[UA] Commencement Updates and VP Changes

[Mahi Elango]

Hi Undergrads,

tl;dr: The ceremony for Commencement 2020 will be the same as for
Commencement 2019. If you are interested in serving on the Commencement
transition committee as an undergraduate student representative, please
email us at ua-chief at mit.edu. As a reminder, the applications for the
Student Committee on Guidelines for Outside Engagement and the Student
Committee for Campus Climate and Policies around Discrimination and
Misconduct are due tonight at 11:59PM. You can find applications here
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdXLR3-78iqj41abQFDk4YqfE1x6hwanQ6Fojxq7RB3Y96tFQ/viewform>
.

*[1] Commencement 2020 and beyond*
In short, the ceremony for Commencement 2020 will be the same as for
Commencement 2019. A unified Commencement ceremony with degree conferral
will take place for Bachelor’s and Master’s students from all Departments.

This decision reflects the results of the survey we sent in September to
better understand undergraduate priorities and preferences. A more detailed
report is attached, but some key results influenced how we represented the
undergraduate student body in conversations with the Chancellor’s office
and the GSC:

   - 84% of respondents did not prefer the proposed changes to Commencement
   to the current structure.
   - Of a variety of attributes including the number of guests allowed and
   the length of the ceremony, receiving degrees as a class was the highest
   priority among respondents.

As you may have seen in *The Tech
<https://thetech.com/2019/09/26/commencement-changes>*, Chancellor Barnhart
intended to send an additional survey to students to assess our
preferences; it was since determined by the Chancellor’s office and UA and
GSC representatives that the new survey’s design would not yield useful
results for this year’s decision. However, the aggregated results from our
survey were communicated to the Chancellor’s office as part of the
discussions that resulted in this decision.

Going forward, a variety of structures for Commencement 2021 and beyond
will be considered, with the goal of balancing various factors such as
undergraduate and graduate student preferences, the length and number of
guests at ceremonies, and constraints of space and time. A Commencement
transition committee is in the process of being formed to undertake these
discussions in collaboration with all the stakeholders involved. We will
continue to ensure that undergraduate voices are heard in these
discussions. If you are interested in serving on the Commencement
transition committee as an undergraduate student representative, please
email us at ua-chief at mit.edu.

*[2] UA Vice President Changes*
Earlier this semester, the prior Vice President Kelvin Green II submitted a
letter of resignation to me as he is taking a leave of absence for the
year. Per the Constitution and with the approval of UA Council, I appointed
Charlotte Minsky, previous UA Chief of Staff, as the new Vice President.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email us at
ua-officers at mit.edu.

Warm regards,
Mahi Elango
President of the UA
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