Proclamation

Proclamation 2023 will be held on Sunday, September 10 at 1 p.m. in the Cannon Memorial Chapel.

Proclamation is one of Westhampton College’s longest lasting celebrations, founded by the first dean of Westhampton, Dr. May Lansfield Keller. Led by the current Dean of Westhampton, Dr. Mia Reinoso Genoni, this ceremony brings together new and senior Westhampton students to emphasize the importance of the Honor Code and the Westhampton community. An alum returns to share their thoughts about their experience at the university and as a Westhampton student. The chair of the Honor Council speaks to the value and importance of the Honor Code, and each new student signs the pledge and is officially recognized as a member of the college community. In addition, all new students write letters to themselves, which contain their thoughts about arriving on campus, and their hopes and ideas about how they will grow, develop, and change during the coming years. At the same time, senior students have their letters returned to them, and, in a moment that is both touching and incredibly entertaining, two seniors read their letters to the entire community. At the conclusion of the ceremony, a reception is held nearby to encourage continued conversation and connection among the seniors and new students. Westhampton’s colors are blue, white, and black; and according to recent tradition many students wear one or more of these colors in some way, be it clothing itself or any kind of accent or accessory. Equally importantly, we encourage students to wear something that is comfortable and authentic as an expression of themselves.

Proclamation features a number of Westhampton traditions that connect students through the years and across generations.

The daisy has been an important symbol of Westhampton College since the days of Dean May Lansfield Keller, who identified with May Day celebrations because of her name. Historically, sophomores gathered wild daisies from the surrounding hillside and wound them around a rope to form the daisy chain. They paraded with the chain into the Greek Theatre, where they met their “big sibs” in the senior class. There they formed the Westhampton “W” and sang class songs. The symbol of the daisy continues to be part of the college in a variety of ways, and we start Proclamation with student leaders carrying in a contemporary version of the daisy chain, marking the importance of leadership and community in the college. The daisy is also prominently featured at Ring Dance and Senior Celebration each year.

The class colors of blue, yellow, green, and red, another long-standing Westhampton College tradition, are celebrated during Proclamation with the unveiling of the Westhampton College first-year class flag, in the color of that class, made by the WC senior class. The senior class flag is also re-introduced at Proclamation, as a reminder of the gift given to them during their first-year Proclamation and in celebration of their ascension to senior students. After Proclamation, the senior flag is cut into small pieces and distributed to seniors in the spring to be worn on their commencement robes as a Westhampton memento.