While peer universities in the DMV area make arrangements to safely celebrate their students academic achievements and graduation, George Washington University has demonstrated no commitment to cooperating with DC officials and holding an in-person celebration. While the administration asked for student feedback to potentially plan something, they did not release the survey results, indicate the purpose of the survey, or explain what was done with the survey data.

Graduating on the National Mall is the #OnlyAtGW moment all students look forward to. Class of 2021 has spent the past year and a half finishing their college experiences online, with little support from the university. With vaccinations rising and our most vulnerable populations protected from COVID risks, GW should cooperate with the City of DC and hold an in-person ceremony on the National Mall for the Class of 2021 (and Class of 2020, who missed out last year). 

At the very least, graduates, parents, and students deserve an explanation for why GW fails to deliver for their students while other local schools are safely celebrating. We pay far too much in tuition to be given vague answers about this topic. While petitions do not magically fix things, I invite GW students, parents, and alumni to show their support and demand effort- and at the very least, answers- from George Washington University President Thomas LeBlanc and his administration.