Why holding out hope for in-person graduation is so important
In any normal year, the month of May is a busy time for seniors. There are recitals, pranks, awards, skip days, proms and college decisions to be made. Unfortunately, just like every other event imaginable, these celebrations have been altered due to coronavirus, or COVID-19. Instead of spending our last few months playing frisbee on the lawn and wrapping up our time with clubs and sports, we find ourselves taking classes online and seeing our friends through screens. Most senior events have been moved online or cancelled, but one has been very up in the air: graduation.
Perhaps the most recognizable rite of passage around, graduation is an important moment for a lot of seniors. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the end of an era with friends and family, to recognize past accomplishments and look forward to future ones. Due to public health guidelines and state-wide school closures, the usual in-person June ceremony is out of the question. Now, the administration has postponed any graduation ceremony until August 2, when it is more likely to be held in-person, rather than online. I commend this choice, as it takes into account both the unprecedented circumstances and the significance of a graduation ceremony to my class.
Keep in mind, “more likely” are keywords here. Given the unpredictable nature of the coronavirus pandemic, it is impossible to predict when we can relax certain restrictions. However, time is on our side as we hope to be able to gather in-person one last time. Between now and August, anything from seasonality to treatments could make it safe enough for us to gather in person (with strict guidelines, of course). There are a variety of reasons why an online graduation would not provide what we look for when we hold this celebration, and therefore should not be used unless as a last resort.
What makes graduation special? It’s not about checking a box, or providing a time for students to pick up their diploma. Graduation is important because of the atmosphere and emotion it creates. We’re saying goodbye to school and our friends, and recognizing all of the growth and change that occurred in the past four years. It’s an inherently emotional event. We’re saying goodbye to school and our friends, and recognizing all of the growth and change that occurred in the past four years. It’s an inherently emotional event.
It’s been proven that that kind of emotional depth cannot be achieved via Zoom, an app developed to hold meetings, not cross the bridge between two stages of life. Kate Murphy, a New York Times contributor and author of You’re Not Listening, a novel about modern communication, recently penned an opinion piece titled “Why Zoom Is Terrible.” In it, she explains that “the way the video images [in Zoom] are digitally encoded and decoded, altered and adjusted, patched and synthesized introduces all kinds of artifacts: blocking, freezing, blurring, jerkiness and out-of-sync audio. These disruptions, some below our conscious awareness, confound perception and scramble subtle social cues. Our brains strain to fill in the gaps and make sense of the disorder, which makes us feel vaguely disturbed, uneasy and tired without quite knowing why.”
Disturbed, uneasy and tired are not feelings anyone would associate with a normal graduation ceremony. That’s where the problem lies when trying to recreate a moment like this online. Work meetings on Zoom (or any other video conferencing app) function pretty well; we can see other people’s faces, screenshare, and have a conversation in real time. They offer options that a phone call or email does not. Unfortunately, once a call tries to fulfill an emotional need, the platform loses its effectiveness. That’s because humans feed into each other in social environments. Murphy explains that “without realizing it, all of us engage in facial mimicry whenever we encounter another person. It’s a constant, almost synchronous, interplay. To recognize emotion, we have to actually embody it, which makes mirroring essential to empathy and connection. When we can’t do it seamlessly, as happens during a video chat, we feel unsettled because it’s hard to read people’s reactions and, thus, predict what they will do.” We lose all of the smiles, waves and congratulations that come with a normal graduation, and therefore we lose the ability to feel truly connected with each other. Unfortunately, once a call tries to fulfill an emotional need, the platform loses its effectiveness. That’s because humans feed into each other in social environments.
Not only is Zoom not as effective, it may actually be detrimental to the mental health of students. The reality is that all we want is to see our friends again. Social isolation is hard on everyone, but it’s especially hard on teenagers, who have high social needs which are usually fulfilled by school and activities. In my experience, large Zoom events can sometimes make us more aware of just how alone we are. You’re hyper-aware of the fact that you’re just sitting at your laptop. There are no classmates by your side, no big applause, and very few people to share the moment with. It’s almost as if you’re watching the event you were supposed to go to on T.V, reminding you of what should have been.
Students recognize this. In an informal poll on the Class of 2020 Facebook page before any decision on graduation was announced, 36 students said they would prefer that the administration waits to see if a single, in-person ceremony is possible in late summer. Zero respondents said that they liked the idea of an online ceremony on the original date, even with the possibility of another in-person ceremony later.
As far as what an in-person ceremony could even look like, now is the time to get creative. Perhaps we hold it on the football field, with families socially distanced in the bleachers. Maybe each student can only bring parents or guardians. Obviously none of this is ideal. We’ll likely have to adhere to some rather unwanted rules, such as maintaining six feet apart (no group photos) and wearing masks. Luckily, I think that if this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we should be flexible, and grateful for whatever opportunity we have to come together. Already, schools across the country are trying to be creative in order to capture the spirit of what graduation is supposed to be. My favorite by far is the special ceremony organized by the Hanover Area School District in Northeast Pennsylvania: their senior class will all parade from their high school to the local drive-in movie theater to be together one last time and recognize their hard work with family and friends. I think that if this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we should be flexible, and grateful for whatever opportunity we have to come together.
The future is unpredictable. If, come August, we are still unable to hold any sort of in-person ceremony, that is the time to entertain a digital event. Besides, if we can’t gather in person by then, us seniors will likely be far more concerned about bigger things, such as starting college or finding jobs. No matter what happens, I want to take the time to thank the administration for their understanding and flexibility. They clearly have our best interests at heart, as demonstrated by this decision to listen to what students want. In an age where everything has been moved to a screen, it’s important to hold out hope for one moment in the “real world.” Holding an incredible graduation is more crucial than ever, and it would really mean a lot to the Class of 2020.