Summary

I've chosen to write about the latest virtual gathering of the entire Commencement Committee (CommComm) for the Class of 2021 on April 2 at 11AM. These committee wide meetings take place bi-weekly, always on Zoom, and almost always taking on the same format and agenda. Planned to be about an hour long, they never go longer than 40 minutes. In addition to the students serving on sub-committees to help plan the events surrounding Commencement, the meeting is attended by campus partners from various divisions to give insight into how the administration is approaching hosting these types of events. The purpose of the event is for the sub-committee members and campus partners to share updates about their planning and solicit opinions from others about next steps.

The agenda each week is as follows:

• Ice-Breakers (This week's was "What was the highlight of your week?")
• Sub-committee Updates
• Feedback
• Ongoing activities (asking for people to complete action items)
• Screenshot of meeting
• Closing remarks and the singing of Old Nassau

The routine has become, admittedly, stale, especially as the possibility of any type of in-person gathering to celebrate our graduation has dwindled over time.

My Take

How did the platform affect the gathering? (Zoom, Twitch, etc).

Meetings on Zoom are, most times, painful to attend. Especially when gatherings are large, it can feel very impersonal. Most people attend with their cameras off until the picture at the end. And, given the nature of Zoom, everyone's mics are muted throughout the meeting as only one person can really speak at a time. In a gathering of ~30-40 people, it's easy to get distracted by other things and zone out of the meeting when someone else is giving updates that aren't relevant to your own purposes. Maybe it would have been better in-person, although I can't say for sure. I think, at the very least, there would be more substantial updates from each of the committees and more engaging feedback if there were actual in-person events being planned.

What was the mood or tone of the gathering?

The mood of the gathering was slightly apathetic. After so many of these meetings, all of them drawing closer to events we can't actually plan, people have stopped attending - to the point where the Committee heads now offer free food on Nassau to those who do attend. Despite the hosts best efforts, attendees are unwilling to participate heavily.

What do you think the purpose of the gathering was?

As previously stated, I think the purpose of the gathering is for the sub-committee members and campus partners to share updates about their planning and solicit opinions from others about next steps. Beyond that, I think it serves as a platform for communicate between the admin and students and also helps to rein in expectations for what the proposed events could be.

How was the gathering was successful?

I do think the meeting was successful in accomplishing its mission - as in, the subcommittees did share their updates, although there was relatively little feedback. I think the hosts would like for there to be more participation from attendees, but I think there's just been a loss of moral overtime that has kept people from being more active.

What could be improved?

I think these gatherings could be improved by having them less frequently. I also think that they could benefit from including some smaller level interactions such as in breakout rooms (although I know many people don't like them). I think it's just very hard to host such large events online as it takes away. from the various smaller interactions that could have happened in person.

What did you learn from this gathering that will be useful / applicable to the gathering you're planning?

Ultimately, I think I've learned that sometimes, a meeting isn't always necessary. You hear all the time that a meeting could've been an email, and I think this is definitely the case for this virtual gathering. While it's good intentioned and rooted in tradition, this meeting really just feels like a cruel reminder of what could have been every 2 weeks as we are forced to re-evaluate plans. Another lesson I could take away is to keep virtual gathering based in the virtual realm. Planning in-person events online feels inauthentic and takes away from the event.