Reunions 2022 set to occur in-person, on campus

After taking place virtually in both 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19, Reunions 2022 is planned to take place in-person on campus from May 19–22, 2022.

Kate Bellin ’02, President of the Class of 2002, which will be celebrating its 20th reunion this coming year, told The Daily Princetonian, “The classes who were supposed to have their majors this year will have the tents as always, so the classes who missed out will obviously come ... but I don’t think they’ll get their own space.”

Bellin also added that she felt these Reunions might resemble “victory Reunions,” similar to those when soldiers returned from a war and attended Reunions for the first time.

Erika Knudson, Executive Director for Advancement Communications, deferred comment to the University Communications team.

Claire Silberman ’23, who is planning to work Reunions 2022 and previously worked as a member of the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni (APGA) crew in 2019, expressed her hopes about COVID measures to be put in place, stating, “It would be great if they mandated vaccines and negative tests to enter. We’ve done so well on campus this semester keeping cases low, and I hope we keep it up for reunions.”

Silberman is the Head Satire Editor at the ‘Prince.’

Deputy University Spokesperson Michael Hotchkiss confirmed this in an email to the ‘Prince,’ adding, “COVID safety measures are an important aspect of this planning, and Advancement is working closely with campus health officials and others across campus to ensure we are being responsive to campus, state, and national public health advisories. We hope to have details to share in early 2022.”

However, for alumni looking to return to campus for reunions, lodging arrangements may pose a challenge. According to its website, the Nassau Inn, located across from campus in Palmer Square, is completely booked for May 20 and 21, and is available for checkout only on May 19. For the same dates the Courtyard Marriott, the Hyatt Regency, and the Homewood Suites by Hilton, three of the closest hotels to Princeton’s campus, there are similarly no rooms available for a stay between May 19–22.

Bellin speculated that this phenomenon has happened so early in advance of Reunions itself because of people pushing reservations from prior years that they had made before they were cancelled.

She also expressed her excitement for the event overall, stating, “There were so many people in my class who I didn’t know when I was there, and being an elected official within my class, I get to know all those people throughout the year, and I get to see them at Reunions. But also, I’m really excited to see my friends in other classes.”

“I think the older you get, I’m discovering, the more fun it is to do the things that are not just year-related — like alumni-faculty forums are really cool,” she added.

Silberman echoed similar sentiments, writing, “I’m looking forward to all the alumni returning to campus after two years of virtual reunions. There’s going to be three times as many people trying to celebrate major reunions that they missed because of COVID, so I think there will be a lot of energy and excitement on campus.”

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Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Erika Knudson is a member of the Committee on Reunions. Knudson serves as the Executive Director for Advancement Communications, but is not a member of the Committee on Reunions.

Katherine Dailey is an assistant news editor who often covers University affairs and breaking news. She can be reached at kdailey@princeton.edu or on Twitter at @kmdailey7.