Febs discuss plans for revised graduation ceremonies

Author: Andrea Gissing

The time for the mid-year graduation is fast approaching. Over a hundred students are preparing to end their Middlebury careers and move off into the world beyond. However, as they figure out how best to secure their mortarboards so it does not fall off during the Jan. 29 ski-down, there are a group of February graduating students -- "Febs" - who have been working with the administration to figure out how to make "Feb Celebration" a commencement and not just a celebration.

The main differences between the current Feb celebration and the spring commencement are that those who graduate after the Winter Term do not receive their diploma - they have to wait until the following spring - no honorary degrees are awarded and the students do not receive honors or awards at this time. At the time of graduation, "diplomas, generally, are only given to those whose grades and honors have already been calculated," said Secretary of the College and Professor of Political Science Eric Davis.

"I feel this is an important issue," said Abbie Beane '04.5, "because quite frankly, if these issues are not addressed more and more Febs may feel slighted in the future and like they receive unequal privileges compared to the September students. This may even create a divide between Febs and Regs or cause resentment towards Middlebury from the Febs."

It is a misconception, however that all of the students graduating after Winter Term are Febs. "Although the Febs start as a class," said Dean of Student Affairs Ann Hanson, "not all that graduate are Febs. Students usually graduate after seven, eight or nine semesters."

The students graduating in February have the option of participating in the commencement ceremony of either the class graduating the spring before them or after, and because most identify more with the class above them they choose to walk knowing that they would not receive a diploma. "When the class of 2004 left I felt as if all my friends were gone, or as if I no longer had a class, or both," said Beane. For those graduating in February, the option of coming to another class' graduation is not favorable.

Under the current academic calendar, grades are due at the end of Winter Term and students graduate the Saturday following, giving professors no time to read theses or calculate departmental honors. "In the spring," Davis explained, " there are four days between the day grades are due and commencement. In order for the Feb celebration to become a commencement, there needs to be more time. In addition, the change over with graduating students and incoming February students puts an increased pressure to have the celebration right after Winter Term ends.

One of the results of last year's Winter Term discussion was that in the future the break before spring term would be elongated, even up to two weeks in some years. In this case, time would be available for all the diploma requirements to be settled, however "time would be tight." However, the issue of senior work would still have to be determined. "Presently I don't think it's feasible to give out diplomas as long as theses deadlines are also at the end of Winter Term," Davis said. He explains that thesis deadlines would have to be at least two weeks earlier to allow professors to read them. If a change were to be made, it likely would not take effect until the fall of 2007.

Traditional events at the Feb graduation includes a reception at the President's house on Thursday evening, an event, with speakers, at the Center for the Arts on Friday - this year's guest speaker is James S. Okomboli Ong'ong'A '00.5 - and a ceremony held at Mead Chapel followed by a luncheon and then the ski-down at the Snow Bowl on Saturday.

"I think the Feb graduation tradition is a fun and original take on this formal ceremony," said Beane. "But I wish they would call it graduation rather than "celebration," award us diplomas and read honors. Honestly, these things seem simple enough to be remedied."