Graduation to be Virtual Despite Student Backlash
While some universities go in-person, Michigan confirms a virtual format, much to student dismay
—By Alexa Berman, Jonathan Kaner, and Lizzy Palo
After spending four years at a university, most people find graduation a bittersweet moment. It is a time to reflect on the past four years, reminisce about cherished memories and friendships, and honor one’s achievements. Putting on your cap and gown is such an emotional time as it signifies the most recent class of alumni while symbolically representing your next steps into the future. Due to the Coronavirus 19 pandemic, 2020 in-person graduation was moved to a fully online format. Fast forward to present day and vaccinations are being administered to millions of people every day. In fact, on April 5 2021, everyone in the state of Michigan who is 16 and over became eligible for the vaccination.
With that being said, there are many different colleges around the country, big and small, that are finding ways to acknowledge and celebrate their newest graduating class. However, Michigan’s graduating seniors and their families are not happy with the commencement ceremony that is being held.
Michigan’s virtual graduation plan
Graduation at Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus will look a little different than in years past. To begin, the University of Michigan will have an all virtual graduation ceremony. Earlier this year, a commencement 2021 survey was sent to graduating seniors as well as graduate students graduating this year. It was sent to both students who graduated in December 2020 and those who are graduating in May 2021. The results indicated that the majority of the students were moderately interested in having a virtual commencement ceremony if having an in person graduation was infeasible due to health concerns surrounding the Coronavirus 19 pandemic. Additionally, a great deal of students who completed the survey showed a strong desire for an in-person celebration and graduation in the future.
There are some inconsistencies regarding the survey results and what is published on one of the commencement websites. This website communicates that the format of graduation was announced as early as possible to help students and their families plan. However, the survey results specify that the majority of the respondents did not care when the final plans would be released.
Previously, one aspect of graduation that a lot of Michigan students take part in is the graduation photos at the Big House. Fortunately, to acknowledge this tradition Michigan is opening up the stadium for all eligible graduates, Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Spring and Summer 2021, to schedule a thirty-minute appointment based photo opportunity. This University of Michigan graduation tradition will mostly occur during the week of April 5. These pictures are optional and have nothing to do with the actual graduation or where one chooses to watch the graduation ceremony. Rather, this is just an experience Michigan offers to their newest graduating class. To participate, students must register online so that Michigan will continue to follow protocol regarding state compliance. Professional photographers will be onsite to capture photos and there will be several photo op stations. This opportunity is free to all graduating students and everyone who participates will receive one complimentary photo and have the option of purchasing more.
Taking photos at the Big House is as close to normal as it will get. After an outcry from families and students, Michigan is now opening up the Big House for students to watch the virtual graduation in the stadium. In an email sent to graduating students on March 25, 2021, President Schlissel stated that, “the plans we’ve announced previously for commencement have not changed.” These plans specified that on Saturday May 1, at noon there will be a virtual commencement ceremony honoring the class of 2021. Even though there is an opportunity for students to attend in person, they are only broadcasting the graduation ceremony on the big screens. Michigan administration claims that giving students the opportunity to only watch at the stadium or at home does not pressure anyone who would want to walk at commencement.
In the same email that was sent out to the graduating seniors on March 25, there is no information on whether students can sit with their friends or how they will be arranged in the stadium. The email reads that “everyone will have a ticket to a specific seat” and that seats will be staggered so that all students in attendance comply with ResponsiBLUE.
On the main commencement page, it allows one to select how they will be participating in graduation – at the stadium or remote. This tactic was misleading to graduates considering both options offer the same information. The two options identically indicate that there will be a lot of interactive features including a social media ticker allowing for students and their families to respond to speakers, allowing students to turn on their cameras to join live during the conferring of degrees, and congratulatory messages from a wide array of people.
There is a great deal of confusion surrounding the smaller graduations based on one’s major. Michigan still has not fully scheduled all of the major based graduations. In fact, Rachel Rosen, a senior majoring in Biology, revealed that “[Biology] has not even been assigned a day or time” and the ceremony is in less than a month.”
The commencement speaker for this year’s graduation ceremony is Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer and the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). He works to exonerate innocent people, reduce lengthy prison sentences, helping people who are mentally ill, and children who are being prosecuted as adults.
Students react to the decision
Amidst this confusion and contradictory actions, Michigan students are not happy, and feel the university should provide them with the proper graduation ceremony that they deserve. And even though Michigan may have believed they were alleviating some tension by giving the option to watch the ceremony live on the screens in the Big House on May 1st, it has given students more fuel towards believing they should just be allowed a legitimate graduation. Particularly, when asked why they believe UM should just be having an in person event, Rosen noted, “the Big hHouse is big enough for all graduating seniors to attend and socially distance. If someone does not feel comfortable, they can always opt out.” Rosen is also upset with the University as she feels that Michigan has made no effort to host an in person graduation even though many other distinguished universities are doing so.
Before the graduating class was given the in person option, a petition started by UM senior Tal Lipkin called for “an opt-in, socially distanced in person graduation at the Big House.” Fellow seniors Nikki Shultz and Rachel Rosen, who both believe there could be a safe way to host a ceremony, noted that they both signed the petition along with 5,790 others. Lipkin states, “about 8,000 seniors in the stadium wouldn’t even fill 10% of the capacity and it would be even less if you split up by major.” Marina Escobar who signed the petition argued, “[Michigan is] an institution which is known for fostering the ‘leaders and best’ [and] it is crucial to live up to that reputation by thinking of plausible, better solutions to obstacles.” It was further noted that Michigan is home to the largest stadium in North America and the third largest in the world.
Rosen feels that Michigan has made no effort to host an in person graduation even though many other distinguished universities are doing so.
Similarly, Shultz, who decided to stay home this past year, began to list schools that she knew are having in person ceremonies, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, UCLA, USC and Emory. When asked how she thought the University of Michigan could do something similar, she explained Emory’s plan: “everyone is getting two tickets, so they get a spot for themselves and two guests and you basically are sitting in a group of 3 with you and your guests.” Although she knows that Emory is much smaller than UM, she believes that they would still be able to do something similar, and offer an in person option for those who are comfortable with it. Especially now that everybody in Michigan over the age of 16 is eligible for the vaccine, she believes that many people would be vaccinated, allowing for an even safer event for everyone who would opt in for an in person ceremony. Having the opt-in opportunity mitigates the liability concern.
While Emory is allowing guests to attend their graduation ceremony, other schools such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Brown University are having in person ceremonies for the graduates, but guests will only be allowed to watch virtually. Something that angered students further was the inconsistency amongst the Michigan campuses for their graduation plans. An article published in MLive noted that the University of Michigan-Dearborn is even “holding multiple days of in-person graduation ceremonies for the class of 2021 from May 1-4, as well as two days of recognition for the class of 2020 on April 29 and 30.” It is feasible for larger universities to hold in person ceremonies, even if they are splitting them up in two like UW-Madison is doing. Ultimately, it is unfair of the University of Michigan to offer such differing options for ceremonies across its campuses, and students feel they should consider hosting an in person ceremony if they are willing to allow students to watch on May 1st from the Big House.
How last year’s graduation looked
While things looked quite different a year ago, this year’s Michigan graduates are dealing with a similar situation with no in-person graduation. On March 13, 2020, Michigan students received an email with the subject line “Important updates on finals, commencements, flexible work arrangements and additional COVID-19 announcements.” In the email, President Schlissel wrote that the university would be “canceling all Spring 2020 commencement activities across our three campuses.”
While many students were not surprised, they were still upset that they would not be able to have a formal graduation in the Big House with their friends and family. “I was very upset when I received the news that graduation was canceled and it wouldn’t be in person,” Sofia Lotsoff, ’20, said. “It was really shocking the way the message was delivered as the school didn’t really seem to care about it.”
The University of Michigan never ended up having a formal virtual commencement ceremony for all the graduates, leaving many students feeling underwhelmed. Students only had their respective majors and programs to fall back on for ceremonies, many of which did not include personal acknowledgment. “I listened to the president of the School of Information speak which was my program in undergrad,” Lotsoff said. “Other than that there was no special mentions of any of the graduates for my program and there was nothing else that I really anticipated on,”
However, Lotsoff believes that virtual graduations can be better than nothing, and feels encouraged by her experiences last year to make the most of her virtual graduation from the School of Information Master’s program this year. “I think people can make the most of a virtual graduation by still figuring out a safe way to be with family and friends,” she said. “My friends and I, along with our two families, created this outdoor fake graduation ceremony, and dad gave us a graduation speech and we collected our fake diplomas. Even though it’s silly and very different from the norm it was a really special and creative way to make the most out of the situation.”
While this year’s graduates will still have to look at their computer screen during the commencement, next year’s graduates are confident in having an in person graduation experience. “More and more people are getting vaccines everyday,” Joey Wolberg, ’22, said. “I’d be really surprised if we weren’t in the Big House next year for our graduation.”
The most recent numbers point to the likelihood of an in-person graduation as well. President Biden has recently announced that all adults will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine April 19th, two week earlier than predicted, according to USA Today. That would give the university more than a year to plan a thoughtful approach to an in-person graduation.
In Michigan specifically, students have already begun receiving the vaccine. While there are still many more to go, a fully vaccinated Wolverine community looks more promising every day. With many courses scheduled to be in-person next semester, Michigan has already begun to account for the soon-to-be vaccinated community. Similarly, fans are expected to be back in the stadiums for the upcoming BIG-10 football season. “Michigan is starting to get on the right track,” Wolberg said. “The future is looking more and more promising, and I hope to see more improvement.”
As for next year’s graduation, only time will tell if Michigan is in a position to offer in-person ceremonies. However, there will be pressure on the administration to push for a graduation in the Big House for 2022 graduates.
“Last year, a virtual graduation ceremony was expected and the school fell short. This year, an optional in-person graduation was expected and the school fell short. Next year, the school has an opportunity to redeem themselves and plan an incredible graduation that accommodates all graduates at Michigan,” Wolberg said.
Featured image: Graduation. Photo credit: Good Free Photos on Unsplash