Spring Break
CLAS graduation will be split
Meghan Kruger
Issue date: 2/6/09 Section: News
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences' May commencement will be split into two separate ceremonies this year. The split, according to University Marshal Michael Darre, was "a numbers thing."
According to Darre, there were too many graduating students from CLAS to hold only one ceremony.
"Right now, the CLAS students would fill up two-thirds of Gampel. That doesn't leave much room for guests," Darre said. "To accommodate each graduate and all of their guests in one ceremony, we would likely need a facility twice the size of what we currently have."
The ceremonies, one of which will be held at 12:30 p.m. on May 10, and the other at 4:30 p.m. the same day, will be split up according to major with approximately an equal number of students in each ceremony.
"We are trying to split the ceremonies up based on disciplines," said Douglas Hamilton, associate dean of CLAS. "All the languages will be graduating together, the sciences will be graduating together, and so on. We want students who have had classes together for the past four years to be able to graduate with one another."
Students who carry a double major in CLAS programs will graduate according to their primary major. Both ceremonies will be held in Gampel Pavilion that Sunday.
The split will allow students to bring up to eight guests to the ceremony, whereas previously graduates were only allowed two.
"Graduation is for parents and families as much as it is for the students," Hamilton said. "We want to accommodate everyone." If this system works well, it will likely be the protocol for future CLAS graduation ceremonies.
"At first I was a little upset because I wanted to graduate with all of my friends, but it's less stressful to know I won't have to pick and choose between my guests," said Stephanie Hoffman, an 8th semester sociology major. "Overall, I'm just really excited to graduate."
For more information on CLAS commencement, including which majors will be graduating in each ceremony, visit commencement.uconn.edu.
According to Darre, there were too many graduating students from CLAS to hold only one ceremony.
"Right now, the CLAS students would fill up two-thirds of Gampel. That doesn't leave much room for guests," Darre said. "To accommodate each graduate and all of their guests in one ceremony, we would likely need a facility twice the size of what we currently have."
The ceremonies, one of which will be held at 12:30 p.m. on May 10, and the other at 4:30 p.m. the same day, will be split up according to major with approximately an equal number of students in each ceremony.
"We are trying to split the ceremonies up based on disciplines," said Douglas Hamilton, associate dean of CLAS. "All the languages will be graduating together, the sciences will be graduating together, and so on. We want students who have had classes together for the past four years to be able to graduate with one another."
Students who carry a double major in CLAS programs will graduate according to their primary major. Both ceremonies will be held in Gampel Pavilion that Sunday.
The split will allow students to bring up to eight guests to the ceremony, whereas previously graduates were only allowed two.
"Graduation is for parents and families as much as it is for the students," Hamilton said. "We want to accommodate everyone." If this system works well, it will likely be the protocol for future CLAS graduation ceremonies.
"At first I was a little upset because I wanted to graduate with all of my friends, but it's less stressful to know I won't have to pick and choose between my guests," said Stephanie Hoffman, an 8th semester sociology major. "Overall, I'm just really excited to graduate."
For more information on CLAS commencement, including which majors will be graduating in each ceremony, visit commencement.uconn.edu.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Smoga
posted 2/06/09 @ 7:57 PM EST
Why don't they just expand Gampel?? I never understood why UCONN had a tiny on campus facility, while s***holes like Syracuse boast amazingly huge stadiums? I remember when they built Gampel (I was a sophomore then) and even at that time they were concerns that the Conndome was simlpy not big enough. (Continued…)
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