Movie Committee Explains Monday Night Screening of ‘The Graduate’

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.

Ironically, seniors won’t be able to yell out their apocalyptic 2012 graduation year during the traditional Sunday-before-classes screening of “The Graduate” because of hurricane Irene. Instead, they’ll have to wait until Monday night for the arrival of Benji, when the storm will have passed Philadelphia. The SBC Movie Committee will host the screening at 9PM on Parrish Beach.

The decision to postpone the screening was a joint decision made by the Movie Committee and the administration. Although the forecasts predicted that the storm would have passed by Sunday afternoon, the ground would have still been wet, making it unsafe to have used equipment requiring electricity. Most importantly, there was the possibility of students not having yet arrived on campus because of flight and traffic delays. “We were brainstorming [the administration and the Movie committee] and it was either we postpone it, or everybody watches it with their hall,“ said Natalia Cote Muñoz ’12, head of the Movie Committee. The Committee promptly dismissed the second option. Due to safety reasons and possible power outages, the event could not be held in any of the larger indoor locations, as it was in 2008, when the movie was screened in Lang Concert Hall.

There are several classes scheduled for Monday night, but the Committee hopes that professors will be understanding and accommodating to anyone who wants to take part in the tradition. “It’s sad timing,” said Jessie Canizzarro ’12, who has a class that finishes at 10PM, after the movie has already begun. She’s keeping her fingers crossed that, considering it is the first day, the class won’t take up the entire scheduled time. “It’s really important for me to be there as a senior,“ said Canizzarro.