A group of University alumni provided resources to help graduates in the Class of 2020 return to Grounds for Final Exercises this weekend. The deadline to apply for funding was Friday, May 7 and the fund has supported over 330 Class of 2020 alums using nearly all of the funds that were available.
The fund reimburses up to $500 per alum in travel related expenses, which the application listed as including, “gas expenses, plane ticket, train ticket, bus ticket, rental car fees and hotel or other accommodation costs.” Applicants were notified of decisions within 48 hours and asked to upload receipts for travel expenses by May 31.
The “Hoos Coming Back” fund, as it became known, began when a University alum approached the Alumni Association about the rescheduled commencement proceedings for last year’s graduating class.
“We had a very generous alum come to us with the idea of helping the Class of 2020 come back to walk the Lawn,” Chief Development Officer Ashley Cullop said. “The donor really wanted to make sure that was possible, particularly for the young alums who may be financially challenged to do it.”
A special ceremony is being held for the Class of 2020 in Scott Stadium on May 16, during which alumni will be given the chance to walk the Lawn. The announcement of this special ceremony came April 2 — only six weeks before the event is to take place — which left some alumni scrambling to make plans to return to Charlottesville.
When Final Exercises for the Class of 2020 were postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the first time the tradition did not take place as scheduled since its inception in 1829. The ceremony was originally rescheduled for October 2020 but was then delayed to May 2021.
The alum, who wished for their gift to remain anonymous, found several other interested donors to join the effort. Together, the group raised around $100,000 for the Class of 2020 to return to Grounds.
Once the alum had all the funding ready, the Alumni Association’s next challenge was to communicate the existence of the program with last year’s graduating class. They sent an email to the entire class, and the Office of Major Events included a blurb in the graduation announcement from the President’s Office. The initial response was encouraging.
“We had almost immediately 50 to 60 applications, and now we have well over 100, and it’s steadily increasing each day,” Cullop said in an email to The Cavalier Daily on May 3.
While the listed application deadline was Friday, Cullop noted that they would continue to accept applications until funding is exhausted.
“We’re really excited to be able to help steward these dollars and help the members of the Class of 2020 come back,” Cullop said.
As of Wednesday, nearly all available funds have been awarded to Class of 2020 alumni. Donations from other friends of the University are still open and can be made here.
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