Ohio State, Capital, Denison celebrate graduating seniors through tradition

Cue up the pomp and circumstance — it's college graduation season.

Commencement ceremonies are a staple, but as the semester draws to an end, some schools celebrate their graduating classes through age-old traditions.

As students count down the days until graduation, many are also looking forward to celebrations and traditions specific to graduating seniors. Some schools are reintroducing traditions this year after a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

How do Greater Columbus universities celebrate their seniors? Here's a look at some of their graduation traditions.

Capital University

A landmark of Capital University's Bexley campus is its Memorial Gateway. The brick pillars and wrought-iron gate aren't just a scenic entry into campus; the gate also is a symbol of students' college careers.

Walking through the Gate, as it is casually known, signifies "the completion of a student’s academic journey and the start of a lifetime as a Capital University alumnus," according to Capital's 2021 commencement information.

During freshman orientation, first-year students walk through the gate as part of their welcome to campus. Parents, faculty, staff and administrators line the walkway on the other side of the gate, clapping and cheering for students as they pass through.

Students are told, according to legend, that they should not walk through the gate again until graduation day, otherwise they won't graduate. On graduation day, all new Capital alumni walk out the gate again together.

The gate ceremony has been a hallmark of Capital's new student orientation since 2004, but the Memorial Gateway has been part of Capital lore for decades.

"You're not a Capital student until you walk through the gate," one former Capital administrator told the Dispatch in 2011.

This year's commencement at Capital takes place Saturday.

Ohio State University

As Buckeyes close out their time at Ohio State, their final week as students is filled with a number of celebrations, like the Senior Bar Crawl.

One of the more sentimental traditions during Commencement Week is the Commencement Eve Candlelight Ceremony. Held the night before spring commencement, it is an opportunity for graduating students to reflect on their time at the university. Hundreds of undergraduate, graduate and professional students, along with their families and friends, gather on the Oval in front of Thompson Library.

Guest speakers – including OSU President Kristina M. Johnson, Senior Vice President for Student Life Melissa Shivers, and president of the Ohio State Alumni Association Molly Ranz Calhoun – share remarks with the graduates.

Attendees end the evening by lighting a candle and sing “Carmen Ohio."

Come graduation day — to take place on Sunday this spring — graduates leave Ohio Stadium to the sound of the Victory Bell, which only rings after a victory in the stadium, both athletic or – in the case of commencement – academic.

Denison University

Not all traditions have to be decades old to still be meaningful.

In 2017, Denison University held its inaugural Senior Soirée. The event – hosted by the senior class co-governors and the offices of alumni and family engagement, student development, and the president – is graduating seniors' chance to celebrate their undergraduate years and transition into the Society of the Alumni.

Denison seniors and their families party on Reese-Shackelford Common and enjoy food, drinks and live music. At 10 p.m., Denison President Adam S. Weinberg and class co-governors give a toast.

Then at midnight, students are officially welcomed into the Society of the Alumni by university and alumni dignitaries Partying continues into the early morning hours as seniors celebrate their graduation day.

This year's graduation at Denison will take place

Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter at the Columbus Dispatch. You can reach her at shendrix@dispatch.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @sheridan120. Sign up for her Mobile Newsroom newsletter here and her education newsletter here.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Greater Columbus universities celebrate seniors through tradition