The University of South Carolina has decided to eliminate the August 2016 graduation ceremony, forcing students who would have originally walked the stage during this time to wait until the December ceremony.
Those planning for their August commencement are outraged by the short notice decision, which was quietly announced after students had already been advised, and some even registered, for the spring semester. The official announcement stated that the university is to “experiment with a new commencement calendar in 2016” that would include only May and December ceremonies. It attributed the change to “several years of declining interest in the August ceremony among graduating students and participation rates well below 50 percent of eligible graduates.”
In addition, the school states that eliminating the August commencement will encourage students to graduate in four years, “rather than assuming the additional cost of an extra summer term.” This, however, insinuates that all students are capable of graduating on a 4-year track.
Katie Ricks, a senior sports entertainment management major, was told at her freshman orientation that she was entering a four and a half year program. Because of this, Ricks planned on graduating in August of 2016 since entering in Fall of 2012.
“I've worked for four years to walk across the stage when my time comes, and now they're not giving me that opportunity,” Ricks said. “Now I have to wait four months to walk. What if I have a job that won't let me take that leave? What if my entry-level position doesn't pay enough for me to travel back?”
Ricks is not the only student with concerns about waiting an extra four months to graduate.
USC senior Lauren Gubosh is double majoring in international business and accounting, and does not believe she should be penalized for needing a little extra time.
“I would love to say that I will be able to attend December commencement, but it's not that easy,” Gubosh said. “I want to work overseas. This would really hinder my ability to get back to South Carolina, especially since I would have already completed my graduation requirements six months prior.”
Even more infuriating to the student body is how quietly the university announced their decision. It can be found in a small hyperlink featured in the weekly e-mail newsletter, but it is not posted on any social media sites, nor has anyone received direct notification regarding the decision.
“An advisor told me I was the first person to ask about the commencement cancellation in the business school,” Gubosh said. “Do you know how frustrating that is? We deserve to know that the date we’ve looked forward to for our entire collegiate career is no longer happening. We should have been notified before advisement, before we all signed up for our last full semester.”
The school has stated they will “collect feedback and track participation in ceremonies before making a final determination about the 2017 commencement calendar,” which leaves the class of 2016 wondering why they were chosen to be the guinea pig, and how the university could possibly gather the information they seek in a short 10-month period.
“It bothers me a lot,” Clare Kelly, senior criminal justice student, said. “This date was too close. The fairest way to do this would have been to cancel August commencement for the incoming freshman class so that they can prepare their course schedules. And that way USC would find out if it truly encourages people to finish in four years or not.”
Currently, the December commencement ceremony is set for the 12th. In an updated version of the university's announcement, it stated that students will still receive their diplomas in early fall if they meet their graduation requirements during the summer term.