The senior class voted to all wear white gowns and caps to graduation this year, following the decision to end the tradition of female seniors wearing white gowns and male seniors wearing black gowns.
The administration and Prefect Council said that they asked the seniors to make this change to promote inclusivity for all students.
The Prefect Council sent a survey to seniors where they could choose whether they prefer to wear white or black gowns and caps at graduation, or if they were indifferent.
At senior class meeting, they announced that the majority of students voted to wear white.
“Obviously it’s going to be an awkward transition stage, but I think this is a change that needs to happen eventually, and I think it’ll be pretty cool to be part of the class that implements this change,” Prefect Carolyn Hong ’17 said.
The Class of 2017 will be the first class in which every student of every gender wears the same color gowns and caps at graduation.
The following classes will continue the new tradition of wearing uniform caps and gowns.
They will also continue voting for which color gowns and caps they would like to wear at graduation.
Maddy Harbert ’17 said that, although she voted to wear black gowns and caps, she supported the message behind all students wearing the same color.
She did not mind that her first choice for gown color was not chosen.
“I didn’t really care about which color was chosen, but I thought it was important that they be inclusive of all genders and not categorize people based on their gender, so I thought it was really cool that we’re doing it all as one color,” Harbert said.
Ethan Blaser ’17 said he was indifferent on the selection of the gown color, and voted as so in the survey.
“I don’t think it matters,” Blaser said. “I don’t think people really found it as big of an issue, from what I could tell. I’m fine with white.”
Blaser, however, said that he was glad that others were accepting of the new tradition.
“I’m happy that it didn’t get blown out of proportion, that this issue wasn’t really made a big thing,” Blaser said. “People were just like, ‘Okay, it’s white now, alright.’”
Harbert said that she, nonetheless, is looking forward to wearing the same color as the rest of her peers at graduation.
Blaser noted that although he voted that he was indifferent in the survey, he is glad that the chosen color was not black because black fabric traps more heat.