Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Edgewood College cancelled the commencement ceremonies scheduled for the weekend of May 16. 2020 graduates are instead invited to the 2021 ceremony and can arrange private ceremonies with president-elect Andrew Manion this summer.
Here are some thoughts from this spring’s graduates.
Hello fellow Edgewood College community,
To put very simply, since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, things have looked different. The “what’s” of our day (i.e. our physical location, who we’re able to interact with, etc.) are just a few demonstrations of that difference. Despite the difference with the “what’s,” I have come to realize that some of the hardest differences to overcome during this time are the “how’s” of our days–how we interact with people, how we grieve the loss of loved ones, how we celebrate important life transitions.
I always thought of the month of May as a very exciting time. It seemed to offer the first time of the year that you could comfortably walk outside wearing shorts and a t-shirt. The extra light and warmth seemed symbolic of the days of transition ahead–the days of the semester wrapping up and exciting ceremonies approaching. As I’ve said earlier, the month of May itself, to put simply, looks different. One demonstration of that difference is the Class of 2020’s loss of graduation ceremonies.
The importance of rituals signifying important life transitions cannot be understated. It is a time for people to give themselves the permission to reflect on their accomplishments, progress and growth. It is a time to anchor themselves as they begin to launch into the next phase of their journey. It is a time to offer closure for one chapter so the next one can begin. Like the month of May, how we find closure in this context looks different.
As a 2020 graduate myself, my heart is with those finding closure in this time. Times of transition are naturally accompanied by feelings of anxiety, and the new reality of these uncertain times can make that anxiety feel unbearable. My hope is that the Edgewood College community does not forget the importance of rituals in times of transition, and the grief that people are experiencing when those rituals look different–if they’re happening at all.
I thank my fellow Edgewood community for offering the Class of 2020 the opportunity to walk in 2021. Offering closure and rituals for folks is but one demonstration of the importance of community. It is also one of the many examples I’ve seen of human resilience in these times. I am confident that this resilience will press on as we all continue adjusting to a context that is very different.
Be kind to one another, especially to yourself!
-Bret Stalcup, graduate student of Marriage and Family Therapy program
2020 Graduates:
I’m incredibly disappointed with Edgewood’s decision to cancel this year’s graduation ceremony. Seeing how other universities and educational institutions have responded to these unprecedented circumstances, I held onto the hope that Edgewood would decide to provide a postponed celebration. But it appears that won’t be the case.
Graduating college is a momentous occasion and an incredible accomplishment. Edgewood’s failure to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of its students is disheartening and leaves me feeling devalued and dismissed. It feels as though my four years have meant nothing to this school, and the campus will move on with business as usual.
My heart goes out to the first generation college students, the undocumented students, those who have overcome learning disabilities and educational barriers, those who have invested in and contributed to bettering our school, and everyone else who has overcome hurdles and successfully completed their course of study.
I’m the first one in my family to graduate college. Through unimaginable health, family and personal trials over the last four years, I made it. I did it. I earned my bachelor’s.
A five-minute ceremony and an invitation to next year’s graduation ceremony is quite frankly a laughable “solution.” We the students have invested time, money, energy and emotion into our higher education. Now our time at Edgewood is left without an ending—no warning, no conclusion, no celebration.
Do better, Edgewood.
-Natalie Hanson, senior
Should I or shouldn’t I graduate 2021?
Dear Editor,
I am torn about this year’s graduation and all the changes that have occurred throughout my time at Edgewood College. I finished my bachelor’s degree in December 2017 (I am the guy who went from 0 credits to 121 credits in 28 months in the RAAD program), and it was important for me to walk at graduation after this accomplishment for many personal reasons.
In January 2018, I started graduate school with an expected completion date of December 2019 before winter graduations were eliminated. I was then given the choice to either walk in the graduation ceremony in 2019–before completing my program–or waiting five months and participating in 2020. At the time, I didn’t feel comfortable participating in a ceremony where I hadn’t completed or earned my right to be there, so 2020 seem to be the logical choice.
Fast-forward to today, here we are, and once again, I am saddled with the burden of having to make graduation decisions and even consider yet again postponing the “Rite of Passage” of celebrating my most recent academic accomplishment.
As you can see, I am used to change at the college level, but also I am frustrated not only for myself, but for others of all levels who have also earned the opportunity to experience the “Rite of Passage” through graduation.
I have accomplished a lot during my time at Edgewood College, including publishing a couple books and becoming a certified consulting hypnotist this past summer.
Yet none of that compares to achieving a Master of Science in Organizational Development (MSOD) with a 4.0 GPA from Edgewood College. For a guy who used to get the mail and hide his report card from his parents back in high school, it is a huge accomplishment and will be held at high regard along with other major accomplishments I have previously experienced.
In conclusion, I realize that my son graduates in Spring 2021 and that is his time! I will not take that away from him by participating in the 2021 graduation of Edgewood College. I just can’t lessen his accomplishment or his “Rite of Passage.” Instead, I will celebrate him along with all graduates from this year and next.
I also pray that everything works out for all Edgewood graduates this year and the next.
-Frank C. Auenson, graduate of the MSOD program
I am very disappointed and frustrated that the graduating students do not get a graduating ceremony.
I understand the situation is very unpredictable, but being a small college, I would hope they could plan something for us. I know some private schools in Milwaukee are rescheduling the ceremonies for August. Even if we did smaller graduations based on the degree individuals obtained, I think the students would really appreciate that.
We have worked very hard to earn our degrees and we don’t get any type of congratulations from the college.
-Anonymous graduate
Dear Edgewood College Ed.D. graduates, professors, administrators and staff,
This year’s remote commencement is a first for all of us. Because we are removed from shared physical space, our hearts are even more keen to each other somehow it seems. Recognizing that love and caring, respect and gratitude, honor and pride–along with the Edgewood College values of truth, compassion, justice, partnership, and community–are all abstract ideologies also recognizes the flexibility we share with each other across space and time as well as remotely.
What is truly important in our being present with each other is not lost but rather enhanced as we reach out connecting hearts and minds during this celebration we are blessed to continue during our May 2020 graduations. May we reflect on the Divine and be reminded of the greatest power known to humankind in the ageless adage “love conquers all.”
This year’s graduation loses nothing of importance and adds to what being there in spirit really means. It means Edgewood College is part of our legacy now and will continue to be there for us as we go forward, becoming alumni and carrying the torch for the next generation of graduates.
Our flame burns brighter because of our Edgewood experiences. For this I will be eternally grateful, as well as eternally Dr. Celeste M. Luzzio.
Thank you!
-Celeste M. Luzzio, graduate of the doctoral program in Educational Leadership
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