U of G event tours the GTA to celebrate grads

ELENI KOPSAFTIS

Recent grads from the University of Guelph were given the opportunity to attend socially distanced graduate celebration events in Mississauga, Burlington, Toronto, and Guelph when the “Guelph Grads on Tour” event took off between Sept. 29 and Oct. 3.

In past years, the U of G usually held a convocation for winter graduates in June. Awards were handed out to students, hands were shook with university ambassadors, and crowds gathered to watch their loved ones receive their hard-earned degrees.

This year, COVID-19 restrictions limited convocation to mailed-out degree parchments and a virtual ceremony, which took place on Oct. 28.

“Convocation is one of the highlights for everyone on campus” said Charlotte Yates, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Guelph, on the #GuelphGrad website.

“I, too, was looking forward to attending my first ceremony as U of G president. But health and safety remain our top priorities.”

After Ontario entered Stage 3 of reopening, the U of G launched “Guelph Grads on Tour,” an initiative organized collaboratively by the events teams at the Communications and Marketing and the Department of Athletics.

Recent Guelph graduates were invited to register for one of five socially distanced events: Mississauga on Sept. 29, Burlington on Sept. 30, Toronto on Oct. 1, or a choice between two in Guelph on Oct. 2 and 3.

Local Holiday Inns and their parking lots were used to host the event in each location, except for Guelph which opted for the on-campus P13 parking lot instead.

The switch from an in-person to a virtual convocation was confirmed in August, and the tour event organizers went straight to work from there.

“It was an incredibly tight turnaround for planning,” said Clarie Alexander, special projects manager in the President’s Office at the University of Guelph.

“We began brainstorming what we could do to enhance the graduating student experience. As with everything during this time, it was a challenge anticipating developing protocols as the University was preparing for the start of the academic year which is why we settled on planning an off campus experience.”

Jennifer Green manages external relations and events in the Department of Athletics. She was assigned lead for the tour event: sourcing venues, designing the event, and planning and executing the event.

“We were setting up early morning in each city, a full red carpet experience with video and photos, and tearing down at the end of each day, and moving onto the next city,” said Green. “We just wanted to be able to provide a very safe, smooth and successful experience for everyone. The biggest issue was the weather. We had to go inside for both Burlington and Toronto, it would not have been safe to host successfully outside with both rain and wind.”

Individuals who were onsight and helping organize the event worked from all over campus, according to Green.

“It was a true collaboration campus-wide to make this happen. So proud of this team.”

A registration webpage was set up for students who were interested in the “Guelph Grads on Tour” event. It instructed students to bring only one guest, and also provided a list of documentation for students to complete before attending: a U of G COVID-19 screening form completed on the day of the student’s “tour stop,” an Ontario COVID-19 self-assessment form, an Ontario university activities waiver, and a copy of their registration confirmation email.

Students without their documents, and/or displaying symptoms of COVID-19 were urged not to attend the tour, and all attendees were required to follow health and safety protocols facilitated by hand sanitizing stations which were available throughout the event.

According to the #GuelphGrad website, each event boasted a red carpet walk, a branded U of G photo wall, oversized U of G letters, the I AM A GRYPHON

bus, and professional photography in front of the official convocation Portico backdrop. Students were also provided with a one-time-use gown and hood as well as a U of G face mask.

In order to limit the gathering size to 25 during each event, eight graduates were scheduled with a guest every 15 minutes, along with eight staff members helping with check-in, regalia distribution, and photography.

Three social media ambassadors were present to take photos for the graduates and their families at each location. Even Gryph, the University of Guelph’s mascot, made an appearance and posed for photos with the graduates.

Graduates were awarded their degrees by mail, in boxes with a tassel, confetti cannon, and celebratory message inside, according to a U of G news release.

“It wasn’t by any means a replacement for convocation as they were only allowed to attend with one guest, but I think that those who attended had a wonderful experience,” said Alexander.

“I know that there were grads who were disappointed that they weren’t able to register for the Guelph location or able to attend with more than one family member. It was hard that we had such strict limitations placed on our planning but understood the safety concerns that had to be considered.”

Four-hundred and six graduates attended the event with 70 registered for the Mississauga version, 64 for Burlington, 78 for Toronto, 93 for the first Guelph event, and 101 for the second. Including guests, the total number of attendees was 812 throughout the entire tour.

Alex Zebeljan was one of the students who attended the tour. She graduated in the winter 2020 semester with a degree in psychology and family and child studies.

“I absolutely loved my experience at University of Guelph,” Zebeljan told The Ontarion.

“Because I went to the University of Guelph, I have met my best friends, my partner and I have made numerous professional connections that have helped me get where I am today. I also loved the Guelph campus because it’s beautiful and very close-knit. I wouldn’t trade my university experience for anything.”

When Zebeljan found out that her June convocation had been cancelled, she was “very disappointed” as she had been “excited to bring [her] family to a large milestone in [her] life.”

However, Zebeljan said that the U of G helped revive some of that celebration when she attended the Toronto event.

“I really enjoyed my experience. Everyone there was super friendly and helpful. I liked that they [had] a professional photographer and opportunities for personal photography using our devices as well. I liked that I was able to bring my mom with me because she has been a great support to me throughout my degree at University of Guelph.”

Zebeljan will be continuing her studies in counselling psychology at Yorkville University.

The #GuelphGrad website also offers ways to continue celebrating convocation online. #GuelphGrad themed filters are available on Instagram, GIPHY hosts a #UofG collection, and #GuelphGrad themed mobile wallpapers, animations, Facebook and Twitter cover photos, and profile picture frames are available for download on the official website.

Even lawn sign designs were made available for printing at the Guelph M&T Printing Group. Approximately 200 orders were made over the course of three months.

“M&T was very proud to offer the service,” said M&T Guelph Branch Manager Ryan Solomon.

“Graduation is a very proud moment for students, and unfortunately COVID-19 has altered how this milestone can be recognized.”

According to Solomon, “you could see a sense of relief” as students and parents picked up their lawn signs.

The graduating class of 2020 received their convocation on Oct. 28 at 4 p.m. where U of G hosted a virtual event on YouTube and Facebook Live in which grads were guided to their respective colleges. There, they watched “an address from the president, congratulatory messages from faculty and other campus community members, and greetings from local politicians and alumni” according to a U of G news release.

Families and loved ones were able to participate by using the #GuelphGrad2020 hashtag on social media, or by sending a supportive message to social@ uoguelph.ca that was displayed on the University’s Twitter and Instagram.