In order to make the grass greener, the food more exquisite and the accommodations more comfortable during this emotional and symbolic time, various groups tackle the preparatory measures necessary to ensure the success of the ten days of Commencement and Reunion.
Just steps from the ceremony, the Hanover Inn braces itself for a swarm of guests and diners. Of the 92 rooms at the Inn, the College typically reserves about 60 to 65 of them, leaving little space for wishful parents of graduating students, Hanover Inn Manager Matt Marshall said.
"We host a lot of honorary degree candidates, the Trustees, part of the 50-year class and their families," Marshall said.
The Inn caters several class dinners in tents and gyms during Reunion, and hosts coffee before Commencement as well as the student-parent brunch in the dining room following the ceremony.
"It's an extremely busy weekend for us," Marshall said.
In response to the catered meals and the overflow of guests, the Inn increases its staff by 60 percent, to 200 people, Marshall said.
According to Dartmouth Dining Services Director Tucker Rossiter, most of the approximately 110 events over the ten days include serving food. Extra personnel consist of hired students to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner to alumni and at the activities during senior week.
"Throughout the whole ten days, this is the most catering we do during the whole year....[DDS] does 75 percent to 80 percent of catering for events that week while The Hanover Inn does a good portion of the remaining percentage," Rossiter said.
About 60 students are hired to cater the special events from June 9 to June 20. This year, 63 students will execute the physical setup of the catering equipment, and become waiters and waitresses for ten days, Rossiter said.
"We are anticipating there will be a reception we cater on the Green with [refreshments] for the eight to ten thousand guests," Rossiter said.
"All dinners are with china, linen and candles. Arenas, such as Leede, become banquet halls, and [more recent classes] will have about 500 people for dinner each night," Rossiter said.
While all Thayer staff is engaged in catering over the ten-day period, hiring students and choosing culinary options requires advance planning. Preparatory measures were initialized last December, as alumni made appointments to review menus and arrange catering, Rossiter said.
According to DDS Personnel Administrator Kelly Mousley, student workers were selected May 10 from an application process that ended in early May.
June activities also place an incredible strain on the functional components of Facilities Operation and Management. A labor crew of 13, supplemented with the custodial staff, is responsible for much of the behind-the-scenes activity.
Structures and fences are repainted, and grounds crews have worked tirelessly for months sodding, trimming and mowing to ensure the College landscape resembles a verdant paradise.
Nearly 8,000 chairs for graduating undergraduates and graduate students and their guests were set up on Green this week through the efforts of the FOAM crew.
"It's a huge [effort], no doubt about it. During Commencement and Reunion, the labor crew will work 19 days straight because [activities fall on] two weekends in a row," Assistant Director of FOAM Linda Hathorn said.
Various locations need to be prepared in anticipation of the big day. The lineup in Leede Arena, where students rehearse graduation exercises, is furnished with chairs and a stage, Hathron said.
Other Commencement operations include contracting a company to bring water out onto the Green, setting up buildings for closed-circuit television and planting flags of all United Nations members around the periphery of the Green.
Unlike in past years, FOAM is renting a platform from a staging company that was erected on Wednesday. Last year, FOAM had to construct its own platform, beginning the project almost a month in advance, on May 14, Hathorn said.
Additional work is required for class week and the reunion period. FOAM supplies the Bema with 700 chairs and water coolers for Class Day while for reunion, 15 class tents for registration and gatherings are ordered for the dozen or so classes here for reunion, Hathorn said.
The ten-day reunion period is also hectic time that requires a lengthy planning period for the office of Alumni affairs.
"For ten days, we're working from eight in the morning until ten at night. During this time, there are 12 classes with over 4,000 alumni and guests" in Hanover, Senior Associate Director of Alumni Relations David Orr said.
Orr said he works with the reunion chairmen and their committees, meeting both in Hanover and around the country 13 months prior to the June reunions. Orr said he assists them with mailings, programming such as picnics, dinners and hikes, and providing support in acquiring tables, chairs and tents. Alumni Relations also runs a general reunion headquarters in Zimmerman dormitory lounge to coordinate the activities.
