Sofia Aguilar ‘21

*Courtesy of Sarah Lawrence College, Class of 2017*

On Feb. 9 and 11, members of Sarah Lawrence’s commencement committee met virtually with seniors to solicit feedback for this year’s graduation ceremony.

The class of 2021 has only spent two or three years on campus: many of them have yet to even set foot inside new campus buildings like the Barbara Walters Center. A fully in-person commencement is one more milestone in the undergrad journey that seniors have been denied, leaving many to wonder how commencement will proceed this year.

Luckily, the commencement committee is better prepared than they were for the class of 2020.

“Last year’s commencement efforts had to shift quite quickly at the end of the spring,” said Joshua Luce, director of The Office of Student Involvement, alluding to the sudden Covid outbreak and subsequent lockdown last March. “We have the benefit of a lot more time to build out a meaningful program this year.”

A year later, with the number of Covid cases fluctuating on campus and the pandemic worsening throughout the country, planning a celebration that is both meaningful and safe for all seniors and their families is no easy task.

“If [the commencement is] not remote, how would we prevent it from being a super-spreader event?” said Leslie Lone, the College’s Virtual Events Producer, at the opening of the first student focus group.

The attendees shared many ideas, such as creating a hybrid ceremony with in-person and virtual components, mailing caps and gowns to students to film themselves walking across a “stage” at home, and using Remo for an online reception.

“We should prioritize first-gen students and others who this will hold the most meaning for,” said one student who chose to remain anonymous, suggesting that the College pay for people to drive or fly out for the ceremony.

The administration and students also engaged in meaningful dialogue surrounding opportunities for SLC to celebrate seniors over the course of the entire semester.

Anna Schechter ‘21 shared, “One [idea] that stuck out to me was the creation of a yearbook or zine,” a homemade small-circulation publication. “I think this would be a really special memento for our class to have.”

Other students offered ideas for virtual and in-person events, including a meal with dons and donnees, parents appreciation night, alumni networking events, and the biannual traditional midnight breakfast.

Seniors also expressed concern about their access to the College’s resources post-graduation.

“The things I paid for are being withheld from me,” one student shared, citing their lack of ability to print papers, check out equipment from AV, or borrow books from the library. Students are pushing for the school to extend those resources, as well as access to Zoom and the library databases, even after this year’s seniors become alumni.

The focus groups have given the commencement committee and administration at large much to consider. Many students believe that every individual who has spent more of their undergrad years on Zoom than in the actual classroom deserves to be celebrated for their accomplishments.

“That’s what commencement is to me: a recognition of our collective and individual feat… Everyone deserves to have their moment, in any way we can make that happen,” said Schechter.

Plans for the commencement ceremony are still under discussion and will be announced in early March.

Graduating Seniors Meet With Administration to Plan Commencement