Then and Now: Class of 2012

by Natalie Fitts

With the class of 2012 soon graduating, the Dart looks back at what was popular during their freshman year, 2008-2009, and what has been popular this school year.

Pop Culture

Music
Then: Released in October 2008 as the lead single from her album I Am…Sasha Fierce, Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” has sold over 6 million digital copies internationally. The iconic music video, featuring only Beyonce and two female backup dancers, spawned a dance craze that was parodied by everyone from Justin Timberlake on Saturday Night Live to President Barack Obama. The video won the Video of the Year award at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
Now: Despite winning Best New Artist at the 2009 Grammys, British artist Adele truly broke onto the American music scene with her 2012 Album of the Year, 21. The lead single of the 2011 album, “Rolling in the Deep,” spent 59 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song is the second biggest selling digital track in history, with over 7 million copies sold in the US alone.

Movies
Then: Twilight hit theatres on November 21, 2008, earning over $35 million in its first day alone. 2009’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince earned over $58 million in its first day in theatres.
Now: The fourth of five Twilight Saga movies, Breaking Dawn: Part One, premiered November 18, 2011. Opening day grossed $72 million. However, the final film in the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, was the highest grossing movie of 2011, earning over $1 billion worldwide.

TV shows
Then: Fox aired the pilot episode of Glee to nearly 9.7 million viewers after American Idol. The following fall, the first season of the show continued and quickly became one of the top TV shows for viewers age 18-49.
Now: While the 11th season premiere of American Idol still drew in 21.9 million viewers, the second season premiere of NBC’s The Voice earned 37.6 million viewers with its spot following Super Bowl XLVI. The show features Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, and Cee Lo Green as judges.

Politics
Then: With President George Bush’s two-term limit reached, the 2008 president election was a race between democrat Barack Obama and republican John McCain. Obama won, and was inaugurated in January 2009, with former US Senator Joe Biden as his vice president.
Now: Republican Mitt Romney is the leading challenger of Obama’s campaign for a re-election. The November 6 election will determine the 57th president of the United States of America.

Social Networking
Then: In December 2008, Facebook had 130 million active monthly users.
Now: Facebook currently has about 900 million active monthly users. However, newer social networking sites Twitter and Pinterest have more than 500 million and 11.7 million users respectively.

Celebrities
Then: On February 8, 2009, R&B artist Chris Brown was arrested in Los Angeles after assaulting then-girlfriend, pop singer Rihanna. In August of the same year, Brown was sentenced to five years of probation, six months of community service, and one year of counseling. Rihanna currently has a five-year restraining order against Brown.
Now: Reality TV star Kim Kardashian married NBA star Kris Humphries in August 2011 after being together for nearly a year. E! aired a special about the wedding two months later, drawing in 10.5 million viewers. However, 72 days later, Kardashian filed for divorce, inciting a media frenzy.

Sports
Then: During the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, US swimmer Michael Phelps won eight gold medals, breaking the previous record for most gold medals in a single Olympic Games of seven, set in 1972 by US swimmer Mark Spitz.
Now: When quarterback Tim Tebow began his career with the Denver Broncos in 2011, he also began a craze called “Tebowing.” Tebowing was inspired by Tebow’s “victory dance” of kneeling on one knee with his fist supporting his head. The fan who coined the term also created a website where people can submit photos of themselves Tebowing. Within two and a half months, over 20,000 people had submitted photos.

Youtube
Then: Posted in January 2009, “David after Dentist” features a 7-year-old still delirious after having a tooth removed after the dentist. While his dad films, David says things like “You have four eyes” and “Is this real life?” The video has received over 110 million views to date.
Now: “Sh*t Girls Say” features a man dressed up as a woman, saying the stereotypical words and phrases that often come out of teenage girls’ mouths. The video has spawned thousands of parodies, including “Sh*t Parents Say,” “Sh*t New Yorkers Say,” “Sh*t Brides Say,” and “Sh*t Nobody Says.”

STA

Total STA enrollment
Then: 529
Now: 570

Freshman class enrollment
Then: 141
Now: 155

STA tuition
Then: $9,200
Now: $9,750