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FAQs for Faculty & Staff

Below are some of the questions frequently asked by faculty and staff as Commencement Weekend approaches.

Near the end of spring semester (probably during exam week) faculty and staff will be sent PDF attachments with the activity schedules for Senior Week and Commencement Weekend.

Key dates and times will also be listed on the Information for Faculty & Staff pages.

Questions regarding specific events during Senior Week should be directed to Associate Dean of Students Tacci Smith at smitht@kenyon.edu. (The Senior Class is still finalizing the details for their outings and projects during Senior Week. Tacci will not have any concrete information to share with you until close to the end of April.)

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Yes! While most employees who choose to participate on an annual basis are faculty and administrators, any employee of Kenyon is allowed to participate in the formal processions, provided they are willing to "suit up" in the appropriate regalia. This includes visiting faculty and fellows, adjunct faculty, and members of the staff, both exempt and non-exempt.

For employees who are a little leery of joining the procession as a rule, you may wish to consider a "one shot" if you have a child in the senior class. Employees of Kenyon may choose to hand the diploma to their student in place of the President.

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Yes! Many faculty and staff members choose to attend various events throughout the weekend as members of the audience. Typically, the largest turnout is for Commencement and the picnic lunch that follows.

This long standing tradition of participation is one of the community aspects of Commencement Weekend that has made it such a distinctive experience for generations of Kenyon graduates and their families.

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Baccalaureate typically lasts an hour at most. The Senior Sing happens directly after the ceremony and lasts about fifteen to twenty minutes.

The length of Commencement can vary depending on the number of graduates and retirees to recognize, and the length of the various addresses given. Typically, Commencement lasts an average of two hours. The picnic that follows lasts as long as families are willing to linger. Most families stay about an hour, a few remain and visit with friends and faculty for longer period of time.

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All employees will receive an e-mail reminder when it is time to rent regalia for Commencement. Stay tuned!

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The Outdoor Plan:

Both the Baccalaureate and Commencement processions line up on Middle Path between the Marriott Park Gates and the Church of the Holy Spirit. Faculty marshals will be on hand to help you find an appropriate place in line.

There will be a limited number of students joining the procession for Baccalaureate.

For Commencement, the senior class as a whole will line up on Middle Path between Brooklyn Street and Weaver Cottage, marching down through the faculty lines on their way to Samuel Mather Lawn.

The Indoor Plan:

If the weather is simply too awful to be outside, we will be down in the Kenyon Athletic Center. For Baccalaureate, the entire procession will line up in the David W. Jasper Tennis Center.

For Commencement, the faculty and staff procession will line up on the second floor - faculty marshals will assist participants with lining up. The senior class will line up in the David W. Jasper Tennis Courts with the help of faculty and staff marshals.

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The Peel is one of Kenyon's ceremonial Middle Path traditions. Faculty and staff participating in the ceremony procession line up on each side of Middle Path between the Marriott Park Gates and the Church of the Holy Spirit.

The student procession, led by the Senior Faculty Marshal, passes between the two lines on the way to the ceremony site in front of Samuel Mather Hall. As the end of the student procession passes, the flag bearers and faculty marshals standing at the Marriott Park Gates turn to follow the graduates down Middle Path, and the two lines on either side of the path "peel" into place behind them.

The Peel happens twice (and only twice) each academic year: at Opening Convocation, as the first year class passes between the lines, and at Commencement, as the senior class passes between the lines.

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If the forecast calls for rain (or temperature extremes of any kind) outdoor activities will be moved to inside locations. In case of inclement weather, the alternate site for both Baccalarueate and Commencement is the Toan Track of the Kenyon Athletic Center. Students and employees will be notified of the final weather decision by e-mail on the morning of each ceremony.

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This will depend on where we are with various construction endeavors. Stay tuned!

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A list of department reception sites will be posted in early May 2012.

Department receptions will be held on Friday, May 18, from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.

The Gambier Child Care Center will be offering child care on Friday evening and Saturday morning. Further details will be announced after spring break.

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All Kenyon employees will receive e-mail notification in late April when it is time to reserve tickets for the Commencement Picnic. Tickets will be distributed via campus mail during Senior Week.

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The Gambier Child Care Center will be offering child care on Friday afternoon/evening and Saturday during Commencement. Further details will be sent to all Kenyon employees late in the spring semester.

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Yes! In keeping with Kenyon's commitment to improving our sustainability efforts, Commencement is making an effort to "go green."

New recycling procedures have been put in place to make sure that the water bottles used by those on the platform, and seniors at Commencement, do not end up in the trash. The bottles will be collected by specific workers and sent on to our recycling facility.

The number of Commencement bulletins printed has been cut by 60%. In place of the paper copies that used to go out to every Kenyon employee, everyone will receive a link to a PDF copy of the bulletin via e-mail during Senior Week.

Mailings to senior parents have also been drastically reduced. Beginning with the Class of 2008, parents now receive a small card with important dates and contact information in place of the six-page letter and eight-page registration booklet that used to go to every household. The information formerly contained in the letter and booklet are now available on the Commencement web site.

The "souvenir" weight robes worn by our graduates are now green on two levels: each robe is made of GreenWeaver fabric, created from 26 recycled 2-liter bottles, and any senior who wishes may return his or her gown to the bookstore after Commencement for recycling. We will send all of our returned robes back to our vendor, Oak Hall, who will have them recycled into polyfil for winter clothing.

Our college caterers, AVI, have created wonderfully "green" meals, with food purchased from local farms and prepared in our kitchens. They've even made special efforts with the disposable packaging items for our Commencement Picnic, which will be collected in special containers to help us create the most sustainable meals possible for our 3,000 attendees!

And, we're not done yet! Commencement continues to work with members of the President's office to further sustainability and green efforts in connection with Kenyon's ceremonies and events.

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If you have further questions that were not on this list or answered by the information on the Commencement web pages, please contact the Commencement Office at 740-427-5075 or commencement@kenyon.edu.

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