Class of 2021 Receives Diplomas After Four-Month Delay

Daniel J. Nesbitt ’22

Co-Editor-in-Chief

Trinity College graduates a part of the Class of 2021 have received their diplomas after a four-month delay. Following their graduation ceremony on May. 21, students were originally told that they would receive their diplomas by mail in mid-August. However, many frustrated students and alumni on social media indicated that they had still not received their diplomas nearly a month later.

Explaining the delay, Chief of Staff Jason Rojas told the Tripod that “The delay was caused by a couple of factors.” “One of our goals for commencement was to produce a program book that included recognition of academic honors. Due to issues related to COVID a number of students were given extensions into the summer to complete their requirements. This delayed our finalizing the program book until July which then allowed us to order custom boxes that would fit the diploma and two programs.”

Rojas also confirmed that the diplomas were mailed to domestic addresses from the Texas-based publishing company Slate Group from Sept. 2-3. Slate was hired to create a custom mailing box for the diplomas and two commencement programs. The diplomas were sent via USPS Ground which has a delivery time of 2-8 days. The later delivery schedule is the result of a delay in receiving boxes to ship the diplomas and programs via FedEx. Rojas indicated that diplomas for international students will be sent out this week.

“The delay in the the receipt of our diplomas into early September following graduation in May was disappointing,” explained a member of the Class of 2021 to the Tripod earlier this month. He indicated that his class had not receive any notification on the status of their diplomas since the end of June. “It is the physical capstone of our significant milestone, and the unexplained delay is unfortunate, particularly when my peers at many other institutions received their diplomas in June and July.”