OUR VIEW: Names need to be read at graduation
The new proposed method of handing out each graduate’s diploma during the graduation ceremony is going to add plenty of stress and work for the faculty. This process is usually completed about six weeks after finals. Now it will have to be completed before graduation.
Heidi Beck, associate registrar, said it normally takes six people 50 hours each to post degrees. This doesn’t take into account the marathon process professors are going to have to go through so the registrar knows which students can graduate in time for commencement.
Having a university-wide celebration is a great idea. Students may have the chance to shake hands with the president or provost of the university. However, with such a mass of people advancing toward the stage, it is not possible to read students’ names as they transition from undergraduate to graduate life.
The traditional graduation ceremonies with the reading of names are an expected and beloved event for students and parents alike.
They pay for tuition and should be given the satisfaction of hearing that the money and effort have paid off.
Students deserve recognition for their extensive, hard work to graduate. The reading of a name in public is better recognition than the discreet passing of a piece of paper.
Instead of handing out diplomas at a university-wide ceremony and risking the myriad errors that can happen when there are only seven months to complete such a task, why not wait until the spring 2004 graduation to complete the proposed design? Moreover, diplomas aren’t of any use the day of graduation. Other universities make plans for 15 months leading up to the ceremony to have diplomas proofread and ready to be handed out.
For the time being, President Hall should make sure names get read aloud somewhere. The perfect place for that is in individual college celebrations, where students can get the recognition they deserve.
All in all, the president has a good feel for the need to improve graduation. He just needs to make sure students get the recognition they want the way they want it.