Commencement in the Stadium

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

I am enclosing herewith a copy of a letter which I have just written to the new Chief Marshal for Commencement day. In case this letter should be printed in the CRIMSON and should arouse others who feel as I do to communicate with Mr. Hallowell either directly or through the medium of the CRIMSON, it might mark the starting of a new era in the mode of management of the Commencement exercises. Sincerely yours,   PHILIP DUDLEY WOODBRIDGE 4M.

Mr. R. H. Hallowell, Chief Marshal for Commencement Day, Harvard University.

Dear Sir:

I wish to register a strong plea for holding the Commencement Exercises in the Stadium instead of in Sanders Theatre.

I have myself been through the ordeal of receiving a degree in Sanders Theatre, and have heard from a goodly number of others their complaints concerning the exercises as conducted there. The general feeling seems to be that of dissatisfaction. This is caused by certain conditions imposed by the nature of the building. These conditions are, first, that each one receiving a degree may have but one ticket for guests, and secondly, that the atmosphere is usually suffocatingly hot and close. In my own case the ceremony was one of constant physical discomfort, relieved only by the thought that I was receiving a degree and by Alfred Noyes's contribution, as redeeming features.

I attended the exercises the year they were held in the Stadium. There wese tickets for all who wanted to come. Though the temperature was high, there was no physical discomfort because the matter of poor ventilation was eliminated. The ceremony was a beautiful one, could be enjoyed to the full, and therefore should remain a cherished memory for every participant.

I have heard but two objections to the use of the Stadium. The first of these is the uncertainty of the weather. This condition was met, in the case mentioned, by issuing with every four or five tickets to the Stadium one ticket to Sanders Theatre, so that the exercises might be held there in case of inclemency, the chosen few attending. In the second place, I have heard one report that there was difficulty in hearing. As I remember. I sat on the farthest edge of the audience, yet had no difficulty in this regard. Since this objection is not raised against holding the Class Day exercises in the Stadium. I do not see that it can be held as an insuperable objection to holding the Commencement exercises there. In fact, it would appear that the success of one set of exercises there would prove that the other could be made a success there.

I believe that among those in whom the recollection of the Sanders exercises is still vivid, you will find a widespread dissatisfaction with them, and an equally widespread desire to give the Stadium proposal or other proposals a fair trial of several years' testing.   Sincerely yours,   PHILIP DUDLEY WOODBRIDGE 4M.