Final graduation

The 122nd and final graduation day at Saint Joseph's College took place on Saturday, May 6, 2017. In addition to the graduation, it was the final day of the GLVC conference track meet hosted by the College, adding more traffic and visitors. Also, the SJC baseball team had a home double header and some seniors, including the class valedictorian, opted for playing the games rather than attending the graduation.

 From what I could find on the Internet, the SJC men came in 7th of 14 teams and the women were 11th of 12 teams scoring.

 It was a blustery day, as the flag bearers discovered as they led the procession out of Halleck Center.

 Some of the faculty also found the wind to be a problem.

 The field house was packed, with seating in the back court area filled.

 With a deadline for finishing the degree, the graduating class was unusually large. There was no option to graduate next December, so extra courses became necessary for some students.

Below is the view from the back of the field house where there was standing room only.

 The ceremony was broadcast and the intention was to have some people watch from the Shen Auditorium. However, the sound did not work there, so people were moved to the smaller Courtney Auditorium to watch on the big screen. The whole thing was also broadcast live over the web so people could watch from the comfort of their homes. If you missed it, you can get a replay here.

 The reception was held on the Core Building plaza and the tables were not set up until near the end of the program. I did not come back after the ceremony ended to see how disruptive the wind was.

 Meanwhile, back at the field house the final degrees were granted and the final remarks made, and the graduates processed out as the band played Fanfare and Recessional by James D. Ployhar.

I talked to a lady from the University of Indianapolis who was attending the graduation at the request of a couple of the students. I asked her how many SJC students will be attending U of I next fall. She said about 60. U of I matched the financial aid that SJC was giving and because the tuition is slightly less at the U of I, the transferring students will not suffer a financial hit.

And so it ends.