Spring Break
Dec. grad ceremony canceled
Katherine Martinez
Issue date: 2/24/09 Section: News
The university has made the decision to cancel the December commencement ceremony, according to UConn spokesman Richard Veilleux.
According to Veilleux, the cancellation will save the university more than $50,000. The majority of the cost goes to paying faculty and staff overtime for the ceremony.
"It's the money issue. With the economy the way it is ... that and the combination of the weather," said Veilleux.
The estimated savings does not include the price of the small afterparties that each department usually throws for its graduates.
"A lot of deans prefer having their own celebrations because it's more intimate with staff and classmates," said Veilleux.
December commencement is a relatively new tradition. There were 630 eligible graduates for the first winter ceremony, which occurred in 2003. Veilleux recalls a light snow that day, and that graduates wore their coats over their gowns.
This past December saw 830 eligible graduates, although not all of them walked. According to Veilleux, the number of eligible graduates has ranged between the first and last year.
Brandon Murray, who graduated with an English and philosophy double major this past December, did not know that he would walk in the last winter commencement. Walking was not as important to Murray as it was to his parents and his grandparents, he said.
Since the December ceremony is much smaller than the one in May, it was easy for all of Murray's guests to attend.
Murray took his last exam on the Friday before graduation, then walked in the ceremony on Sunday.
"If I took my last exam and then was going to graduate five months later, I wouldn't have gone," said Murray, who believes that waiting to walk takes the excitement out of the accomplishment.
"I earned the right to graduate in December, I don't know that I would want to wait until May," he added.
Iliana Luciano, a 7th-semester English major, agrees that students who graduate in December deserve to walk in the winter. Luciano, who entered UConn in fall 2005, expects to graduate in December 2009.
"I think it's ridiculous that I'm being forced to walk in May 2010," said Luciano.
Luciano received the news of the cancellation through an email sent by University President Michael Hogan and Provost Peter Nicholls. She expressed an extreme discontent that no one contacted the students who expected to graduate this winter before the decision was made.
"I felt like it was a punishment for staying an extra semester," said Luciano, who would have made every effort possible to finish in time for the May 2009 ceremony had she known about the cancellation.
"I'm just upset," Luciano added, "I was looking forward to graduation."
According to Veilleux, the cancellation will save the university more than $50,000. The majority of the cost goes to paying faculty and staff overtime for the ceremony.
"It's the money issue. With the economy the way it is ... that and the combination of the weather," said Veilleux.
The estimated savings does not include the price of the small afterparties that each department usually throws for its graduates.
"A lot of deans prefer having their own celebrations because it's more intimate with staff and classmates," said Veilleux.
December commencement is a relatively new tradition. There were 630 eligible graduates for the first winter ceremony, which occurred in 2003. Veilleux recalls a light snow that day, and that graduates wore their coats over their gowns.
This past December saw 830 eligible graduates, although not all of them walked. According to Veilleux, the number of eligible graduates has ranged between the first and last year.
Brandon Murray, who graduated with an English and philosophy double major this past December, did not know that he would walk in the last winter commencement. Walking was not as important to Murray as it was to his parents and his grandparents, he said.
Since the December ceremony is much smaller than the one in May, it was easy for all of Murray's guests to attend.
Murray took his last exam on the Friday before graduation, then walked in the ceremony on Sunday.
"If I took my last exam and then was going to graduate five months later, I wouldn't have gone," said Murray, who believes that waiting to walk takes the excitement out of the accomplishment.
"I earned the right to graduate in December, I don't know that I would want to wait until May," he added.
Iliana Luciano, a 7th-semester English major, agrees that students who graduate in December deserve to walk in the winter. Luciano, who entered UConn in fall 2005, expects to graduate in December 2009.
"I think it's ridiculous that I'm being forced to walk in May 2010," said Luciano.
Luciano received the news of the cancellation through an email sent by University President Michael Hogan and Provost Peter Nicholls. She expressed an extreme discontent that no one contacted the students who expected to graduate this winter before the decision was made.
"I felt like it was a punishment for staying an extra semester," said Luciano, who would have made every effort possible to finish in time for the May 2009 ceremony had she known about the cancellation.
"I'm just upset," Luciano added, "I was looking forward to graduation."
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