Kelly Loeb’s family had commencement weekend all planned out. 

Her parents and seven family members would fly in from California, reaching Syracuse University on the afternoon of May 8. They would arrive in time for the College of Arts and Sciences convocation ceremony and stay through the university-wide commencement ceremony on May 10.

SU announced earlier this month that several schools and colleges will hold convocations on Friday, May 8, instead of the traditional Saturday. Many families have been left scrambling to rebook flights and hotel rooms to account for the schedule change. Syracuse area hotels are typically booked a year in advance for commencement weekend.

“Given the circumstances, they probably knew they needed to change the date before they told everyone,” said Loeb, a senior studying psychology and biology in Arts and Science. “And there still isn’t a good reason they’ve given as to why they needed to change it.”

For Loeb’s family, rebooking flights so they arrive before convocation would cost $250 per person. With nine family members in attendance, the added cost of transportation would total $2,250 — a number that she says her family is reluctant to pay. 

“My family doesn’t want to pay to change the flights because, to be honest, we don’t believe that the university won’t change (the date) again,” Loeb said.

In 2018, SU held undergraduate convocation ceremonies for most schools and colleges on the Saturday of commencement weekend. While Commencement 2020 is still scheduled for Sunday, May 10, several schools and colleges have moved their convocations up to Friday, May 8. 

The colleges that will hold convocations on Friday include Arts and Sciences, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and the College of Law. 

The decision to hold some convocation ceremonies on Friday instead of Saturday has forced graduates’ families to reschedule their stay, possibly at a steep cost. In cases such as Loeb’s, family members may have to miss the convocation ceremonies altogether.

The new date also presents difficulties for parents who cannot afford to take an additional day off work, as is the case for Hannah Block’s family. 

“Family is the number one most important thing in my life. So it really bothers me that they can’t all be here for my convocation,” said Block, a senior public relations major.

Block’s father, a doctor who runs his own practice, will not be able to take off work the day of convocation. Her two brothers can’t either.  

For students like Mckinley Vrees, the announcement adds to their previous disappointment that Commencement 2020 will take place on the Quad instead of in the Carrier Dome. 

“I wish (the university) told us about the Dome before rumors started,” said Vrees, a senior studying Spanish language and literature in Arts and Sciences. “And I wish they told us about this (date change) before a week ago, and not through some general email that a lot of people just skimmed over and didn’t read fully.”

Students and their families have until May to resolve the situation. But Loeb said SU could’ve done more to keep families informed. 

“This is a really difficult situation,” she said. “And I think the (university) knows that, and they’re really not doing much to be helpful or transparent.”

Published on September 29, 2019 at 8:50 pm

Contact Chris: cjhippen@syr.edu