THE PENDULUM
COMMENCEMENT ISSUE
SATURDAY. MAY 22, 2010 // PAGE 5
Commencement makes the move to Under the Oaks
Sam Calvert
Sports Editor
Vickie Somers was on a mission.
Her position was in the purchasing
department, and it was her job to find
5,000 chairs for commencement. But
they weren’t just any 5,000 chairs.
Every one of them had to be the
same color, and this was proving to
be a challenge.
Somers remembered she had a
friend at Duke University, also in
purchasing, and she gave her a call.
From her, Somers found a company
in Durham with enough chairs.
There were only “Duke blue" ones.
“At least they were all the same
color,” she said. “We used those for
several years.”
The year was 1987, and Elon
University was attempting its first
commencement Under the Oaks.
Previously, the ceremony had
been held inside Alumni Gym, where
there was no air conditioning and
seating was limited.
Then-Provost Warren Board
introduced the idea of moving
graduation, and the conversation
began.
“Board encouraged a lot of
discussion,” said Ron Klepcyk,
dean of student affairs at the time.
“He insisted we do commencement
outside.”
Once the decision was made,
Elon staff had to decide how
commencement would operate in a
different location. Those involved
had to assess how things were done
inside and look at how that translated
to an outdoor setting, evaluating
each person’s responsibilities.
“1 don’t think students realize
how many people it took to pull that
off,” Somers said. “It was all hands
on deck.”
Klepcyk was in charge of getting
the students across the stage in a
speedy manner. r -
Registrar Mark Albertson and H-ht-
rest of the office had reign over the
diplomas, making sure they were in
alphabetical order and ready to be
handed to the graduates during the
ceremony.
The graduates had to be
assembled in Whitley, brought out
through the front door and filed
into commencement from the back.
Every move had to be mapped out.
“It was pretty uneventful,” said
George Troxler, then-director of
cultural programs.
One big advantage of sitting
outside was the seating. Without
the limitations predefined by the
structure of a building, Elon could
add enough chairs to accommodate
I
i
PHOTO COURTESY OF BELK ARCHIVES
Faculty members greet students before graduation in 1987. Students walk through the receiving line before taking their seats for the ceremony.
everyone who wanted to come.
Throughout the years,
commencement has been able to
grow from 5,000 chairs in 1987 to
around 11,500 chairs today.
Moving outside didn’t come
without its challenges, though.
Without a covering, weather
became a factor.
“We focused from the beginning
on the rain plan," Troxler said.
Only once since moving Under
the Oaks has the university had to
put such plans into use. In ,J999.
corhmencement had to be moved to
Alumni Gym.
“It was crazy,” Albertson said.
“The hardest part was that it was
the first time in my memory that
we had to make an adjustment. Any
time it’s the first time, it always
catches you off-guard, even with
good planning.”
Somers said everyone learned
more from having to adjust that
year than they every could have
from planning.
Every other year, the weather
has always come through for the
graduates, as it did that first year.
“We’ve had really good luck,"
Klepcyk said. “But we all held our
breath for that first one (outside).” .i.^ photo courtesy of belk archives
There were 5,000 chairs at the first graduation Under the Oaks in 1987. Today there are about 11,500 chairs.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BELK ARCHIVES
During the 1987 graduation, plans had to be made to accommodate for changes in weather.
Tradition uncovered: The Elon oak sapling
Sam Calvert
Sports Editor
In 1991 Furman Moseley, Elon
University alumnus and tree farmer in
California, spoke at commencement.
Along with his speech, he brought
a gift that would live on in Elon
history forever — tree saplings for the
graduates to take with them as they
scattered across the country and the
globe.
“Each graduate got a redwood
sapling,” said George Troxler, the
director of cultural programs at the
time. “It was the same idea as now —
of spreading Elon — but it just wasn’t
using an oak sapling.”
The very next year, the tradition
of the oak sapling began, with a
switch in tree type. The graduates
now receive nuttall oak saplings, a
species of oak chosen specifically for
its characteristics.
“They are one of the most hardy
and the most adaptable oaks,” said
Tom Flood, the superintendent of
landscaping and grounds. “These
trees get taken all over the country.”
While the oaks are hardy, they do
not all end as grown trees. Sometimes,
the saplings do not make it past
youth.
Landscaping hears all kinds of
reasons for dead saplings, including
“My dog ate my tree," Flood said.
For that very reason, he said Elon
takes the left over saplings and plants
them in 1-gallon pots to grow as
replacements. That way, when alumni
call about a dead oak, he can send
them a new one.
“A really common reason is because
they didn’t have any place to plant it
when they got out of college, but now,
four or five years later, they have a
house and want an oak. Flood said.
“It happens all year long, so we always
have extras.”
Sometimes, everything doesn’t go
smoothly in getting the trees.
Last year, the heat caused problems
in shipping the saplings. Flood said
they were in poor condition when they
arrived at Elon. He had to have them
reshipped twice.
The final shipment arrived one day
before commencement.
But while sometimes the
preparation comes down to the wire,
the saplings are always present come
commencement time. ....
A look at the journey of the Elon oak sapling;
step 1: Finding a Vendor
This year, the vendor was in Oklahoma. “It all depends on where I can get the
largest quantity,” Flood said.
Step 2: Shipping, Round One
The oaks are then shipped to a nursery in Virginia. There, the plants are put in
plastic bags to keep the roots moist, and Flood travels to check on the saplings.
“We have to locate the saplings, make sure they get here in good shape and are
the right size plants,” Flood said.
Step 3: Shipping, Round Two
Two days before commencement, the oaks are brought to North Carolina for
preparation for the ceremony. “I personally go up and pick them up,” Flood said.
Step 4: Preparation
On Friday afternoon, the landscaping team ads the tags to the plants, which are
provided by the Alumni Association. “The information on the tags has information
about the Alumni Association, as well as information about the plant and how to
care for the tree,” Flood said.
Step 5: Setup ,
Saturday morning, th© team SGts up the plants for commencement. We bring
them all out to the plaza area in front of Powell for the graduates to pick up,"
Flood said.