вЂњI think my biggest issue with this is after four years of going to a school that is constantly talking about creating the next generation of strong women and strong students today, completely isolates us in any agency in this process,вЂќ Le said.ДЄfter bringing up the issue with administration, Sanchez and co-president Amelia Hahn вЂ™21 proposed shipping gowns to students for commencement and having students return the gowns through the mail. вЂњI think people were more happy with the final result, the senior class just wants to be included in these conversations because they are about us.вЂќ вЂњOne of the big problems was that we werenвЂ™t consulted about it,вЂќ Simon said. Unable to find any other vendors who could provide gowns in the correct color, the college decided to go with silver. In the post, Sanchez explained that the green gowns are only available to rent from the usual vendor that distributes to the college. вЂњThey did not communicate with me or Amelia prior to today, so we were blindsided with this news as well,вЂќ co-senior class president Alexa Sanchez вЂ™21 wrote in a Facebook post on the Scripps Class of 2021 page on March 19. The gown color was changed after the senior class presidents approached the administration about the color choice.

Later, the link was redistributed to the entire senior class.Дue to the lack of an in-person commencement, graduating seniors have been mailed several pieces of Scripps regalia including a traditional seafoam green cap and a white gown. Students who opted for the mail option were forced to email the Office of Public Events and the registrar to ensure that their names would be said at commencement. They did not receive a personalized link where they could upload a selfie and video of themselves to include within the recorded ceremony nor a name pronunciation confirmation. вЂњI would love just some indication that there is going to be something we can look forward to relative to commencement.вЂќДЇurther issues surrounding the commencement ceremony arose when students who asked to have their diplomas mailed to them in September were opted out of commencement. вЂњOther colleges have made more concrete promises that there is going to be something happening in person eventually, even if itвЂ™s in May 2022,вЂќ Wofford said. вЂњIf people didnвЂ™t want to attend it wouldnвЂ™t cost anything to still put it on for the people who do want to attend.вЂќ вЂњI donвЂ™t blame the school for not having a live ceremony in any way, but a virtual ceremony should have been the bare minimum,вЂќ Laura Le вЂ™21 said. Still, some students feel like a live virtual ceremony should have been planned. вЂњIf Scripps were to do that it would be very exclusionary given that most of the Scripps population isnвЂ™t in Southern California,вЂќ Simon added. The guidelines for the events would allow for the attendance of students located in Southern California and students who would be able to quarantine before the event.

While Claremont Mckenna College, a member of the Claremont consortium, is planning to do an in-person ceremony, none of the other colleges in the consortium are.

It will be a recorded video published on May 22 and students can watch it asynchronously when it is published. The college does not plan to hold an in-person commencement ceremony, instead opting for a virtual format. вЂњ I just wish we had a little more time to ease into it and not cram in so much information to the point where it may be indigestible for some people.вЂќ вЂњI did spend a lot of time and effort and tears on my thesis,вЂќ Katie Simon вЂ™21 said. Additionally, they must join a Zoom call for a live question and answer session. Instead of presenting their thesis in person, students have pre-recorded five minute videos of themselves speaking about their work. The Class of 2021, who left as juniors, will not return to campus. Since March of 2020, Scripps College has maintained a closed campus to students. вЂњI thought that it was just a typo at that point,вЂќ Caroline Wofford вЂ™21 said. вЂњThe silver lining is that you will be able to keep your Scripps silver cap and gown!вЂќ the email included under a bullet point about sending commencement regalia to soon-to-be graduates. The caps and gowns would be silver instead of the traditional sage green. Inside, a subtle message about regalia was overlooked by many students. On March 19, an email was sent to Scripps CollegeвЂ™s Class of 2021 with updates about commencement plans.

Scripps college graduation