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BRETT MOSES, Lead Man, Commencement & Reunions Crew

What do you and your team do for Commencement and reunions?

We set around 10,000 chairs on the Green. We work seven days a week for 26 days straight, with no time off. It’s a long stretch. We do all the furniture setups and all of the dinner locations. This is the busiest time of the year. We work a lot of overtime.

How long does it take to set up for Commencement?

We start on Wednesday and we’re usually done on Friday. It’s gone a lot quicker over the last couple of years.

What do you do on graduation day?

We come in at 5 a.m. and are out by 3 p.m. We take down all the rental chairs, stack those up, pick up the rubbish on the Green. We’re get- ting ready for reunion week.

What’s changed during the 35 years you’ve been here?

Years ago it was really hectic, we’d be working from 6 in the morning until 9 at night. Now it’s more scheduled. The events office is involved. It goes a lot smoother. And now we have trailers for the chairs that go on the Green. Before we were manhandling them. We had a stor- age barn, and a Commencement platform that we had to start setting up two weeks before. Now it’s leased out and done in a couple of days.

What’s your most memorable Commencement?

When President Clinton was here in 1995. That was really hectic. That’s when they had it on the football field. That’s the only time it was down there. It was a safer loca- tion. Secret Service was everywhere. We had difficulty getting into certain areas be- cause they didn’t know we needed access, so many orders were never filled. They had a motorcade, the whole nine yards.

Do you ever watch the ceremony?

I never have. We’re always doing something else, getting ready for reunion week. Last year I sat down at my desk and watched it on the computer.

Does anyone ever thank you?

Oh yes, we get a lot of thanks. We get compliments from parents and alumni. They’ll come up and shake our hands and say, “Job well done.” It feels good, it really does.

“It is crazy. But it works out every year.”