By Eric Moss ’24, News Editor
Over 200 students have signed a petition in response to the Administration’s decision requiring seniors to move out by 5:00 p.m. on Commencement Day. Photo courtesy of FindAdmission.
On the week of April 11, Hamilton’s Class of 2021 received a message from President Wippman informing them that Commencement, set to take place May 22, would not just be a day of traditional, ceremonious goodbyes, but also one including an immediate departure from campus. The senior class, as confirmed in a message by Commencement Planning Committee Chair Gillian King, will be required to vacate all residence halls by a 5:00 p.m. deadline shortly after graduating. While the administration fears the risk of COVID spreading amidst possible post-graduation parties, many students feel as though a lack of trust from the administration has robbed them of their rightful end to their college experience.
“On a day meant to celebrate our four years of hard work and connection, we will be forced to focus on packing and shuttling our belongings out of our rooms,” reads a petition made by members of the senior class regarding this year’s abbreviated move out. The letter, which has gained traction throughout the last few weeks, has garnered the support of community members campus-wide and gathered over 200 senior signatures.
Senior Craig Engert ’21 commented on his part in creating the petition. “We loved the people and Hamilton as an entity but disliked how it was being managed, especially around Commencement. I looked at the group of kids I was talking to and realized that everyone who had agreed were all kids who would typically love Hamilton. They are the poster kids who Hamilton has stories about on their website.” For Engert ’21, sharing the petition was a means of battling for the proper parting that would befit each member of his class.
Among the petition’s primary objectives, students asked for an adjusted move out deadline of 12 p.m. the following day, May 23. The petition reasons that “the combination of the long drive with the emotional strain of graduating and loss of community, compounded by the moving out process, leaves students in a potentially dangerous situation.” Logistically, the petition argues that for students with longer drives and travel plans, many family members will be unable to tune into the ceremony, as they will be too busy traveling to meet the move out deadline. The Hamilton College website openly espouses notions of nourishing “an informed and responsible engagement with our ever-changing world.” The administration, the petition argues, “should trust the graduating class to live up to these words as…responsible graduates.”
Many graduating seniors have voiced dismay over the administration’s decision. Engert ’21 remarked that the College’s “tough luck” response to student efforts was “shocking to say the least” and “really demoralizing for the Class of 2021.” With the College still holding firm in its current plans, many seniors feel robbed of an evening that many find to be a particularly reflective and meaningful final Hamilton moment. In a plea to the administration, the petition implores, “I encourage you to walk the campus the last night or ask recent alumni about their experiences.”