WINTER COMMENCEMENT NO MORE
By Vannessa Rodriguez
Comment Contributor
Over the summer, it was announced that Bridgewater State University would no longer hold a winter commencement.
According to a university-wide email, the cancellation of winter commencement is due to growth and expansion of the university.
There will now be two separate ceremonies in the spring that will be divided by academic college. With the new changes, each student is now allowed four tickets to the spring commencement ceremony held on May 17, 2014.
Communication studies senior Rian Decker is happy about the changes.
“It’s good because I wanted it to be outside on a nice day in May, but it does delay the process,” said Decker, who is scheduled to finish his degree in December.
With an increase of 65 percent of students graduating from Bridgewater State since the year 2000, guest seating has been very limited for recent graduates during winter commencement.
In previous years, the winter commencement has been held in the Rondileau Campus Center Auditorium. And this past winter, there were many parents who had to sit in an overflow area and watch their children graduate on a television screen.
Despite some of the drawbacks that winter commencement can present, some students just want to walk across the stage as soon as they can.
“It’s discouraging for seniors who have been here for over four years and just wanted to graduate,” said senior Jorgelina Uribe. “Now they have to wait even longer.”
Vannessa Rodriguez is a Comment contributor. Editor-In-Chief Greg Dudek edited this story. Email him at gdudek@student.bridgew.edu.
