By Hallie Gleeson and Aelwen Iredale
If a tour group passes by you, you might catch the guide mentioning Centre’s convocation policy. There’s one or two convocations (at least!) nearly every week of the semester. The events range from specialized speakers to student performances to film screenings and more. There’s something for everyone! You can grab your friends and have a really neat experience for absolutely no cost except for the hour or so you’ll have to carve out of your schedule. The best part? Attend twelve convocations and receive a boost to your GPA. You don’t have to tell a Centre student that twice!
However, while convocations are a staple of Centre life, there has been a major shift in the past year. The policy in years past was win-lose: if you went to all twelve, your GPA would increase. But beware! If you didn’t meet the required amount of convos, your GPA would take a hit. At the end of the 2023-2024 school year, students voted on a new convocations policy. On the ballot, there were three options:
- The convocation requirement should be kept
- The convocation requirement should apply only to first years
- The convocation requirement should be dropped
The third option won, and, in the 24-25 school year, convocations became optional. There remains a slight GPA boost if 12 or more are attended, but there is no detrimental effect if someone chooses to not attend at all. Through the last year, the shifts of Centre culture have shown how this change has affected us, and now, we can share our thoughts with plenty to reflect on.
We think there have been both positive and negative changes. Overall, as people who attend convocations—often performances with friends involved but also guest speakers—the crowds have definitely grown smaller. While this may seem unfortunate, it is, in fact, mostly a positive change. Instead of people going and doing their homework while at a talk with a guest speaker and being generally disinterested in everything other than the Convo credit, people who attend now are often more engaged because they have more freedom to choose what they go to.
A major complaint in previous years was that people were annoyed when students would ask questions at the end of convocations. The questioners were frustrated because they wanted to learn more, and the opposing camp was ticked that the unspoken “convocations last one hour and not a minute more” rule was being broken. Once convocations became optional, this issue resolved itself. People, by and large, only attend events that truly interest them.
We think this is somewhat problematic. Well, maybe problematic is too strong a word—but we attend a liberal arts college. We are here to receive an education. A well rounded education means engaging with ideas that may not all be interesting to you.
While convocations are now optional for all, we encourage students, especially freshmen, to attend them. With guest speakers, you can learn how people put their education into practice in new ways, hear new perspectives on ideas, or be exposed to a completely new subject that piques your interest. At performances, you can support your fellow students in their creative endeavors—and really enjoy yourself. Theater, orchestra, and choir are always amazing, beautiful performances that Centre students put their heart and soul into. Yes, Convo credits no longer matter, but exposing yourself to the opportunities Centre offers is the best way to take advantage of being at such a college. Don’t take it for granted.
If you want to know more about upcoming convocations, you can check Centrenet or Instagram!
Convocation schedule: https://centrenet.centre.edu/ICS/Academic/Academic_Affairs/Convocations/
Instagram: @centreconvocations
We’ll see you there!