Green Grads
Graduating seniors to show their true colors at Commencement 2011 with “green” graduation gowns, made of 100 percent recycled materials, and as many as five honor cords
By Leona Baker | May 4, 2011
The Virginia Wesleyan student body has spoken, and the result will be a more environmentally friendly—and colorful—commencement ceremony for graduating seniors as they accept their diplomas on Saturday, May 14, 2011.
Earlier in the semester, students opted for new “green” graduation robes, each made from an average of 23 post-consumer recycled plastic bottles reclaimed from landfills. The black “GreenWeaver” gowns, manufactured by a Virginia company called Oak Hall, look and feel comparable to the polyester gowns used in previous years—except that the fabric in these gowns is spun from molten plastic pellets.
In addition to the fact that they are made of recycled materials, another big difference with the new gowns is that students have the option to keep them after graduation. Many students in recent years have expressed a desire to hold on to their commencement attire as a memento. Various options were considered.
“Oak Hall had an affordable, reasonable-looking option that was also made of recycled materials,” says Dr. Sally Shedd, VWC College Marshal. “With it, we satisfy the desire of some students to keep the gown, save the fuel and shipping cost required to send the rented gowns back, and support the effort to recycle plastic bottles.”
If the students do not wish to keep the gowns, they can return them to a collection box after graduation so they can be recycled by the manufacturer.
“It is great that our school has taken another step toward going green,” says Randy Rice, rising senior and president of Marlins Go Green. “We use a lot of gowns for our graduation and the less impact we can make on the environment at any of our major events, the better. It should inspire future classes that our senior class decided to take one more step toward greening this campus.”
Green isn’t the only color you'll find at this year’s commencement ceremony. More than 150 students signed a petition to allow for the wearing of up to five honor cords along with their gowns. The cords recognize various forms of academic achievement, including membership in honor societies. Previously, students had to choose just one honor cord to display.
Dr. Timothy O'Rourke, Vice President for Academic Affairs & Dean of the College, announced the change on April 21, stating that it would “give greater recognition to the scope and diversity of academic honors achieved by our graduates.”
For all of the details on Commencement 2011, click here.