Since the Covid-19 pandemic has started college students everywhere have had a lack of normalcy and are deprived of everyday routines, opportunities, and events. However, with mandates lifting, life going back to normal, and larger universities having full-on normal graduation ceremonies we feel that our small private school, Carthage College, should grant us the opportunity for our class of 2022 to be together once last time and celebrate all of our accomplishments.

Carthage has done a great job of keeping Covid cases on campus to a minimum, following mandates throughout the semester, and much more. We are thankful for this but we as seniors feel that we can have a successful and normal graduation ceremony on the football field in a safe manner. As of now, Carthage is planning on having us do a walk-through ceremony. This ceremony would be based on the last name and you will walk through it with your family. While this was a nice alternative in past years during the peak of the pandemic it is not anymore. We no longer can graduate with roommates by our side, peers that got us through the hardest of times in classes, friends we made on campus randomly, etc. even though mandates are lifted and numbers remain low.

Universities such as the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Arizona, Illinois State University, and others have given students the opportunity to choose what type of ceremony they would like to participate in. These options included: a normal all-class graduation ceremony, a personalized individual ceremony, or they could participate in both or a specific one. We feel that since Carthage College is significantly smaller we should be given an opportunity like this. This can be everyone’s individual choice and what they feel comfortable with. However, having no choice deprives us of one last opportunity to celebrate all of us.

Signing this petition will hopefully show how we as students, parents, guardians, and family feel about returning to normal graduation! Thank you in advance for the support.