Condemning Commencement
One of my favorite things at St. Lawrence University is hearing President Fox speak. I have been to numerous commencement ceremonies, reunions, and hearing my own matriculation ceremony was so special to me. He has such an eloquent way of describing St. Lawrence, our traditions, what we stand for, and what it means to be a true Laurentian.
The thing is every single decision, email, and FAQ page that the class of 2021 has received from the administration regarding our commencement goes against all President Fox has said in the past. The responses are, in short, rude and emotionless. This is not the way Laurentians treat each other. The graduation from a school as prestigious (and with such a high price tag) at SLU shouldn’t be a “study break” and you are belittling the institution with every word.
I would like to take you through a few of my favorite passages written and read by President Fox in hopes that you will see that the way the administration is treating the class of 2021 is hypocritical and deplorable.
Commencement of 2018 and 2012 President Fox begins with this:
By now, you have walked all the paths, lanes, and trails on and around the St. Lawrence campus. You have crossed the plaza between the Sullivan Student Center and Dana Dining Hall times past counting. You have taken in the view from the Avenue of the Elms and have absorbed the glowing moonrise while cutting across the Quad. You are still in search of a shortcut to Appleton Arena on the nights we were ten below. And many of you know precisely where the cracks in the sidewalks are along Park Street for all the late, dark night returns to campus.
The only path you have not yet walked is before you today, the walk thousands of Laurentians have also taken since the 1860s on Commencement Day; it is the walk across the stage to receive something that is yours for life, something that cannot be garnished or erased. (link to the text: https://www.stlawu.edu/president/there-anything-left-say)
I want to really draw attention to the last section, “The only path you have not yet walked is before you today… it is the walk across the stage to receive something that is yours for life, something that cannot be garnished or erased.” I know the counter argument will be “the class of 2021 will still get their diploma” and “nothing is being erased.” President Fox really emphasizes the “walk” , the walking of campus and the walking across the stage. This whole part of the ceremony has been erased and as for commencement in general? The placing of this honored tradition on the day before finals week, without any regard to the academic integrity of this institution, nor the mental health of students, has garnished commencement at St. Lawrence. That is something the class of 2021, our parents, our family, past, present, and future Laurentians will remember.
President Fox also discusses the importance of commencement in his speech given to the 2019 graduates:
St. Lawrence University is now yours to claim as a place for doing difficult things well, for creating lasting bonds of friendship, and for joining a distinctive set of traditions, including today’s commencement ceremony. (link to the text: https://www.stlawu.edu/president/written-word-remains)
This commencement ceremony is something that bonds Laurentians together. It is used as a tool to garner donations, volunteers, to get more people to attend reunion. So my question to the administration is: what tactic are you going to use on the class of 2021? You can’t tell us to come back to campus to relive our Senior Tuesday Blues, we didn’t get that. There is no talk about the infamous streak, as that was taken from us as well. We should give because we had such a great time during senior week? Nope. We understand we are in a pandemic and the senior class has exemplified the values of the Laurentian pact. But, now the most honored of traditions is being stripped away: Commencement. In almost every commencement speech President Fox talks about how this ceremony is a culmination of four long and hard years at St. Lawrence. It is the finale of studying in the 24-hour room all night, of the excellent presentations, the honors projects, the sporting events, and the Thelmo meetings, and the class of 2021 gets none of it.
To quote the commencement FAQ page: “The ceremony will be on Sunday morning, allowing for continued studying that day. We hope being together with classmates, in whatever size gatherings are allowed, will be a welcome break from studies.” Pause and imagine reading that as a college senior, a college senior that has had everything taken away from them. President Fox, I urge you to stop and read that as a senior Beta student who loves his alma mater. Think about your children reading this, your nephew and nieces, and consider just how cruel those words are.