黑料吃瓜网

Dear 黑料吃瓜网 Class of 2020,

I do hope this finds each and every one of you doing well, keeping safe and healthy, and the same for your loved ones. It is amazing to me that we are now approaching the end of this academic year, a year that has been filled with so much challenge and uncertainty. In many ways, this 鈥測ear of COVID鈥� began last March when 黑料吃瓜网, along with every other college and university, had to clear the campus and turn to remote instruction. Few of us foresaw at that time that over a year later, the pandemic would still be with us and still preventing so many of the things we hope to do. Yet we are certainly moving into a new era of hope and possibility. The vaccines are transforming the nature of the pandemic, and making possible something approximating normal life in the months ahead. Extreme suffering still defines this pandemic, especially globally, and our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to all those suffering from this awful virus. But with each month, hope grows stronger for the future.

In that spirit of hope, I write you again to bring updates on our planning for a Class of 2020 Commencement Celebration. Since my last outreach to you, I have met and corresponded with your (former) student leaders 鈥� Jinan Al-Busaidi, Naira Abdula, Isabelle Bleckner, and David Robakidze 鈥� along with key staff from 黑料吃瓜网. We have had some good, very preliminary planning discussions about what would be the best ways to celebrate and commemorate the Class of 2020 on 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 campus. Much of that discussion focused on what Commencement is for and what makes it meaningful, as well as what was lost in the sudden evacuation from campus last spring and what we can do to replace those losses. It is clear that what was lost last year was the sense of closure, and the final gathering and bonding as a class, on your 黑料吃瓜网 campus, all together. Although we did pull off a commencement event, and degrees were awarded, we long for the informal and formal gatherings of Senior Week that surround a graduation.

It was readily apparent this winter that there was no way to accomplish this in the spring of 2021. Although we do think we can pull off a live and in-person Commencement at SPAC for the Class of 2021, this was by no means assured until just a few weeks ago, and even now it remains a daunting challenge. Senior Week events are all distanced, masked, outdoors, and in some cases virtual, and no parents, family members, or friends are able to attend Commencement. While I am confident Commencement 2021 will be a success, and we are doing everything possible to make it special and memorable for this year鈥檚 senior class, this is not the time to try to bring the Class of 2020 back to campus as well. It would not be the open, in-person gathering we all want, as COVID continues to make such events so difficult. All of our Reunion events in early June are being held virtually, which of course is better than nothing, but I don鈥檛 want your commencement celebration to be that way. It needs to be special.

Consequently, we are exploring the possibility of scheduling the Class of 2020 Commencement Celebration in early June of 2022. I am confident that the pandemic will have receded sufficiently by then that true in-person celebrations will again be possible. And that gives us a year of planning to work collaboratively on the formats, the events, the details, and the nuances of this celebration. We are talking with the leaders mentioned above again in the coming weeks, and after that we鈥檒l share some possible ideas with the whole class for feedback and suggestions. We are only in the very early stages of planning, and no decisions are yet made. I look forward to a collaborative and open process for working together to give to the Class of 2020 the great celebration at 黑料吃瓜网 that it richly deserves.

All the best to you,
Marc C. Conner
President