With Commencement around the corner, I have a few more things to share.

I am starting to get questions about how one dresses for the ceremonies. This is a year unlike any we’ve ever had, so I can’t exactly draw on the past. That said, in all my years working Commencement, we have seen a range of attire.

My best guess is that for the diploma ceremony, many men might wear a suit or a jacket (whether that is with a golf shirt or button down shirt), but some might wear button downs or other shirts. Anything clean and is comfortable to you is fine. For the evening event at Truist field, attire might be similar, but could also be closer to business casual since it is outdoors. My guess for ladies is that it could be anything from suits to skirts and blouses to dresses/sundresses or pants. Again, what you feel good in is the most important point.

It is always good to have the ability to add or remove the jacket (or for ladies, a sweater or wrap) if it is too cold/hot. I always counsel comfortable shoes, as there will be some walking to/from the venues. (Also, I hate wearing heels myself!)

Undergraduates will be emailed their two tickets for the diploma ceremony and Truist Field celebration by 8 pm tonight. Urge your Deacs to check their spam filter/junk mail just in case it accidentally lands there, and see this ticket FAQ. And a reminder: the graduates are responsible for forwarding their tickets to their two guests. If you need to, give them a gentle nudge to ask them to get their tickets to their guests promptly.

Some of you have asked about the links to the livestreams of the various diploma ceremonies and Truist Field celebration. The links will all be on the Commencement homepage by Sunday, and they will also be able to get to individual livestream links from the gray navigation bar at the top of the site – go to the one that says Livestream.

On to other news! The Center for the Advancement of Teaching is conducting a survey of student learning experiences for the Spring 2021 semester, and we want to encourage all students to complete it. The CAT has been doing surveys like this since Spring 2020, and the results are extremely helpful, as they guide planning and support for students and faculty across campus. Students were emailed the survey this past Friday 5/7; the subject line was: Share Your Spring 2021 Learning Experiences. If your Deac hasn’t participated yet, please urge them to; the survey runs until May 21st.

Center for the Advancement of Teaching survey info

For our P’25 families (of the incoming Class of 2025 who will start in August) and families of new transfer students, I was told today that ’25s can now access their Student Health Service portal to upload their vaccine information; details on how to do that are here. The Health Information and Immunization Form that our ’25s (and new transfer students) need to complete is here.

One of my colleagues sent me a couple of articles from The New York Times that are worth a read. One is called Teenagers Are Struggling, and It’s Not Just Lockdown. It is a bit of a longish article and you have to hang with it; it does highlight one of the key stressors for students, which is pressure (real or imagined) to achieve:

Parents appear to play a big role…. Fifty-seven percent of students said that their parents’ expectations for their performance stayed the same during the pandemic, while 34 percent said their expectations increased. The stereotype of the adolescent aloof from parental influence doesn’t seem to apply to these students, who report feeling more stressed about family pressure than peer pressure.

When Dr. Pope asks parents to define success, they inevitably say that they want their children to be happy and healthy, have loving relationships and give back to society. But when she asks children how they define success, many describe a narrow path: getting good grades, going to college and securing a high-paying job.

So this may be worth having some conversation with your Deac about what they think your expectations are vs. what they really are, and alleviating any imagined pressure.

And this article I really loved – it’s called The Other Side of Languishing Is Flourishing. Here’s How to Get There. It has some simple, tangible things our students can do to help them recenter and flourish. I particularly liked this suggestion:

2012 study of college students found that taking part in a savoring activity called “mindful photography” resulted in overall improvements in mood and a significantly greater sense of appreciation for college life. The students were instructed to take at least five photos of their everyday lives — friends, their favorite view on campus, books they enjoyed — twice a week for two weeks. Reflecting on the photos, and the small moments that brought them joy, helped the students focus on the good in their lives.

There are other great suggestions in there too – ones that moms, dads, and loved ones might also appreciate. As with all my advice, take what works for you and pass on anything that doesn’t 🙂

We’ll end with some finals memes. Because your students are in the thick of it, and because laughter is the best medicine 🙂

Calvin and Hobbes cartoon - inspiration = panic when the deadline looms four horsemen of procrastination: napping, snacks, social media, minor chores person trying to stuff a sofa in backseat - joke is trying to cram in a semester of knowledge in a weekend sign on back telling people not to talk to me because I have no self control and will not get work done joke showing how spinach reduces when cooked, relating it to difference between notes you took for outline of paper vs word count once typed

 

— by Betsy Chapman, Ph.D. (’92, MA ’94)

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