GENEVIEVE PFISTER, Staff Writer—Denison’s Class of 2024 will be honored with an official induction ceremony Thursday, May 6, at 5:30. The ceremony, which is typically held on Move-In Day but was delayed this year due to COVID-19, is a long-held tradition of welcoming students to campus and commemorating the start of college, presided over by university president Adam Weinberg.
“The Induction Ceremony is one of the most important traditions at Denison,” Mark Moller, Dean of First Year Students, wrote in an email April 26. “It is our opportunity to formally welcome entering students to Denison and to celebrate the beginning of the academic year . . . We decided to reschedule [rather than cancel] it because so much of what characterizes a “typical” first year at Denison was taken away because of COVID . . . We didn’t want the Class of 2024 to miss out on being part of this tradition,” he said.
“We always planned to reschedule the Induction Ceremony if we could, and once we knew that we could do it, there was no question about making it happen.”
He also noted that President Weinberg was “insistent” that the ceremony be rescheduled if at all possible.
This year, Moller added, the ceremony will be one that not only welcomes first years, but also celebrates the end of their first academic year and looks forward to the next. In that spirit, there will be an end-of-year celebration immediately following the induction. This part of the celectration will include food trucks, music, games and Denison souvenirs.
“I really do want to thank the Class of 2024 for all they did to make this year so successful,” Moller added.
“It was a year unlike any other and I doubt that has been what any of you expected. And yet, you embraced it enthusiastically and made the very most of it. You have already made your mark on campus and all of us can’t wait to see what you will do next year as sophomores.”
This year’s induction ceremony will take place on Academic Quad at 5:30 P.M. on May 6, and will be live-streamed and recorded to include remote students and family members. Students will receive their tassel at the ceremony, which they will keep until graduation.