Such a ceremony could take place early on the appointed graduation day, followed by smaller gatherings for each school where students can receive their diplomas. Logistically, the unified portion of the graduation ceremony could be focused on students, while students' families could attend the individual school ceremonies, alleviating some of the space constraints of such a large event. McDonough Gymnasium could be used as a venue for a unified student graduation ceremony. Then the currently planned graduation sites could be used for the individual schools' processions and diploma distribution, to be attended by the graduates' families. As a fundamental part of graduation, students should be able to leave college with the friends they made during their time here, emphasizing the class as a whole, rather than four or five separate parts.
Separate schools are pseudo-arbitrary distinctions within the context of our Georgetown experience.
As the student body looks for unity, the administration should not foster practices that divide it. Many schools, such as New York University and Villanova University, have large events for the entire graduating class featuring a top-notch speaker followed by smaller ceremonies where graduates walk with members of their separate programs. While the logistics of such a graduation would be difficult, it is worth the trouble. As the seniors arrived at Georgetown four years ago, they came together in a flurry of events including a convocation ceremony in McDonough which was attended by all four schools. It would be fitting to match the other bookend on their college career by bringing them all together to celebrate in a unified graduation ceremony.