Countdown to walk the stage

UTRGV’s Fall 2021 Commencement will be held in person Dec. 10 on the Brownsville campus in parking Lot B3 and Dec. 11 in the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg. 

The times for the ceremonies have still not been set, because it depends on the RSVP’s and how many students are interested in attending in Brownsville or Edinburg, according to Sofia Almeda, university registrar. 

This will determine how many ceremonies will be needed and the times that they will be scheduled. The times will be decided this month. 

Oct. 31 was the deadline to apply to be included in the commencement ceremony, Almeda said. The final graduation application deadline for students to get their degree is Nov. 10. 

Nov. 15 is the deadline for graduates to submit their photo and message and RSVP for Fall 2021 Commencement. 

The locations for the ceremonies are decided depending on two main factors, Almeda said. One is the size of the graduating class. This is based on the university registrar projections when it comes to the number of students that are near meeting the degree requirements. 

“The other big factor for us is trying to get students as many tickets as possible for their guests,” she said. “Because one of the things that students have told us many times in the past is that it’s very important for them to include as many family members and friends as possible at the ceremony. So, we look for places where we can accommodate a large number of students with the maximum number of guests.”  

An official decision of how many tickets students will receive for their guests has not been made yet, Almeda said, because it is going to depend on the RSVP’s that are submitted and how many ceremonies there can be. 

“In the past, we have given students five to six tickets, but we do anticipate giving more than that number of tickets this semester, which we’re excited about,” she said.

Students have the choice of which location and day works for them and their family and guests.

The decision to hold commencement in person was decided in October, “based on officials we’ve kept in consultation with regarding the pandemic,” Almeda said.

“This is also in keeping with what we’re seeing at other institutions of higher education,” she said. “A lot of universities are returning back to, like, a traditional format for graduation ceremonies. So, UTRGV is doing the same.” 

Almeda said there will be no social distancing at the ceremonies and students will sit with others in their college or school. 

At this time there are no restrictions or enforcement of a face covering for the commencement ceremonies. 

If anything changes, students will be notified through their UTRGV email, she said. 

Another difference from Spring 2021 commencement will be that Edinburg will be able to return to an indoor location, Almeda said. 

“We aren’t able to do an indoors [ceremony] for Brownsville because there isn’t a facility available with that type of capacity,” she said. “We would have to severely limit the number of guests that students can have in Brownsville if that was the case.” 

For students who RSVP and submit their picture and word of thanks or quote, the slides will be available on the commencement website once the ceremonies begin.

“I will add that there’s not really necessarily a virtual alternative for students,” Almeda said. “So, a student who does not attend the ceremony would still be able to access that slide, so to speak, on our website. But, they will not be announced at the ceremony because they have to be checked in for us to be able to announce them.”

Lisa Saldierna, a mass communication senior with a focus on public relations and advertising, will attend the commencement in Brownsville. 

“Most of my family is from Brownsville and if I get the opportunity, I want to take as many family members [as] I can,” Saldierna said. 

She said she has attended the Brownsville commencement once and liked the setup.

As a graduating senior, Saldierna said her advice to students is to enjoy their years in college. 

“Really make the best of it, be as active as possible,” she said. “Make as many friendships as you can, connect with other people.”

Mass communication senior Victoria Brewster said she will attend the Edinburg commencement. 

“I chose the Edinburg location only because I do live in the Upper Valley,” Brewster said. “So, it’s [a] somewhat convenient location for me and my family to attend. And I wanted to make it accessible, of course, for my family to be able to go.”

While she is excited to walk across the stage with the rest of her graduating class, Brewster said she is most looking forward to celebrating with her family afterward. 

“I am excited for my family to be able to physically see me walk across the stage whether it’s only for a few minutes or for a few hours,” Brewster said. “I’m just excited that they’re going to be there physically with meAnd I’m just excited to be able to experience the whole thing.”

Brewster is looking forward to attending commencement in person and hearing all the speeches from the president, faculty, dean, provost and others, she said. 

“The whole experience itself, being able to sit out in the arena being surrounded by everyone in their cap and gowns and seeing your peers walk across the stage,” she said.