Georgetown University will hold a commencement ceremony for the Class of 2020 after its original graduation was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

University President John J. DeGioia (CAS ’79, GRD ’95) announced the ceremony Oct. 26 and asked for student input on the best events to celebrate undergraduate, graduate and law students who graduated in the spring of 2020. The university will host the ceremonies May 28 and 29, 2022. 

For some students, the commencement will serve as a reunion between classmates and professors they might not have seen for over two years, according to Maddie Charbonneau (COL ’20), who organized a petition calling on the university to host an in-person graduation. (Full disclosure: Charbonneau previously served as executive editor at The Hoya).

“After college all of my friends are kind of scattered,” Charbonneau said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “Some are in D.C., I myself live in New York now, so it’ll be nice to see everybody in one place again and two years after the fact to acknowledge that this weird thing happened and we suddenly haven’t seen each other in two years.”

Others, however, are more focused on the opportunity for families to see their students formally graduate, especially if the students traveled far from home for college, according to Isabelle Smith (SFS ’20).

“It’s important to me as someone who went to college out of state. Most of my peers in high school and my family friends stayed within state for college, and so me going to Georgetown was a really big deal in my family,” Smith said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “I’m looking forward to being able to celebrate that and for my family to kind of see how their sacrifices paid off.” 

The university canceled the traditional in-person commencement ceremony for the Class of 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In its place, Georgetown hosted a 30-minute Facebook livestream May 16, 2020, to celebrate graduating seniors. 

In order to improve the future ceremony’s accessibility for all students and their families, Georgetown should offer financial assistance for travel costs, according to Smith.

“I feel very lucky that I’m in D.C. for work and foresee myself being here in the near future next May, but I do think that there are probably going to be barriers for people being able to come,” Smith said. “I think it would be great if Georgetown offered some sort of financial assistance to students and families that qualified in order for them to also be able to attend commencement.” 

The university is excited to celebrate the Class of 2020 in commencement ceremonies next spring and is working to gather student input, according to a university spokesperson.

“When we were not able to hold a full commencement ceremony in May 2020, the University committed to hosting a commencement for the Class of 2020 when public health conditions would allow,” the university spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya. “We have met with Class of 2020 leadership on this topic and we are glad to be able to announce this wonderful news.”

In addition to offering financial help, the university should organize events that will be most meaningful to the Class of 2020 and their families, according to Catherine Tresslar (COL ’20).

“I’m happy they’re keeping their promise, but I don’t think people are going to want to come in from far out of town and invite their families if it’s just like a bar night, and if it’s something more lowkey I think the excitement will dwindle,” Tresslar said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “I think people are really expecting them to do something a little more over-the-top since we did miss out on so much.”

In addition to a formal graduation ceremony, Tresslar hopes the university will reschedule the Senior Ball, an annual gala held during Senior Week to which students can bring their families. 

“Some of my friends and I all really want Senior Ball, and I think that one ranks so highly among seniors because it is really something inclusive,” Tresslar said. “Your friends and your family all get to come to that, it doesn’t require us putting on a cap and gown, it’s something in formal attire and makes it feel more grandiose and special like we are celebrating something.” 

While specific preferences for the celebrations may vary, two years after the graduates received their diplomas in the mail, commencement ceremonies are long overdue, according to Charbonneau.

“I’m personally excited that they’re asking us what we want out of it, so hopefully we as a class can build the commencement we want,” Charbonneau said.