The Senior Class Committee is looking for three student speakers to share their experiences with the senior class at the Senior Convocation this May. Students are invited to submit speeches on academic life, extra-curricular experiences or personal life at Georgetown. Those who submit speeches will perform them in front of a selection committee on April 20.

“We’re looking for speeches that represent the experiences of students as a whole,” said John Glavin, head of the convocation committee and a professor in the English department.

“The tone of each speech needs to be in keeping with that of an official university ceremony,” he said.

However, Glavin added that the convocation is generally less formal than the graduation ceremonies, and humor would not be out of place in student speeches.

“We’re looking for wit, but not stand-up comedy,” he said.

The selection committee, composed of faculty, administrators and student representatives from each of the four undergraduate schools, will select the best speeches on the basis of auditions. The senior class committee is currently looking for seniors to participate in the selection process. According to Senior Class Committee member Jamal Epps (COL ’01), “it’s important that students help select the speeches they will be hearing at their own convocation.” While only three speeches will be selected, all submitted speeches may be published in some form.

This will be the second year the Senior Class Convocation takes place. According to Glavin, the ceremony is an answer to the push for a unified graduation event. Because students are not seated according to alphabetical order or by school, they can celebrate with their “on-campus family” surrounded by their closest friends. The Senior Convocation mirrors the Freshman Convocation that occurs during every New Student Orientation, giving the students a sense of “beginning and end, a real feeling of closure,” according to Glavin.

The emphasis on student life is reinforced by the event’s structure, especially the inclusion of student speeches. In addition, the Senior Class Committee will present the class gift, a donation for the Southwest Quadrangle Project and Provost Dorothy Brown will address the class.

Commencement has been separated by class since 1987 due to the physical limitations of Georgetown’s campus. Because commencement requires space for tents, a rain site and ample parking, the unified commencement will have to be postponed at least until construction has ceased on campus.

“We could limit the amount of guests each student brings, but that just doesn’t seem like a Georgetown thing to do,” Glavin said.