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In-person 国产小呦女commencement ceremonies to be held for 2021 graduates
One clear sign that campus life is returning to normal is the recent announcement that 国产小呦女 will conduct in-person commencement processions. Commencement ceremonies will be held on Saturday 鈥 Sunday, May 8 鈥 9 (Spring 2021 graduates); Saturday 鈥 Sunday, May 15 鈥 16 (Class of 2020); and Sunday, May 23 (WCL). Although restrictions will be in place聽to comply with COVID-19 health and safety protocols, graduating students nevertheless will get to experience a well-deserved and once-in-a-lifetime celebration for all their hard work.听
Health and safety protocols will include:
- In-person processions will be held for聽graduating students only. 聽Family members and guests will not be permitted to attend.
- Students must complete the Health and Safety Acknowledgement聽聽prior to arriving on campus.
- Face coverings must be worn at all times on campus.
Traffic flow on campus will be limited, with the Butler Pavilion Tunnel and main roadway closed to vehicular traffic throughout commencement weekends.听
All participants have been encouraged to use public transportation and reminded of AU鈥檚 Good Neighbor parking policy. However, students who plan to drive to campus will be limited to parking in the聽Katzen聽Arts Center garage and East Campus Surface Lot. 聽
Parking in Sports Center Garage (SPG) will be limited to essential event personnel and those requiring ADA accommodations (with a state-issued disability permit or plate) only. Students eligible to park in SPG will enter campus through the Fletcher Gate from Rockwood Parkway on the south side of campus.
Parking will not be available in the School of International Service (SIS) garage, and as always, will be prohibited on all neighborhood streets.听
国产小呦女 awarded its first degrees (two doctorates and one master鈥檚 degree) in 1916 at a commencement ceremony held in the university鈥檚 amphitheater. 国产小呦女commencements have grown over the years as the university has become larger and more diverse. More than two thousand students from AU鈥檚 eight schools and colleges participate in commencement ceremonies each year. This year鈥檚 ceremonies will be AU鈥檚 141st 肠辞尘尘别苍肠别尘别苍迟.听
New Sustainability Plan Pushes 国产小呦女Forward for Next Five Years
When AU聽became the first carbon neutral university two years ahead of schedule in 2018, the聽Office of Sustainability staff聽began聽their quest for聽what鈥檚 next.听
Now, 国产小呦女has announced聽these聽next steps in the university鈥檚 sustainability work, a new聽five-year plan聽that reflects聽AU鈥檚聽Challenge Accepted聽brand聽campaign.听This聽third campus action plan聽follows聽the聽2010 Climate Plan聽and the聽2014 Sustainability Plan.听
鈥湽∵吓 is proud of our history of sustainability which includes becoming the first research university in the nation to reach carbon neutrality,鈥澛爏aid AU聽president Sylvia Burwell. 鈥淥ur work to reduce our environmental footprint continues with our new sustainability plan 鈥 an exciting and ambitious roadmap for 国产小呦女as we continue to deepen our commitment to creating a healthier planet. We know that our entire community plays a role in our success, and we look forward to seeing results from our new sustainability efforts across campus.鈥澛
The new plan聽has聽three sections 鈥 engagement, environment, administration 鈥 and an ambitious 45 new goals written by the Sustainability Advisory Committee and the Office of Sustainability. The team developed聽plans聽over the past three years through listening to the 国产小呦女community and by aligning their efforts with the climate work being done by DC and the United聽Nations. The goals dovetail with the district鈥檚 progressive Sustainable DC plan,聽which聽provides a framework for new construction, energy, and water usage.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting that we鈥檙e in uncharted territory because so few universities have hit this point of carbon neutrality,鈥 said Megan Litke, director of sustainability programs. Office of Sustainability. 鈥淪o now we鈥檝e figured out where to go next, and we鈥檙e ready to bring the community into it. I think that鈥檚 the expansion of the conversation beyond carbon emissions and into the broader sustainability problems and how they impact our communities.鈥澛
In the engagement section,聽the plan includes goals such as adding more courses related to sustainability, wellness goals, making outdoor spaces more accessible,聽and connecting sustainability work with environmental justice. The section also includes campus and community engagement and outreach, boosting sustainability literacy and including the community in partnerships and education on sustainability.听
The university鈥檚 plan also details goals related to operating and constructing green buildings聽in聽the聽environment聽section. The plan pushes towards changes that would impact the look of campus.听
The campus tree canopy will be expanded and diversified, and the university will expand edible plants and gardens. The plan aims to achieve zero waste by 2030 by eliminating single-use plastics, increasing聽composting聽and recycling,聽and decreasing overall waste. The university will also support sustainable goods vendors and reduce paper usage and paper waste on campus.听
Students will notice a difference in dining options, with a goal聽that聽expands聽vegan dining聽options聽and聽increases聽sustainably or ethically produced food.听
鈥淢any of the goals in the plan that will impact students came from student comments, so it came from areas where students saw we could improve,鈥 Litke said.听
Any new construction聽prioritizes聽energy efficiency and prepares聽for future climate disruptions including temperature increases and heavy rain.听
The campus will increase the number of solar panels and include solar energy in any new construction. The聽Office of聽Sustainability will conduct a campus review using LEED tools to monitor efficiency, water, waste, and air quality.听
Litke said the plan鈥檚 goals go beyond the next five years, but the everchanging research in sustainability and technology requires flexibility in planning.听
鈥淭hree years from now, we may have the chance to take advantage of a technology that doesn鈥檛 exist right now,鈥 Litke said. 鈥淲e really wanted to create a plan that could be adaptable to changes. Within the next five years, it will be time to reevaluate where we are in the district and globally. But the work will continue on.鈥
Calendar and Events
Women On Wednesdays: Karen Tumulty 鈥 The Triumph of Nancy Reagan
May 12, 6聽鈥撀7 p.m.听
Virtual Meeting Room
As part of the Women on Wednesdays series, join AU's Women & Politics Institute and the First Ladies Initiative for a virtual conversation with WPI Executive Director聽Betsy Fischer Martin聽and Washington Post聽political columnist,聽Karen Tumulty, author of the new book, The Triumph of Nancy Reagan, the 鈥渄efinitive biography of the fiercely vigilant and politically astute First Lady who shaped one of the most consequential presidencies of the 20th century.鈥澛
RSVP: .
DIY Maker Culture
May 12, 6 鈥 7:30 p.m.
Virtual Meeting Room 聽
The social significance of collaborative spaces and educational initiatives that facilitate DIY (Do it Yourself) and DIWO (Do it With Others) practices that stimulate cross-cultural and interdisciplinary project opportunities.听
An After Hours / Drinking About Art virtual soir茅e creating a dynamic online social space for the arts & cultural communities to share ideas and aspirations during these extraordinary times of crisis.
To Register and Save Your Spot:聽
Raw Hope of Humanity Rising: Online Public Dialogues for 2021
May 12, 6 p.m.
Virtual Meeting RoomThis dialogue聽responds to the extreme challenges of the moment, using online civic participation as a platform for advocacy and critical dialogue: connecting artists, activists, and changemakers to share perspectives and overcome constraints.听To learn more:聽
.听
Uncertainty and Economic Activity: Global Perspectives
May 13 鈥 14, 9:50聽a.m.听鈥撀12:30聽p.m.
Virtual Meeting Room
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a massive spike in risks and uncertainties. Following the success of the first three conferences, 国产小呦女, International Monetary Fund, and Federal Reserve Board will jointly organize the 4th biennial conference.
RSVP:
James Renwick Alliance Distinguished Artist Series聽
May 23, 2 鈥 3 p.m.
Virtual Meeting Room
Christina Bothwell studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,聽before teaching herself how to work with ceramics, and then cast glass.听聽She has had eleven solo exhibitions of her work since 2006, most recently at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art,聽in Indiana.听Her sculptures are in the public collections of the Cincinnati Museum of Art, Ohio, the Glasmuseet Ebeltoft, Museum of Contemporary Glass, Denmark, SMOG (Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Glass Art), China,聽the Tutsek-Stiftung Foundation, Germany, the Fuller Craft Museum, Massachusetts, the Smithsonian Museum聽of Art鈥檚 Archives of American Art, and several other major museums. Register at:聽.
Black/White
May 25, 6 p.m.
Virtual Meeting Room
Third Space Network (3SN) and its Creative Director Randall Packer, known internationally for pioneering new music theatre & digital performance, presents Black/White, a response to racial polarization on the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. The work situates two men: one black, one white, one a singer, the other a dancer, two individuals who must negotiate distant worlds, distant neighborhoods, distant lives, and different skin, a reconciliation through the language of image, music, rhythm, collage, and movement, co-mingled in the immaterial space of the Network. For more information: 聽