Caity Healy |  Managing Editor

I remember feeling the pit in my stomach and my heart skipping a beat as I checked my email on April 9, and saw an email from President Rex Fuller with the subject line “Commencement 2020.” I knew this email was coming, as most students did, but I truly thought it would read differently. When I opened it up, I saw the following statement:

“After deep deliberation, the university has decided to present the 163rd Commencement Ceremony as a virtual event,” followed by, “…we believe hosting a virtual ceremony at the scheduled time is a better alternative than postponement because we want to celebrate with students and their families during graduation season.” It then added that they’re “…considering a possible recognition event at Homecoming 2020.”

Immediately, I was heartbroken. Many of my friends were, too. Some told me they started crying when they opened that email. Some told me they were livid. And some, like me, were simply disappointed with the decisions made by Western’s administration. 

“When I heard that graduation was online, and not postponed, I cried,” said senior ASL/English interpreting major Lexi Osborn. “I have worked for four years to walk across that stage with my classmates and friends, and the reality that it will not happen is something that I will grieve for a long time.” 

Here’s the thing, most of us knew that the June ceremony was not going to happen. I genuinely applaud Western for letting us know when they did, so we had time to cancel any plans we had arranged. It shows that they prioritize student safety and health, and I’m grateful for that. I think most of my peers are understanding of the fact that there are guidelines that have to be followed, and we aren’t upset at Western for following those guidelines.

However, many of us are upset, and rightfully so, at the fact that our thoughts and opinions were not even considered in making this decision. Look at how that statement I included was worded. “We believe.” We. Who is ‘we’? It’s certainly not the student body who has worked so relentlessly to earn their degree and earn the right to walk at a ceremony celebrating our achievements. For everything we’ve given back to this school and this community, including all the money we spent to earn this degree, it seems only appropriate that we should have at least some say in what our Commencement will look like. And, personally, the fact that they’re “considering” a “possible” recognition event honestly felt like they were kicking us while we were down. Why ‘considering?’ Why just ‘possible?’ Why aren’t we worth the guarantee?

What makes this all the more upsetting is looking at how many of Western’s neighboring schools approached this issue. On April 9, President Miles K. Davis of Linfield College posted a video of him personally announcing that their ceremony would be postponed. Oregon State University sent a survey to their students, and after receiving over 2500 responses, decided to postpone their ceremony. On April 9, Chemeketa Community College announced that they are postponing their ceremony until December. Notice a trend? Most are postponing, and several asked for student opinions before making a decision.

Students at Western were so upset by this announcement that one senior, psychology major Sarah Porter, even decided to create a petition on change.org to convince Western to hold their ceremony at a postponed date. As of April 14, this petition has 2349 signatures.

“The ultimate goal of this petition is to urge the senior executive board at (Western) to reconsider a plan of postponement,” Porter said. “Our seniors deserve a real ceremony that allows for closure of a huge chapter in our lives.” Porter also added that she wants “this petition to give a voice to all of our seniors who did not get to express their opinion before the decision was made, unlike other universities that sent out polls regarding their 2020 Commencement.”

I don’t want my last memory of Western to be a laggy, low-camera-quality ceremony where I sit on my couch and watch as one by one, speakers freeze on my screen because I couldn’t afford the high-speed internet necessary for such an event. This isn’t what I looked forward to for four years. I hope that Western rethinks their decision, and does what is truly best for its students. While I recognize that not all students will be able to make it back for a later ceremony, it seems that many of us, at least the 2349 who signed the petition, recognize that this is the best alternative for the majority of students. I want my last memory of Western to be filled with a feeling of pride and community. Because as of right now, the main thing I’m feeling towards this administration is simply disappointment and shame.

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu

Photo by Caity Healy