TU set to host ‘most inclusive commencement yet’

By Gabriel Donahue, editor-in-chief

Towson University will host its “most inclusive commencement yet,” with new accessibility and sensory-friendly accommodations rolling out at the upcoming winter ceremonies.   

Bethany Pace, assistant provost for Communications and Engagement, said the following measures will be piloted: 

• An alternative viewing area will be available for graduates and guests at the TU Arena, where commencement takes place. This space will have lower lighting and sound and be marked by signage. 
• The Science Complex will serve as an off-site viewing area featuring a captioned livestream of the ceremony. The different style of seating will allow guests to walk around as needed and is wheelchair accessible.
• Earplugs, fidget toys and sensory strips will be available for all attendees upon request. 
• Sensory-friendly volunteers will be trained to address sensory issues during the event. Additionally, volunteers will wear buttons informing which foreign languages they can assist in when applicable. 

Guests interested in using the non-ticketed off-site viewing space need to fill out a request form available on the commencement webpage, which has added descriptions of what to expect on the day of, Pace said.  

Director of Accessibility & Disability Services Robyn McCray said ADS staff will be in the alternative spaces, on the arena floor and backstage wearing blue vests. 

When students register for graduation online, they can tell the university what accommodations they require. Students requesting accommodations do not need to be registered with ADS, she added. 

There is also the option to have someone from ADS reach out to discuss the options, McCray said. 

“I have about … 10 students who responded with ‘hey, can you reach out to me, I’d like to talk about what I might need,’” she said. 

During commencement this past spring, Pace said she noticed the guests wearing noise-canceling headphones and the students of the stage party who sat in the wings rather than under the bright lights of the stage. She wondered how the university could make the ceremony more accommodating for sensory-sensitive attendees. 

“We think of [commencement] a lot of times as a ‘one size fits all’ experience, and it really isn’t,” Pace said. “For everyone to enjoy it, we have to be intentional, and we have to share our commitment widely to inclusion.” 

At the beginning of the fall semester, she charged the committee with finding some solutions. 

McCray said Pace’s request helped widen the focus of accessibility at commencement. 

“She’s looking at the entire ceremony and what it entails,” McCray said. “Not only students but guests and faculty and staff at the whole big picture.” 

There are only three ceremonies for winter commencement, with 1,541 students set to graduate on Dec. 20 and 21, according to a university spokesperson. 

The smaller scale of winter commencement makes it a perfect setting to test new ideas before debuting them at the six spring ceremonies, Pace said. The commencement committee will take feedback, especially from those using the alternative viewing spaces, and make adjustments before the spring. 

“Even without the feedback, I have no question that this is the right thing to do,” Pace said. “I have complete confidence that we will just continue to expand upon this.”