Commencement by the numbers
With rain in the forecast, there were 30,000 ponchos on hand to help people stay dry during Commencement at Nickerson Field.
• There were approximately 30,000 ponchos on hand for the main Commencement exercises at Nickerson Field. The ponchos cost 48 cents each to make.
• About 6,000 students graduated. Of that number, 3,415 were undergraduates.
• The University expected 20,000 guests to fill the stands at Nickerson Field for the main Commencement exercises.
• The University entertained 44,374 guests at 194 parties over Commencement weekend.
• Approximately 23,000 cookies were baked for the various Commencement receptions. Based on an average count of 295 calories per cookie, this is equivalent to 7,080,000 total calories.
• An average of one finger sandwich for each of the University’s
45,000 guests was made. If you lined these finger sandwiches end to end, they would equal the height of almost eight Empire State Buildings or 31 times around the bases at Fenway Park.