by As the mid-point of spring semester for University of Minnesota students comes around, the May graduation ceremony looms ahead.
This year’s graduation ceremony at the university will feature timeless traditions. Pomp and circumstance will echo throughout as countless undergraduate and graduate students look around trying to find loved ones.
However, this year’s graduation ceremony will feature a notable change that has gotten mixed reactions from students.
The ceremony, typically held at 3M Arena at Mariucci in a college-by-college format, will instead be hosted at Huntington Bank Stadium in a two-hour ceremony where no student will walk across the stage. The venue change is due to renovations at Mariucci Arena which need to begin early so that they can be complete by the time hockey season rolls around in October.
“I don’t know, it kinda sucks. I actually pay 30 plus thousand a year and I can’t even walk (graduation) where we always walk,” said Emma Aronson, a senior at Minnesota. Aronson, a CLA student, says she’s disappointed by the school’s decision and feels that they are prioritizing athletics over everyday students.
When the university announced the plans in October, students launched a change.org petition attempting to get the school to reverse course. The petition has amassed over 8,500 signatures since it was launched.
Minnesota announced months later that colleges will host their own ceremonies where students will be allowed to walk in private ceremonies. Students will have to schedule the walk through a link the school emailed.
The change in ceremony has not only seen mixed reactions from students, but also confused reactions from parents looking to attend these ceremonies. “My dad was like saying, ‘There’s going to be another one. What do you mean like every college does a walking thing.’ I’m like, I don’t know how to explain this to you besides send you the email they sent me that says we’re not walking,” said Aronson. The CLA student says that she feels bad for her mom, who was looking forward to seeing her daughter walk across the stage.
The lack of a ceremony has also affected students that are graduating early. Many high schools changed their ceremonies in 2020 and 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The change of graduation plans causes another altered ceremony for sophomores and juniors who are graduating.
“It would have been nice to have one normal graduation ceremony I suppose,” said Victoria Schutz, a junior who will be graduating early this May. Though she says the change of plans doesn’t hurt her too much, she does feel bad for students and family members who were looking forward to a normal ceremony.
The ceremony plan is one that several other colleges across the country already do including the University of Wisconsin. Minnesota says that depending on the success of this year’s ceremony, the college might shift to doing this format permanently.
Weather shouldn’t be a worry either for students and loved ones. The university says that the ceremony will take place at the open-air Huntington Bank Stadium rain or shine.
