HBCU Graduation Ceremonies


UAPB-LIONS-AM&N said:
Someone mentioned Bama State, AAMU, Alcorn and some other none SWAC schools. I am interested in how the other other SWAC schoool graduatins were, especially UAPB. I have a classmate to attend but I have not mentioned it to him.
SWAC how was your graduation? Were any the old dignified affair (that it should be)?
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I've noticed recipients of doctoral and masters' degrees leaving the commencement exercises after receiving their degrees but never the recipients of bachelors degrees. Now the bachelors candidates are usually a little more excited than the others. There have been a few escorted out of the ceremony. Including a few members of a fraternity who decided to do their traditional march back in 2000. And in this last exercise one who decided to their call into one of the microphones on the stage....
 
The reason I started this thread was to get a gauge on how graduations go at other universities in the conference. I serve on the graduation committee here and it got so bad a couple of years ago, with people dancing across the stage, boppin' canes (yes, my Frat Brothers) and Q's steppin and barkin' and other outlandish stuff, that the administration informed graduates that if they got out of hand coming across the stage that they would be escorted out of the building by university police. Well, that did cut out that type of behaviour, but there is now a new problem that just started here last year and that is graduates, even Master's graduates, leaving the arena floor after their names had been called. A couple of weeks ago, they left in even larger numbers. Our arena seats about 8,000 people and by the time they finished calling the names of the undergrads, the place was almost empty. Our graduation lasted from 10 a.m. until about 1:15 p.m. and that was too long to move 666 undergraduates and 55 golden graduates. Middle Tn. State moved speaker Lamar Alexander and 1,200 graduates in 2 and half hours. We need to get a grip on restoring the honor of graduation and making the event worthwhile for our grads and their families. Thanks to those of you who responded as I now have something to present the next time we meet! :alicia:
 



stripes said:
Our graduation lasted from 10 a.m. until about 1:15 p.m. and that was too long to move 666 undergraduates and 55 golden graduates.
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No offense - 3 hours & 15 minutes is toooo dang long for a graduation. I attended Mississippi State's graduation. They started ON TIME, got thru the preliminaries, and the speaker spoke for about 20 minutes. After that the graduates walked across the stage & took their grad. portraits on the other side of the stage (behind a large curtain.) Total time = 1hr & 45 minutes (literally) & I walked out immediately after my graduate's name was called. I have a very, very short attention span & I would reckon many others do too. After the graduates walk, maybe you all need to have closing remarks and immediately dismiss; them chirren trying to get to their party.
 
JSU commencement took off at 8 o'clock on the dot. About the time I got to my truck it was after 12. We had over a 1000 graduates, and many people did leave early. I felt sorry for the Phd's and the Masters Candidates. They went first and had to sit through all of the other groups. People started leaving immediately after they got their degrees. By the time the event actually was over there was a killer traffic jam.
 
When my ex-wife got her Master's at CAU a lot of people left early. I really didn't blame them since it was an outdoor graduation and it kept raining off and on. Andrew Young was supposed to have been the speaker, but he got up there for about 2 minutes at sat back down because the rain was coming down pretty hard at that point. It was really a big mess and CAU should have had a contingency plan in place in the event of inclement weather. Since it was on a Monday and it had already rained on Friday and Saturday, the field was already pretty muddy to begin with.
 
stripes said:
Our graduation lasted from 10 a.m. until about 1:15 p.m. and that was too long to move 666 undergraduates and 55 golden graduates.
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There's the problem right there Stripes. Expecting a bunch of anxious, excited, soon to be grads and their families to sit still for 3hrs.+ is asking a lot, especially those who've received their degree 30 mins. into it.
We need to take a cue from some of the PWCs. A friend of mine who got a masters from Ohio State says it goes like this--- After the speaker finishes, the Dean of ___________ says "Mr. President, I present to you the candidates....." They stand in unison, move the tassel over, people cheer, they sit down. Course this may not fly at an HBCU cause mama 'nem have to see their baby walk across a stage but it may be the best way to eliminate the clown shows.
 
We did the stand up sit down thing too... But we still walked across the stage.
 
Last year when I received my MBA from the University of Phoenix in Phoenix, AZ, we had at least 1,000 graduates. The graduation was about 3 hours but nobody left after receiving their degree. Now, some of the graduates did wear jeans with their cap and gown.
 
Most of the large PWCs have a major ceremony where the graduates stand and sit down, the graduates wear cap & gown. They also hold smaller ceremonies where each name is called. At UGA the smaller ceremonies are held the day before graduation by each of the various colleges. The graduates don't wear thier cap & gown but are recognized publicly.

Also, the Graduate School holds a separate ceremony (at least they do in the fall and spring). I had a friend to finish with her PhD this spring and she said the Graduate ceremony lasted about 1.5 hours. She said the longest part was the hooding of the doctoral candidates.
 
If you guys want to see a clown show at a graduation, come to a High School graduation in BR. They can act a straight azz. Dancing across stage, profiling, yelling what's up to the crowd... :smh:
 
FAB5 said:
There's the problem right there Stripes. Expecting a bunch of anxious, excited, soon to be grads and their families to sit still for 3hrs.+ is asking a lot, especially those who've received their degree 30 mins. into it.
We need to take a cue from some of the PWCs. A friend of mine who got a masters from Ohio State says it goes like this--- After the speaker finishes, the Dean of ___________ says "Mr. President, I present to you the candidates....." They stand in unison, move the tassel over, people cheer, they sit down. Course this may not fly at an HBCU cause mama 'nem have to see their baby walk across a stage but it may be the best way to eliminate the clown shows.
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Asking a lot? Hardly; but I won't go there.

When my wife and I graduated at JSU in 1983, we stood, we moved the tassel, we cheered. It was great. No walking across the stage. That would have taken hours. I do like the idea of a separate exercise for each college/school prior to the larger session. I still would have it very formal with proper dress under the cap and gown.

Where will this end up? Either the formal ceremonies will cease to exist OR the decorum will be written into a contract that the student signs and it will become a condition of graduation. The latter already exists in some places. The graduation marshalls do their jobs. Graduation ceremony is a "required class" with a pass/fail evaluation. If you don't pass graduation, your degree is not conferred.
 
When I graduated in 98,one of my classmates (white boy) did the snake across the entire stage. The admin. didn't have a clue what to do.
cat daddy said:
If you guys want to see a clown show at a graduation, come to a High School graduation in BR. They can act a straight azz. Dancing across stage, profiling, yelling what's up to the crowd... :smh:
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ASU2002 said:
When I graduated in 98,one of my classmates (white boy) did the snake across the entire stage. The admin. didn't have a clue what to do.
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At my 1972 graduation, we had to be in step, the gym was totally silent. One drunk white guy from the very top bleechers shouted out. To us he messed up our graduation. My white buddy said not to worry they were kicking that butt after graduation.
Fast forward to 1992 in Kansas City. One boy snaked across the stage. You could not hear a single name called, parents running down on stage, graduates rapping, cussing, dancing, one trying to out do the next. I thought surely the prin is going to stop the graduation. I was the vice principal. I got up from the stage and went home.
 
When I graduated from SSU, we had inspection before we were allowed to march in.

The fellas had to wear white shirts, dark color tie and dark color pants and black shoes.

The females had to wear navy or black shoes (no sandals, open toes or high heals). Only females who could wear white shoes were those who were in Navy ROTC.

If you failed inspection, you were sent home to change or you had your diploma mailed to you.

Since I graduated in the summer, we had a small class.
The speaker was from FAMU and had a 15-20 minute speach.
 



orange tiger said:
When I graduated from SSU, we had inspection before we were allowed to march in.

The fellas had to wear white shirts, dark color tie and dark color pants and black shoes.

The females had to wear navy or black shoes (no sandals, open toes or high heals). Only females who could wear white shoes were those who were in Navy ROTC.

If you failed inspection, you were sent home to change or you had your diploma mailed to you.

Since I graduated in the summer, we had a small class.
The speaker was from FAMU and had a 15-20 minute speach.
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Exactly, there were persons who had to make correction or not march.
Pine Bluff high had a nice graduation. There was an insert in the program that said you be put out if you were unruly. There were some shouts but all in all it was orderly and short.
This reminds me, I only attended 2 of my graduations: 6th to 7th grade and from hing school.
Does anyone know of graduations like the ones Orange and I descibed?
 
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