The Project
Davidson-Davie Community College
The Challenge
Create a safe, durable walkway across the lawn for the college’s outdoor commencement ceremonies.
The Need
The Solution
EverBase® 4
The ceremony location was set. The lawn was not.
Hundreds of graduates walking the same route across rain-softened turf could quickly turn Davidson-Davie Community College’s scenic commencement lawn into a muddy, difficult-to-navigate path.
The Thomasville, North Carolina-based institution needed a walkway capable of supporting concentrated foot traffic while protecting the lawn and creating a more dependable route for graduates, faculty, and other ceremony participants.
“We have a nice grassy lawn for commencement on campus,” said Jared Bowman, associate vice president of marketing and communications at Davidson-Davie Community College. “But when you have 500 or so people walking on the same path, it can quickly turn muddy.”
The college had also received complaints in previous years about the difficulty of navigating the lawn, especially when the ground was wet or graduates were wearing high heels.
“That’s not ideal for graduates who are dressed up for such an important occasion,” Bowman said.
Initially, Davidson-Davie considered hiring an event rental company to provide and install modular flooring each year. The public community college then compared the recurring rental expense with the long-term value of purchasing a reusable system.
Because EverBase® 4 could be installed for future commencement ceremonies and other campus events, ownership offered the college a more practical long-term investment.
Installation also proved much faster than the maintenance team anticipated. Although the experienced crew of six reserved a full day for the project, the tiles connected without tools, allowing the team to complete the walkway in approximately one hour.
“The installation isn’t complicated. It simply snaps together,” Bowman said.
Protecting the commencement lawn was another important consideration. The two-year college typically installs the flooring three to four days before the ceremony, giving staff enough time to prepare the site without completing the work at the last minute.
“Another major selling point was protecting the grass,” Bowman said. “We’ve used the flooring for two years now and haven’t experienced any issues. Once we remove the tiles, the grass looks just as it did before.”
On commencement day, the path to the stage should not be part of the challenge. With EverBase® 4 in place, Davidson-Davie Community College can focus on what the ceremony is meant to celebrate: graduates confidently taking their next step.
Planning an outdoor commencement or special event? Explore EverBase® 4 modular flooring or contact our team to find the right setup for your space.