Feb class of 2004.5 hits the slopes Graduating Febs appreciate intimate mid-year

Author: Taylor Johnston

On Jan. 29, the graduating Feb class skied into alumni-hood under sunny skies, as part of the weekend-long event popularly known as Feb celebration.

This year's February Celebration Weekend included the usual college event fare tempered with student-planned activities. The fun started on Wednesday with a party at Two Brothers Tavern, picked up again Thursday night with the President's reception and student slide show and was still going strong on Friday with the guest speaker and student party at the Grille. Saturday saw the usual Mead Chapel ceremony, ski-down and final reception.

Amy McQuade '04.5 described one of the highlights of her experience, Saturday's ceremony in Mead Chapel.

"After President Ronald D. Liebowitz hands every student a cane, they return to their seats to praise the others walking across the stage," she said.

"As soon as one student received the cane, we all turned into Freshmen again, as the only sound you could hear was of 100 Febs banging their Painter cane on the floor of Mead Chapel in pure elation. We were all laughing so hard."

McQuade remembers her experience watching her brother's May commencement in 2002.

"The ceremony in Mead Chapel is much more relaxed than graduation in the Spring. The environment is more friendly and cheery," she said "[I found May commencement] to be much more impersonal - the fact that I could look around in Mead Chapel and see a close friend in every direction made the ceremony even more special."

Tim Marks '03.5, Alumni and Parent Program intern, expressed a similar sentiment about the celebration. He worked on the '03.5 Feb Celebration Committee and also helped plan this year's events as a staff member of the Alumni and Parent Program.

"It's not a big graduation," Marks said. "It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of May commencement, but it's much more personal. I like it more than commencement. I got to ski down the hill in my cap and gown [last year] - who can say that? I wouldn't change anything about it."

Marks said he feels the Feb celebration speakers, while less prestigious than May commencement's, add to the intimacy of the experience.

"I think that what the Febs get on Friday in the [Center for the Arts] is better than anything anyone else could give them. Typically, Febs invite someone [to talk] that can speak to the Feb experience."

This year's Friday night guest speaker was James Okomboli '00.5, followed the next day by two members of the class, Steffany Hodge and Max Lavine, who spoke at the Mead Chapel ceremony.

Heather Cahill, associate director of the Alumni and Parent Program, spoke to a worry of some members of the Feb class.

"Many students come into Feb celebration with the concern that it will be less official that May graduation," she said. "But afterwards many think it's more special. It allows for a more personal experience and students are a lot more involved in the process."

McQuade had only one objection to the event. "Febs do not receive a diploma at the celebration, and the weekend does not even hold the title of a 'graduation,'" she said.

Abbie Beane '04.5 enjoyed the celebration, but had similar concerns. "I still have a problem with the fact that they don't read honors and they call it a celebration and not a graduation."

Marks said he thinks keeping the weekend as a celebration allows more people to participate. The unofficial feel of the experience does not bother him.

"I think this year was a little more official than last year - they read off majors - but I think the College spends most of it's energy trying to make it intimate and personal. As an alum and a Feb, I think that's exactly the way it should be done."

Most Febs share Marks's opinion, according to Cahill. "I've been doing [celebrations] for six years," she said. "I've had very few people who walked away saying it wasn't all that [they] wanted it to be."

This year seems to be no exception. "I think for [our class] it was better than expected," said Leslie Wade '04.5. "That was a nice surprise."