Cash and gown
When graduating seniors walk up to receive their diplomas on May 1, they will do so decked out in the typical gear.
When some students discovered how much they would have to pay for the apparel required to walk, however, they were more reluctant to participate in the traditional ceremony.
“I was just pissed off, to be frank,” said Rohan Shah, who is graduating this semester with his master’s degree in computer science. “Eighty-three dollars for a piece of cloth and a gown and cap that I am only going to wear once? That’s uncalled for.”
The Campus Store advertises its most basic graduation apparel, which includes a cap, gown and tassel, for $49.99. Master’s students must purchase an additional master’s hood for $15 and Ph.D. students must purchase an additional Ph.D. hood for $25.
Though it’s not required, students who want a graduation Stoll — a long cloth that has the university logo and graduation year on it — must pay an additional $20. Other optional items, such as souvenir tassels, frames and class rings present extra expenses for students who decide to purchase them.
Shah said it seems necessary to purchase many of these items, else the graduation experience seems “incomplete.”
“It’s my graduation ceremony and I want to make it perfect,” Shah said. “What if I give you a cake without icing? What if I say it’s $50 for the cake and $10 for the icing? Would you pay $50 or $60? Obviously $60.”
Risa Smith, clothing and gifts manager of the Campus Store, said the expense is worth paying because graduation is such an important event.
“I think that’s the crown jewel that you put on top of your college degree,” Smith said. “I think, you know, you’re going to spend that $50 for your cap and gown, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal. It’s something you’re not going to do again and if you want to make it special, that’s the way to do it.”
Shah, however, said encouraging students to spend extra money on the premise that it’s a one-time event is a marketing ploy.
“The Campus Store is taking advantage of the emotions tied to people’s graduation ceremonies,” Shah said. “They know that you are going to pay because it is very important in your life. Why not charge double?”
Shah said the ideal price for the materials would be at least 50 percent less. He suggested the campus store adopt a rental system that gives students 30-40 percent back when they return the robes.
The university used to have a rental system, Smith said, but it was abandoned about 10 years ago when control of graduation apparel was handed from the president’s office to the Campus Store.
Smith explained that it was too much of a hassle for the president’s office to clean the robes and replace those that were never returned.
It is unlikely that the Campus Store would ever reinstitute the rental system, Smith said, but students can find other ways to reduce the cost of the apparel, such as purchasing or borrowing robes from friends who have already graduated.
Finding a correctly-sized robe from one’s group of friends can be difficult, Shah said. He suggested creating a website similar to texts.com that allows students to buy and sell a variety of robe sizes for a more reasonable price among the larger student population.
USUSA President Douglas Fiefia said via email that the idea is “worth looking into,” but it might be challenging because students who have graduated may have left Utah and would be unable to give their robes to current students.
Because Fiefia is a senior who had to purchase graduation materials for himself this semester, he agreed that “there has to be a better, more cost-effective way to provide these services to our students at USU.”
If the apparel proves to be too expensive, students may choose not to walk. Smith said the Campus Store has allowed students to borrow the apparel for pictures if they can’t afford to purchase it for graduation.
The graduation apparel at the Campus Store is supplied by Jostens, a company that supplies similar materials for universities and high schools across the country.
Comparatively, most universities in Utah charge similar prices for their graduation packages, according to their respective school websites.
— melmo12@gmail.com