Commencement Ceremony Details

April 29, 2021

Dear Graduating Students and Families,

It is hard to imagine that your Commencement Day is just a few weeks away. I am writing to follow up on our earlier communications about your May 21 Commencement ceremonies. We have been working through the many details associated with hosting two on-campus Commencement ceremonies, and we would like to share some information about the plans.

We will begin our Commencement celebration with Baccalaureate, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 20, on the Main Quad. Baccalaureate seeks to honor our scholars in community, both students and faculty. This occasion reflects our academic environment, invites thanksgiving, and includes elements of the rich diversity of spiritual, religious, and ethical thinking embodied by our community. This year’s Baccalaureate will be held in person on the Main Quad for students, faculty, and staff, and livestreamed for families and all other members of the Trinity community.

It is important to note that the Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 21, will be livestreamed for graduates and their families and friends who are not able to be on campus. Students participating in person will attend one of the two ceremonies based on the location of their residence at Trinity.

The 10:30 a.m. ceremony will recognize graduating students who live in Clemens, Crescent St, Funston, Jackson, Smith, Stowe, and Summit Suites.

The 2:30 p.m. ceremony will recognize graduating students who live in Hansen Hall, High Rise, North, Ogilby, Vernon Place, Goodwin, Jarvis, Northam Tower, and off-campus (including students who are studying remotely or have already completed their coursework), as well as IDP and graduate students.

Student and Guest Registration

This year we have secured the services of Full Measure Education, a company that specializes in executing events of institutions of higher education. In the coming days, you will receive communications from Full Measure requesting information needed to make your day a success. Each graduate must complete a registration form for themselves and their guests using the text invitation to be sent out by Full Measure tomorrow, Friday, April 30. The deadline to complete the registration form and reserve up to two guest tickets is Friday, May 7. This information is essential to ensuring a successful execution of your Commencement Day.

If you did not receive a text from Full Measure or are having issues accessing the registration form, please contact [email protected].

COVID-19 Testing and Protocols

Graduates
To keep everyone healthy and safe, graduating students who are in our COVID-19 testing protocol will be required to complete testing every day during the week leading up to Commencement, beginning Saturday, May 15. More details will follow, but please note that if you miss testing on any day you will not be able to participate in the Commencement Ceremony. If you test positive Monday, May 10, through Friday, May 21, you will be moved to isolation housing or asked to return home and will be unable to participate in the in-person ceremony.

Graduating students who are studying remotely or have already completed their coursework may participate in Commencement subject to the same requirements as guests (listed below). Graduates who cannot to come to campus for the ceremonies may participate virtually.

Guests
Each student will be allowed two guests for their assigned ceremony. To access the Main Quad, guests arriving for the morning Commencement ceremony should proceed first to their designated Guest Check-in Center to provide one of the following, which will allow access to the events:

COVID-19 Vaccination
Show proof of full vaccination, which means being two weeks past their second Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna dose or the single Johnson & Johnson shot.

OR

Negative COVID-19 Test
Show proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from within 72 hours of arrival on campus on Friday, May 21, OR proof of a negative Rapid Result Test on Friday, May 21.

Parking lots and guest check-in areas will open two hours prior to each ceremony; access to the seating area on the Main Quad will open one hour prior (special Commencement Day campus maps will be available on the website by May 17). Please keep in mind that the College’s public health protocols will be enforced. All participants must wear masks at all times and adhere to our social distancing protocols by maintaining a six-foot distance from those not in your immediate family.

Move-Out Logistics

Residence halls will close for graduating seniors two hours after the end of their Commencement ceremonies, or at approximately 2:00 p.m. for the morning graduates and 6:00 p.m. for the afternoon graduates. Limited exceptions will be made for students who require additional time. Students needing exceptions should contact the Office of the Dean of Students at [email protected]. Please plan your travel accordingly. Guests of graduating seniors will be permitted inside the residence hall to assist with move out. We encourage students and families where possible to initiate the move-out process prior to May 21.

Parking

Upon receipt of your electronic tickets, guests and graduates will receive assigned parking information (based on graduates’ residence halls). Please note that graduates with vehicles on campus must move them to their assigned parking lots by 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 20. This will allow guests to access parking in their assigned lots.

Upcoming Meetings

We recognize that you will have questions about Commencement activities. We will be hosting a Commencement Town Hall for graduating students and families at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 6. Please click this link to register, and consider submitting questions in advance at [email protected]. The deadline to submit questions is 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 5.

We will continue to be in touch in the days leading up to Commencement Day. In the meantime, please visit the Commencement website for more information or contact us at [email protected].

Thank you for your patience as we work through these details and for your tremendous support in helping to keeping each other healthy and safe! We look forward to celebrating this joyous occasion with you and your families. Go Bantams!

Sincerely,

Joanne Berger-Sweeney
President and Trinity College Professor of Neuroscience