Please Allow Parents to Attend the 107th and 108th Commencement Ceremony
Please Allow Parents to Attend the 107th and 108th Commencement Ceremony
The Issue
Dear President, Provost, and Deans
We, the Parents of the Class of 2020 and 2021, would like to request reconsideration of your decision to restrict the Commencement Ceremony to only the students. We know you made the decision based on facts available to you and in the best interest of our students, your staff, and the community.
However, as parents, we strongly believe that parental presence in this once-in-a-lifetime event is incredibly important not only to parents but also to the students as they transition from college to adulthood. Like we have trusted Rice all these years, I hope Rice would trust us - to create rules and regulations for this event, and to follow protocols to ensure everyone’s safety and to make this a successful and memorable event.
Some reasons for our request are:
- Vaccination is becoming widely available. By mid-May, we believe most of the willing parents will be vaccinated.
- We could limit the number of in-person guests per student.
- We will work with Rice administration to create specific rules and protocols for attendees.
- The event can be conducted outdoors in a larger, socially distanced venue such as the stadium if necessary.
- Students have been working extremely hard. Their senior year has been far from ordinary, depriving them of the great things that seniors usually enjoy. Having their parents watch them walk will help alleviate some of the many things they have missed this year.
We are extremely appreciative of all that Rice has done for our students over the past 4 years. We could not thank you all enough for keeping our students extremely safe at all times - starting from Hurricane Harvey on week 1 to the most recent winter storm.
We hope the COVID situation will soon improve even further and that you would reconsider your decision and let us participate in the 108th Commencement Ceremony in person and help maintain the important three-way relationship between Rice, the students, and the parents.
Thankfully and Respectfully
Parents of the Great Class of 2020 and 2021
The Issue
Dear President, Provost, and Deans
We, the Parents of the Class of 2020 and 2021, would like to request reconsideration of your decision to restrict the Commencement Ceremony to only the students. We know you made the decision based on facts available to you and in the best interest of our students, your staff, and the community.
However, as parents, we strongly believe that parental presence in this once-in-a-lifetime event is incredibly important not only to parents but also to the students as they transition from college to adulthood. Like we have trusted Rice all these years, I hope Rice would trust us - to create rules and regulations for this event, and to follow protocols to ensure everyone’s safety and to make this a successful and memorable event.
Some reasons for our request are:
- Vaccination is becoming widely available. By mid-May, we believe most of the willing parents will be vaccinated.
- We could limit the number of in-person guests per student.
- We will work with Rice administration to create specific rules and protocols for attendees.
- The event can be conducted outdoors in a larger, socially distanced venue such as the stadium if necessary.
- Students have been working extremely hard. Their senior year has been far from ordinary, depriving them of the great things that seniors usually enjoy. Having their parents watch them walk will help alleviate some of the many things they have missed this year.
We are extremely appreciative of all that Rice has done for our students over the past 4 years. We could not thank you all enough for keeping our students extremely safe at all times - starting from Hurricane Harvey on week 1 to the most recent winter storm.
We hope the COVID situation will soon improve even further and that you would reconsider your decision and let us participate in the 108th Commencement Ceremony in person and help maintain the important three-way relationship between Rice, the students, and the parents.
Thankfully and Respectfully
Parents of the Great Class of 2020 and 2021
Victory
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The Decision Makers
Petition created on March 6, 2021