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It all
starts the day after.
Deana
Hutson, director of Events, began planning for the 2005 Reunion &
Commencement Weekend the day after the 2004 Commencement Weekend ended. On
the agenda: Hire 150 student workers. Print 20,000 brochures. Rent 10,000
chairs. Block 900 local hotel rooms. Contact 50 vendors. Plan events for
9,000 guests.
“There
is so much going on behind the scenes of Reunion & Commencement Weekend,”
says Hutson, who has been critical to the success of six R&Cs so far. “It starts with a small team
of staff meeting and program planning and culminates with a team of 1,000
making it happen. We want alumni, parents and seniors to walk away with
wonderful memories of the weekend.”
On May
16, just three days before the big weekend, Hutson and Gemma Ebstein,
director of Alumni and Parent Relations, spend their day going through a
pen-scribbled list and an 80-page flow document. The document details who is
in charge of each event, the time of the event and a description.
The duo
coordinates more than 150 individual events including picnics, dinners,
parties, academic department tours, senior projects, campus walking tours,
36 WESeminars, 15 class reunions, a parade, an annual meeting and assembly,
a grandparents gathering, a children’s day camp, class photos and of course,
the 173rd commencement ceremony.
“We just
go with the flow,” says Ebstein, who has co-coordinated 14 reunions and six
reunion and commencement events.
“These lists may look crazy, but it explains everything we need to do to run
the weekend.”
Ebstein
says virtually all the university’s departments contribute to the weekend in
one way or another. Physical Plant staff spends Saturday night setting up
chairs for commencement. Campus Dining prepares more than 90 percent of all
meals. The Office of University Communications writes, photographs and edits
the brochures and award citations. The Wesleyan grounds crew grooms the
campus lawns and flower beds. And all academic departments plan open houses
for the weekend.
Even
students get involved. More than 500 students apply for R&C Weekend
employment, but only 150 are hired. They often cover odd-hour shifts, some
beginning at 6 a.m. and ending at 2 a.m. the next morning.
“Students want to be here working for commencement,” Hutson says. “They
enjoy it. It’s a lot of fun. And we want them here. They’re representing
Wesleyan, and they’re proud of their school. Alumni love talking to the
students, and for the students, meeting Wesleyan alumni on this weekend puts
it all into perspective for them.”
When
planning more than 150 events throughout the weekend challenges are sure to arise. The staff, however, is accustomed to expect the
unexpected.
About
670 alumni registered for 2005 reunion, however, an additional 350 can show
up depending on the weather. The coordinators keep their eye on the numbers,
which can affect last-minute food orders, rental orders, tables and table
cloths, napkins, tables, chairs, silverware, plates, glasses and even the
number of flower and balloon arrangements.
And in
recent years, challenges have run the gamut:
Brochures and nametags were delivered incorrectly printed. the University
Relations staff stayed up throughout the night to get them finished days
before the event.
A picnic
ran low on turkey sandwiches forcing, students, staff and campus dining crew
to scramble to locate lunchmeat and make sandwiches during the picnic.
When
rain poured for seven days before commencement, the Wesleyan grounds crew
laid a makeshift mulch road so vendors could get onto the flooded field.
A water
main broke one year forcing the coordinators to reroute shuttles through
campus at the busiest time of the weekend.
A tent
fell over just before an all-campus picnic.
When the
2000 fireworks show went off with a bang, it left a blanket of soot on the
commencement chairs and stage overnight. Physical Plant staff had to
hand-wipe all 10,000 chairs clean before morning.
“We’re
constantly problem solving,” Ebstein says. “Even with the best laid plans,
things go awry. The key is to stay calm, be pleasant, assess options and
take action. We strive to do everything possible to make this weekend a
positive experience for alumni and parents. Some alumni may not return to
campus for another five years, so this experience really matters.”
Members
of University Relations and Physical Plant are assigned different tasks, but
among the most important are to be the eyes and ears of the university. All
problems and questions are communicated through cell phones and radios.
Seventy-two of them to be exact.
Crunch
time for University Relations begins in March when brochures are mailed off,
a Web site is developed and registration begins. In May, the staff begins
working longer hours and weekends. During the R&C weekend, some of them
sleep an average of two hours a night. The staff includes Makaela Steinberg,
associate director of Alumni Relations; Linda Kavan, associate director of
Events, Suzanne Kampen, administrative assistant with Alumni and Parent
Relations; Gail Briggs, associate director of Alumni Education, Meg Zocco,
director of Parent Programs and Camille Dolansky, assistant director of
Parent Programs. Jean Shaw, now coordinator of University Lectures, was the
overall coordinator from 2000-2003, helping to combine the once separate
reunion and commencement celebrations into one event.
The
hectic schedule affects their personal life, and Hutson and Ebstein say it
takes an understanding family to get through it.
“My
husband knows I’ll be coming home late every night, and my sons know I can’t
make it to their basketball and soccer games this time of year,” Ebstein
says. “But when they come and see what the weekend is all about, then they
get it.”
Hutson
compares planning for R&C Weekend like a running up a hill.
“It can
be agonizing trying to get up and over that hill, but once you’re on top
you're so proud of what you've accomplished, you forget how hard it was to
get there.”
After
R&C Weekend, the University Relations staff sends evaluation assessments to
alumni. Feedback lets Wesleyan know they’re efforts pay off in the end.
“Although we offer many ways for alumni to stay connected, reunion weekend
is one of the more traditional programs and has a unique appeal, ”Ebstein
says. “Sometimes alumni won't have much contact with Wesleyan for many years,
then return for reunion and gradually become re-engaged. There's really
something special about the reunion experience; it has a lasting impact.”
And then
on Monday, the planning starts for 2006. |
At
top, hired students worked stuffed 3,000 packets and created nametags in preparation for Reunion & Commencement Weekend at University Relations.
