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This year will be the first time a senior graduation ceremony is being held at McCormick Place – and a good choice it is.
The graduation ceremony was recently switched to McCormick Place due to a scheduling miscommunication.
The Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., where the ceremony was previously planned to be held, is not only a gym and home to DePaul men’s basketball games, it is also 17 miles from the Lincoln Park Campus, whereas McCormick Place is only six and a half miles from the Lincoln Park campus and in the heart of Chicago.
“I like that it’s at McCormick Place rather than Allstate,” said Sean Boswell, a graduating senior at DePaul. “It’s more convenient for students. When I go to Allstate I always feel disconnected from the school.”
The new location will open the door to a variety of new options that were previously not possible.
One of those possibilities is that it will provide more activities and sightseeing for the families and friends of the graduating seniors.
Also, many students reside in the downtown Chicago area and as a result, their families will be staying in the same vicinity.
Yes, the cost of seeing the sights in downtown Chicago may be a little high, but there are many attractions in Chicago that offer deals on Groupon or that are even free. And as for transportation, taking public transportation or a nice walk enjoying summertime in Chicago may be a better choice, as opposed to renting a car to drive to Rosemont or taking a taxi around Chicago.
It may not be the best choice but it is not the worst either – it is part of the Chicago experience.
When seniors became aware of the Allstate location for their ceremony before it was changed, they complained most about the inconvenience with transportation and the fact that Rosemont is so out of the way, even for the basketball games.
“I went to one game there (Rosemont),” said Boswell. “It was a trip, and I would only want to make that commute again if the team was really good or if they were playing a great team.”
The views of the Allstate Arena location vary, but for a few seniors it is not an ideal place for their ceremony.
“Because of the distance I feel that it has more of an athletic feel and I think graduation should be somewhere fancier,” said Christine Leak, a senior psychology student at DePaul.
As for the frustration with the possible crowdedness that might come with having the ceremony at McCormick Place, there has been talk about each college having their own parking lot to better organize the crowds and cut down waiting times until the ceremony.
As for where DePaul will have its upcoming commencement ceremonies, details are tentative.
“There is no reason to hope we wouldn’t go back (to Allstate),” said Kelly Johnson, assistant vice president for academic administration, in a recent article in the DePaulia. “I’m not saying that is where we are going to be in 2014.”
Although Allstate Arena seems to be the direction DePaul is leaning toward for future commencement services, some of the current seniors are hoping differently.
“I wish we had something a little closer to campus,” said Boswell.
“I can’t think of a better location (other than McCormick place) – maybe Soldier Field?”
Do not get me wrong- Allstate Arena is a nice location, just not for a graduation ceremony.
Even if McCormick Place is not chosen again as the venue for future ceremonies, DePaul should be able to find a place more suitable and convenient for such an important part of its students’ lives.