Convocation conviction

Education: 'It isn't enough to be special,' says Dartmouth student body president | Mark Bergin

Noah Riner's inbox flooded with e-mails following his Sept. 20 convocation speech to Dartmouth freshmen—an exposition on character with Jesus as supreme example. The student body president sifted through the electronic responses meticulously, drawing strength from supporters and extending a hand of friendship to critics.

In the week after his controversial remarks, Mr. Riner, 21, met personally with nearly every detractor incensed enough to click the send button. His intention: "Let me hear your perspective, and allow me to explain myself." Grievances included personal attacks, condemnations of Christianity as intellectual folly, and questions over whether Mr. Riner employed an appropriate venue to express his religious values.