May 13, 2021 | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
GRADUATION
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID BLOOMINGTON, IN PERMIT NO. 267
EDITION
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Top A graduate walks to her seat prior to the commencement of the Graduate Ceremony at Memorial Stadium on May 7.
The class of 2021 will always have a special significance in the history of IU. Two years of classes before an interruption in March of 2020, which was in turn followed by the strangest year of college in living memory. Between COVID-19, seemingly perpetual construction on campus, the greatest women’s basketball season in memory and a football program on the rise, this year’s graduates have seen a bit of everything. This class was asked to adjust and rise to the occasion when classes moved online last spring, and your graduation serves as proof that you rose above that challenge to succeed. All of you, along with some members of the class of 2020, got the commencement ceremonies you’ve worked for and deserve this past Saturday. You will find photos from that event included in this special edition. We at the IDS hope that this paper will fill the role of a reminder for the present and future of the kinds of trials and experiences the class of 2021 faced on their road to commencement. Things still don’t quite look normal, and many of you weren’t able to celebrate in the ways you had wished. Along with that, the future is still shrouded in uncertainty for many graduates You’ve faced uncertainty before during your time at IU, and you’re more than capable of overcoming it as you've proven time and again . As far as things not looking normal, Bloomington won’t be going anywhere. This city has been a home for many of you these past few years, and it’s more than happy to welcome you back in the future. Congratulations, class of 2021! We’ll be here in Bloomington cheering you on as you move on to accomplish great things.
Left Laurie McRobbie kisses President Michael McRobbie after he is honored during the Undergraduate Graduation Ceremony on May 8.
Luke Christopher Norton Editor-in-chief
ETHAN LEVY | IDS
Right The Undergraduate Graduation Ceremony took place on May 8 at Memorial Stadium.
9,714 degrees awarded at commencement By Phyllis Cha cha1@iu.edu | @phyllischa
IU awarded 9,714 degrees to students May 8 from 103 countries and all 50 states during the in-person undergraduate commencement ceremony. Attendance at the ceremony was limited to faculty and IU graduates from the classes of 2020 and 2021, but was live streamed on IU’s Facebook page for family and friends to watch. Those in attendance were wearing masks. The youngest graduate was 20 and the oldest was 74. IU Provost Lauren Robel, who is stepping down from her position as IU-Bloomington provost and IU executive vice president in June, spoke about how skeptics thought students were incapable of staying safe during the pandemic. “And yet, here you sit, in your caps and gowns on the cusp of moving your tassels from right to left,” she said. “Why? Because the skeptics underestimated you. They underestimated us and they completely missed what was at stake.” She thanked students for their efforts to keep campus safe by getting tested and acknowledged that students sacrificed a lot over the past year. She commended the students for their persistence in helping others during the pandemic, whether by helping other students through jobs on campus or volunteering for the community.
ETHAN LEVY | IDS
Graduates of the Kelley School of Business Masters of Science in Information Systems program pose for a picture on May 7.
“Overwhelmingly and fiercely and courageously you demonstrated grit and resilience and character,” she said. IU President Michael McRobbie awarded Robel the University Medal, which he said has only been awarded to 19 others in IU history.
This was the 129th commencement ceremony McRobbie has presided over and will be his last before he steps down from his position. Robel awarded McRobbie an honorary Doctor of Science degree. In his speech, McRobbie congratulated the class of 2021 and thanked
them for their efforts to keep campus safe. “Despite the enormous challenges and disruptions caused by the pandemic, you remained dedicated to your studies and steadfast in adjusting to all public health measures needed to help fight the
pandemic, with a combination of courage, resilience and an unwavering concern for others,” he said. The classes of 2020 and 2021 have been affected greatly by the pandemic, student speaker Jason Wang said. Wang graduated with degrees in finance from the Kelley School of Business and computer science from the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering. “Perhaps the least specific, yet most important thing we missed, was the victory lap of tailgates, dinners, kickbacks and conversations we had all planned to celebrate the completion of an incredible four years,” he said. Wang said the silver lining in the hardships of the past year was seeing the persistence and grit of the Hoosier spirit. As someone from New York, Wang said he finally understood what it meant to be a Hoosier. Hoosiers are those who are willing to put the needs of others first, he said. “This will not be the last time that we, as people, will be tested. We will never be fully immune to failure, loss, trials and tribulations,” Wang said. “But without a shadow of a doubt, I know that when the time comes, we will have the endurance necessary to rise above these struggles together as peers.”
Meet the only triplets from this year’s graduating class By Helen Rummel hrummel@iu.edu | @HelenRummel
Ellie, Maddie and Ronnie VanBuskirk have watched one another grow up and shared countless celebrations over the years. Last Saturday, the three got to graduate together one last time. The three sisters are the only set of triplets in IU’s 2021 graduating class and were also the first triplets born at the Bloomington hospital. Up until now, they had always attended the same schools. “It’s like having two best friends with you all the time, wherever you go,” Ellie said. The VanBuskirks are now thirdCOURTESY PHOTO
Five-year-old Ellie, Maddie and Ronnie VanBuskirk smile for a photo. The three were the first set of triplets to be born at the Bloomington hospital.
generation IU graduates, leaving behind other family members still attending the university. They said while they weren’t certain they would always end up at IU, they have always had Hoosier pride. “It’s really cool to come back and have it completely come full circle,” Ronnie said. The three remember their parents, both IU graduates, helping them host tailgate parties for IU gamedays over the years. They said this was where their family and friends could all meet and was a long-standing tradition in their household. “Our family would always have the biggest tailgate,” Maddie said. “Everyone could count on that and everyone was welcome.” When the three had discovered SEE TRIPLETS, PAGE 4