A March Through the Arch

The recent Reunions issue had a photo of the senior class marching under a banner labeled “Alumni Arch” waving above them in the trees (top center of the Alumni Association advertisement on p. 10). I wonder how many seniors or other marchers were conscious of its presence. I marched that day and did not see it. As a senior in 1961, I do vividly remember following all the older classes through the 1879 Arch as a “rite of passage,” marking the event of my class joining the ranks of alumni. More recently, Bloomberg Hall offered a similar opportunity for the senior class to follow alumni through an architectural portal as a memorable rite of passage to a climatic review by the president on the Ellipse.

Due to evident security and practical concerns, the tradition of holding Commencement on the Front Campus, a few steps away from Nassau Street, had to be changed. Perhaps, given complicated logistics of a Reunions weekend, the work needed to set up for P-rade review on the Ellipse had to be abandoned as well. The Class of 2025 seemed happy enough has they marched under “Alumni Arch.” One can only hope that a faded tradition of past generations might be replaced by something better for a new generation of Princetonians.