Spring 1995 semester

The Spring 1995 semester becomes a crucial search window for Hannah Hall and Bailey Michaels: it identifies the period in which Owen Michaels may have taken a class that could connect his concealed past to a real student record. The semester offers a concrete lead, but not a confirmed identity; Owen’s name is still only one possibility among dozens on the roster.

Why Spring 1995 Matters

Tobias Cookman explains the timetable that makes the semester useful. In 1994 he taught two senior seminars, while in 1996 his teaching was exclusively for graduate students. Spring 1995 was the term when he taught undergraduates. If the student Hannah and Bailey are trying to identify was in one of his classes, Cookman says, this is the class they should investigate.

The Roster

Cheryl returns with the spring 1995 roster. It lists seventy-three students who remained in the class: eighty-three attended on the first day, but ten later dropped, a level of attrition Cookman describes as common. He asks whether Hannah needs the names of those ten, distinguishing the final roster from the larger group that initially enrolled.

A Lead, Not an Answer

Hannah studies the seventy-three names, fifty of them men, while Bailey peers over her shoulder. The printout gives them a manageable set of names to examine, with Owen somewhere among them if he is listed at all. Hannah feels more hopeful than before because the search now has a specific starting point, but neither the roster nor the semester establishes which student, if any, was Owen.