The School of Nursing announced the cancellation of its fall graduation ceremony in a June 24 email to students set to graduate that semester. The move sparked a
petition
by the fall cohort to reinstate its graduation, which has over 1,600 signatures at the time of publication.
The School of Nursing is the last of the University colleges to phase out its fall graduation in favor of celebrating all graduates during traditional ceremonies in the spring. Instead of the fall ceremony, the school will host a come-and-go style reception on Dec. 13, according to the email sent to students.
Kylie Wagner, a nursing senior graduating in the fall, said a come-and-go style reception was not enough to celebrate the hard work she poured into completing her degree.
“(It) isn’t worth anyone’s time to come and then leave and do what?” Wagner said. “Unless I’m going to come and walk across the stage and get my diploma and go, then great. That’s what we all want, and that’s what the petition was for.”
Wagner said that on July 8, the school reached out to the cohort to set a time to meet and discuss how to tailor the event to be more meaningful, but a date has yet to be set.
Briana Tayler Bridges, a nursing alumna who graduated last fall and spoke at her graduation, said it is not reasonable to ask graduates to come back for spring commencement.
“Once we start our career, it’s near impossible to get any free time because you’re in a one-year residency where you’re becoming what we call ‘clinical competent’ in this field,” Bridges said. “We’re not allowed to take off on holidays … and you don’t have (paid time off) saved up at that point to be able to get paid for a day off.”
However, Bridges said she does not think the decision comes from a lack of understanding from the School of Nursing.
“(Professors have) seen us grow as people and (go) into adulthood in such rigorous coursework,” Bridges said. “It is a matter of logistics and funding that inevitably brings that picture into play.”
Ultimately, graduates from the fall cohort are looking for a celebration that properly commemorates their achievements, especially as they prepare to enter a demanding field.
“We just want to be celebrated equally as the people in the spring,” Wagner said. “It just seems very unfair to be told right when we’re about to graduate.”
