special.