The university is keeping commencement in its backyard for the class of 2024, having recently announced that this year’s graduation ceremonies will be taking place at Kathy Zolad Stadium, which the Commencement Committee saw as a choice that they said was “in the heart of our picturesque campus” in a recent email.
The Smurf Turf is set to be the landing spot for three ceremonies, divided this year by level of degree instead of affiliated college.
This means that the entirety of the undergraduate class of 2024 will be sharing one collective ceremony, scheduled for Saturday, May 11. This will be the last of the week’s ceremonies, following master’s and doctoral candidates from the Pompea College of Business on May 9 and master’s and doctoral candidates from all of the other colleges on May 10.
Some seniors disagree with the relocation of Commencement. Samantha Borsari, senior forensic science major, said “We’ve worked too hard, and deserve a better graduation than our [COVID-19] high school one. There’s more reasons than [can be listed] why holding [the ceremony] outdoors on a soccer field on campus is not a good idea.”
Senior interior design major Madison Bayles actually reached out to a number of university officials, including the Dean of Students and the Commencement Committee. In her email, which she has shared, she called the news of moving the ceremony to campus “extremely disheartening and utterly disappointing.”
Bayles also listed concerns about accessibility, parking, capacity and access for families traveling for the ceremony. She said, “Please do better for our undergraduate community and consider the complaints that arise as you continue planning to navigate properly.”
The response that she received shortly after came from Interim Deputy Provost Christine Shakespeare, who said that she is “sorry to hear about [her] disappointment about commencement on campus. Many of us are thrilled because we know we can execute a fine event—better than at any external location!”
Shakespeare also wrote, “Please be assured that the event professionals who work on Commencement have planned the UNewHaven Commencement carefully. There will be plenty of parking! Plenty of ADA Compliance! Tickets just as previous graduates have had. We hold your concerns in our hands and heart with sincerity. We do not take the change lightly. We applaud your hard work and you and your family and friends will be pleased with the ceremony.”
On Nov. 7, members of the class of 2024 came to the Bergami Center to discuss their thoughts on the changes to their commencement. The forum was mostly moderated by Sankofa Benzo, the class president and senior cybersecurity major.
One concern from students was the potential for kickbacks from the athletics department, as one student shared that there were issues with the maintenance of the turf on Zolad after the usage of the field for ceremonies at the start of COVID. Benzo was not given information on this matter.
A number of students also voiced concerns about accessibility in a field setting, including accessible parking, heat safety and access to seating, among others.
The theme of the night surrounded a lack of communication between the commencement committee and the class of 2024 executive board, as Benzo repeatedly told her peers that they did not have the information to properly address their concerns.
Benzo was able to confirm there has yet to be a feedback form for students or an outlet offered for members of the graduating class to share their thoughts with the committee.
Benzo was joined by members of the Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA) including president and junior forensic science major Darby Brown, to discuss potential action by the student population.
Discussion surrounded an official petition to move the event back to Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport. The petition would mirror the formatting of the petition regarding winter commencement in 2021 and would have to be voted on by the USGA. Currently, the 2024 executive board and USGA say they are unsure if there is enough time for the university to still book the original venue, but this has not waived plans to pursue the petition arrangements. More information will be provided accordingly.
“The more noise you make the better,” Benzo said. “Use your voice.”
In justification of the decision to relocate, the Commencement Committee said in an email to the university community on Nov. 16, “We held our Centennial Commencement in fall 2021 at Zolad Stadium, receiving positive feedback about the location and the atmosphere created by hosting the ceremony on campus.”
The committee closed their comments to the university community in acknowledging the impact of the pandemic on the high school and early college experience of the class of 2024 and said, “For these graduates, especially, our vision is to create a memorable Charger Commencement experience that could only occur on our campus.”
The 2024 commencement website will be updated as needed.
