Iuliano Provides Commencement Planning Update in Message To Senior Class
(Photo Allyson Frantz/The Gettysburgian)
By Jane Fitzpatrick, Assistant News Editor
On Thursday, March 11 President Iuliano sent an email to the class of 2021 to update students on progressing conversations regarding plans for a graduation ceremony this spring.
The president’s update informed students that the Commencement Committee will be engaging with senior class officers and the Senior Class Advisory Group in the planning process moving forward. It also promised a final decision to be communicated in the near future.
“[O]ur goal is to have come to a decision and to have announced it within the next two weeks,” Iuliano wrote. “We ask that you please delay making any travel arrangements until a final announcement has been made.”
President Iuliano noted that other institutions have already set specific guidelines for their respective commencement celebrations, and the Committee is taking the plans of colleges with similar class sizes into consideration.
“[T]he Committee has learned that some colleges have announced that guests will not be able to attend, and others have scaled down their ceremony into smaller gatherings,” he said.
In closing his letter to the graduating class, the president asked seniors to “think outside the box” and consider how the administration can create a memorable experience despite the limitations of health and safety guidelines.
“The pandemic may not make it possible to do everything as we have always done it, but the challenges of the last year are all the more reason for us to think creatively about how we can celebrate you and the College this May,” Iuliano said.
