Graduating Seniors Begin Commencement Week Virtually
Seniors meeting with President Judd via Zoom at their class meeting in April
For graduating seniors, the week following the end of classes typically begins with a commencement rehearsal. Graduating students gather under the tent on South Lawn and practice for the ceremony that would follow later in the week. But due to the global pandemic, Sarah Lawrence has joined the ranks of other colleges across the country who have planned alternatives to commencement ceremonies and related activities.
This morning at 11:00 am EST, in place of would normally have been their commencement rehearsal, graduating seniors were invited to a class meeting on Zoom. After a brief introduction from President Cristle Collins Judd, Deby Finkelstein, Director of College Events, and Josh Luce, Director of Student Involvement and Leadership, explained the events slated to take place this week and fielded any questions that seniors had.
While the meeting pertained to all Commencement Week events, most conversations and questions asked pertained specifically to Friday’s Commencement Ceremony. The virtual ceremony will take place on Zoom, where attendees will be able to see the video feeds of each other. The “doors” will open at 10:30 am EST, and the ceremony will begin at 11 am EST. Because Zoom meetings can only accommodate so many participants, only seniors, faculty, and staff will be pre-registered for the Zoom meeting with their SLC email addresses. Any additional family and friends who wish to watch the virtual ceremony can view the live stream at https://www.sarahlawrence.edu/news-events/commencement/ Anyone wishing to send messages of congratulations to seniors can do so virtually at https://www.kudoboard.com/boards/slcundergraduatecommencement2020
The ceremony will proceed in the order that it typically would, and students will have their names read aloud by Dean of Studies Danny Trujillo. Students wishing to clarify the pronunciation of their name should email Deby at definkelstein@sarahlawrence.edu, who will pass the information along to Dean Trujillo.
When one student asked how students should dress for the ceremony, Finkelstein said that students should “be celebratory in what you want to wear.” Students may not be able to wear the caps, gowns, and tassels that they were invited to order through College Events at the end of April. Finkelstein anticipates that the regalia will likely not arrive until after commencement, as the company that she works with is backed up with orders. Finkelstein has been trying to communicate with the vendor to get tracking information but has yet to hear back. Any tracking information will be shared with students when it is obtained.
Diplomas will be mailed to students, likely at the end of May or the beginning of June. Students received an email on May 1 from the Registrar, Daniel Licht, with a link to a form on mySLC where they were asked to note the address that they would like their diploma mailed to. Any questions about diplomas should be sent to the Registrar, dlicht@sarahlawrence.edu.
Diplomas will not be mailed with their cases, however, as the College is hoping to hand out the cases at the in-person ceremony that will be held on campus when circumstances allow. Finkelstein noted that the College is mindful that not all students will be able to attend the eventual in-person ceremonies, and students should expect more information in the future.
As New York State has yet to re-open, there are no updates on when the in-person commence might happen. Following a senior class meeting with President Judd in March, students interested in joining a focus group to help plan the in-person events were solicited. This group will not meet until there is a better idea of when the class of 2020 might be welcomed back to campus. Any developments will be communicated to students via their Sarah Lawrence emails.
Below is the Commencement Week schedule that was discussed in the meeting. Students also received the full list of virtual events in an email from Deby Finkelstein on May 4. Invitations to these events will be sent separately each day via email.
Monday, May 11
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm EST | Senior Work Presentation
The entire SLC community is invited to hear seniors give presentations on the projects that they have worked on this academic year.
In addition to the presentations, there will be a daily showcase of senior work emailed to the entire SLC community. Any seniors who wish to submit work for this virtual showcase who have not done so already can email jluce@sarahlawrence.edu.
7pm - 8pm EST | Celebrate #SLC2020
The Senior Class Co-Presidents, Jordan Foster and Evan Ray, will be hosting a celebration hour. This event is for seniors only.
Tuesday, May 12
4 pm – 5 pm EST | Senior Thesis Presentation
The entire SLC community is invited to join graduating seniors presenting their thesis work.
7 pm – 10 pm EST | Senior Filmmaking Showcase
Filmmaking & Moving Image Arts invite SLC community is invited view senior films. This event will be streamed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/slcstudentfilmmakersforum/
Wednesday, May 13
3 pm – 4:30 pm EST | Senior Lecture: “A Life of Learning” presented by Komozi Woodard, History Faculty
In February, graduating seniors voted for a faculty member to deliver an address to those graduating. This year’s class voted for History faculty, Kmonozi Woodard.
5 pm – 6 pm EST | Senior/Don (and Faculty) Celebration Hour
This event will allow seniors to meet with their dons and other faculty over Big Blue Button on mySLC. After the first half-hour, which is reserved just for dons and their donees, seniors can join the meeting rooms of any other faculty member who has one set up. An email with more instructions and the link to the page on mySLC will be sent on Wednesday morning.
6 pm - 6:30 pm EST | SLC Faculty Salute to Seniors with a Special Theatre Seniors Salute
The theater department has compiled messages from faculty across the curriculum and will also be sharing a special message to the graduating theater students.
Thursday, May 14
7 pm EST | 14 on the 14th: A Reading from Graduating Seniors
14 seniors who have concentrated in creative writing will be sharing some of their work.
Friday, May 15
11 am - 12:30 pm EST | Commencement Day
The “doors” will open at 10:30 am. Seniors, Faculty, and Staff will receive an invitation to join the ceremony via Zoom. Other family and friends can view the ceremony at https://www.sarahlawrence.edu/news-events/commencement/
Olivia Diulus, ‘20