Convocation for Class of 2022 set for Cameron Indoor Stadium

The Class of 2019 attended convocation in Cameron while the Chapel was under renovation.
The Class of 2019 attended convocation in Cameron while the Chapel was under renovation.

Nearly every year, bright-eyed first-year students pass under the portal of Duke Chapel on their first day of orientation week for convocation. But not this year.

This year’s convocation for the class of 2022 will be held in Cameron Indoor Stadium instead of Duke Chapel. In years prior, the ceremony has been held in the Chapel with Page Auditorium and Griffith and Reynolds Theaters acting as overflow locations with live streams. Because of the number of attendees and ongoing construction in Page Auditorium, the location of convocation was changed.

“Being in Cameron helps with space and students, parents and guests can all attend together,” wrote Jordan Hale, director of new student programs, in an email. “Also, with Page being down this year, simulcasting the program would have been more challenging.”

Page Auditorium has a seating capacity of 1,170,  Reynolds Theater seats 608 and Griffiths Theater seats 500. According to a Duke Chapel brochure, the Chapel's main floor has a seating capacity of 1,500.

"The main reason convocation shifted to Cameron Indoor is simply because of Page Auditorium currently being down," wrote Kaitlin Briggs, senior program coordinator for University ceremonies, in an email. 

Cameron Indoor Stadium has a seating capacity of 9,314.

This isn't the first time convocation has been in Cameron—convocation of the class of 2019 was held there because of renovations to the Chapel. According to Hale, it is unknown at this point if the location change will be permanent, as they will “know more after this year.” 

Amongst the more than 37,000 applicants, over 3,000 were admitted to the class of 2022. Within the early decision pool, 875 applicants were admitted in December and 99 deferred applicants in March. Duke admitted just 6.4 percent of regular decision applicants–2,123 prospective first-years. A total of 1,753 students makeup the first-year class.

"In 2015, [Cameron] proved to be a wonderful space to accommodate both students and guests," Briggs wrote. "It was easy for everyone to not only be seated in the same venue but to also have the opportunity to get their lunches and have ample space for seating indoors."

Editor's note: This article was updated Tuesday morning with comments from Briggs and the total number of first-years who enrolled in the Class of 2022. Additionally, his article was updated Tuesday morning to reflect the large number of attendees, rather than necessarily an increasing one, is related to the location shift, as the number of students enrolled in each class has hovered around 1,750 in recent years and approximately 1,740 students entered with last year's class.


Stefanie Pousoulides profile
Stefanie Pousoulides | Investigations Editor

Stefanie Pousoulides is The Chronicle's Investigations Editor. A senior from Akron, Ohio, Stefanie is double majoring in political science and international comparative studies and serves as a Senior Editor of The Muse Magazine, Duke's feminist magazine. She is also a former co-Editor-in-Chief of The Muse Magazine and a former reporting intern at PolitiFact in Washington, D.C.

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