Hello Saint Mary's College Community,

The Class of 2021 and 2020 received notification that the commencement ceremony in May for the graduating classes of 2020 and 2021 will be a "drive-through" meaning that students and families will wait in a long line for just a few moments to graduate. We will also be getting a celebration website. While we appreciate the sentiment, we believe there are other options to consider. The class of 2021 has endured many hardships during this time, as have many other classes. It is especially disappointing that the second half of our junior year and the entirety of our senior year has been and will continue to be fully remote. An in-person graduation is what many of us have looked forward to. We believe that this can be accomplished safely in due time. 

With conditions changing & vaccines rolling out, we are looking to make an in-person graduation with our fellow classmates feasible. We are petitioning for an addendum to the current graduation plans, stating that if the situation changes, it will be possible to do a greater celebration. Should the pandemic continue to worsen or to stay the same, then we understand that a drive-through may be the next best option. However, this should be a “backup” plan. The main plan moving forward should surround exploring options to give the graduating class an in-person experience that is safe and in line with COVID-19 guidelines.

There are a few issues with the drive-through option that we would like to bring attention to:

1) This is not inclusive for those who do not live in the Bay Area. As a Lasallian Institution that highlights the importance of being inclusive, this commencement plan is not in line with the foundations of our institution. If an individual is out-of-state, how will they be able to get a car to participate in the drive-through?

2) In addition to the tuition fees of about $50k a year per student we also pay graduation fees. Each graduating senior pays these fees, we would like to know where these fees will be going if not for a graduation ceremony. 

3) It is a long-standing tradition for the graduating class to have the commencement ceremony on a Saturday. However, this year, the commencement day for the class of 2021 is on a Friday, while the commencement day for the class of 2020 is on a Saturday. Many students of the class of 2021 as well as parents may be unable to attend due to work conflicts. 

4) The traffic that would accompany a drive-through ceremony would be too much for the town of Moraga to handle. This traffic could potentially cause a delay in emergency services such as fire engines and paramedics. 

5) Many have expressed that it is not worth their family’s or their own time or resources needed to stay in a drive-through line for only a few moments on campus. 

Other options to consider:

1) Saint Mary's College has the available resources to hold a proper in-person ceremony safely. As with Fall move-in, rapid COVID-19 testing was available for all students. The test results came back within 15 minutes. What if everyone was required to be tested beforehand?

2) If the seats are socially distant from one another, all of the individuals wore masks, temperature checks were conducted, AND there were very limited guests (those who live in the student’s immediate household), it would be possible to hold a "real" commencement with our fellow classmates. Furthermore, live streaming services could be available for family members or for students unable to attend. Of course, this will depend on the county guidelines, but it is too early to tell how things will look in May. 

3) The graduating class can be split up into pods based on schools: School of Science, School of Liberal Arts, and School of Economics and Business Administration. Saint Mary's has many spacious outdoor areas to make this possible— the soccer fields, the rugby field, chapel lawn, and the redwood grove, among others. Each school can be split to further increase the availability of social distancing.

4) It is much too early to make a definitive decision for commencement in May. Given the advancements that we have recently seen, guidelines following COVID-19 are rapidly changing. Most people may be vaccinated within the next four months and the situation may drastically change. It would be possible for the county to move to tiers that allow events such as outdoor graduations to happen. For example, over the course of December-January, we were put in a stay-at-home order and that was recently lifted, allowing outdoor services to be available. While we understand that commencement must be planned in advance— it seems far-fetched to assume that the COVID-19 situation will not improve. Given the current circumstances of the Bay Area, outdoor dining is allowable. As we see conditions changing, we are looking to make a change to these commencement plans.

5) A majority of other schools in California (such as USC, SCU Law School, SDSU, and many other colleges across the United States) have either said they are planning for an in-person ceremony for now, or it is too early to make a definitive decision on how commencement will look. We should be in line with other schools of our area. We are currently in the orange tier. Saint Mary's can just as easily utilize those schools as role models by requiring rapid negative covid test results or proof of vaccination to hold a safe in person graduation. Furthermore, Saint Mary’s is at an advantage because we have plenty of outdoor spaces to hold an event such as graduation with proper distancing in addition to having a small senior class size— an average of 500 students.

As students, we have dreamed of having an in-person graduation ceremony. We’re asking for Saint Mary’s College of California to give us this opportunity when it is safe to do so — EVEN IF THAT MEANS HOLDING A GRADUATION CEREMONY LATER IN THE SUMMER OR WINTER TIME. It is too soon to know what things will look like in May or later on in the future. If students are allowed to move in and live on campus in community with one another safely during this pandemic, then it is seemingly possible for the school to accommodate the graduating class to celebrate safely in community with one another.

Thank you in advance for your consideration,

Saint Mary’s College of California Class of 2021