DATELINE DOWNTOWN
The University of Houston-Downtown
Apr. 13- Apr. 27, 2015 // Vol. 54, Issue 4
#UHD HATES ME, GRADUATING CLASS JOINS RANKS TO GET COMMENCEMENT DATE CHANGED
by Darci McFerran Staff Reporter The 2015 Commencement ceremonies were changed to Saturday May 23rd …then changed back. On March 9, 2015 the Registrars office sent out an email to seniors that informed them of a last minute change in the date for the ceremonies, from Saturday May 23 to Friday May 22. The email stated vaguely that, “It is anticipated that this change can better accommodate graduation candidates and their guests in their celebration of the Memorial Day holiday.” This was not the first change in date but what made it so difficult for students to accept was that it came so late in the semester that many would lose money on invitations and travel reservations. Starting with a few online posts that questioned the changes, the inquiry gained momentum as many students realized that the decision did not seem to reflect what the senior class wanted. Using the hashtag UHDHatesMe the social media campaign was able to give them a forum to vent their frustration with the administrations upsetting decision. Within 24 hours of the initial email, an emergency town hall meeting was organized to give Provost Ed Hugetz an opportunity to explain and answer questions, as well as give students the opportunity to voice their concerns. Provost Hugetz is an administrator working in the Presidents office and responsible for the overall academic direction of the university. At the town hall meeting, which was held on March 12th, the overwhelming majority of students in attendance voiced their displeasure with the last minute decision to change the date, and some even expressed sincere emotional distress. The fact that school administration could not support their claims and had only polled ten students out of approximately 1,000, angered many seniors. Some even felt that Provost Hugetz was unsympathetic to their concerns, which fueled an already emotional student body. Tarah Taylor, SGA Attorney General, stated, “Last night I saw a Provost Hugetz that I have never seen before; very callus, not understanding, and very inconsiderate of the students and their families.” Considering that this seemed out of character for Provost Hugetz I questioned him about his demeanor during
our interview, “The miscalculation from the first change affected my behavior at the town hall meeting because I wanted to avoid further backlash from another ill informed change.” Despite the concerns that students were raising, administration still refused to change back the date unless they could provide solid evidence to support their claims. In response, the 2015 senior class rallied together in a campaign to show the administration that the students wanted to keep the original date, by a majority. Tarah Taylor and Ever Flores, SGA College of Business Senator, were instrumental in organizing first a petition and later a survey that polled students on which date was better for them. In both cases, Flores and Taylor felt that administration was unreasonably rigid in their requirements considering that they could provide no evidence themselves. Surprisingly, there is no protocol for situations such as this and when I questioned Provost Hugetz he stated that, “We (administration) thought that we had a good enough sense of what students and faculty wanted regarding the Commencement date from a large quantity of one on one meetings that occur daily with the Provost and President. Ultimately, it was the feedback that affected the decision with both date changes.” The survey showed that the overwhelming majority of seniors did in fact want the date to go back to May 23. Of the 338 participants 285 (75%) wanted to change the date back to Saturday and only 53 (14%) wanted to leave it for Friday. The Provost reputes these numbers because his office could only verify that 282 were registered seniors. However, both sides agree that this number is far more representative of the graduating class than the original ten polled by administration. Still the administration would not budge and students began to harbor feelings of distrust and resentment. Flores and Taylor felt like their voices were not being heard so they began using their resources to contact the media. Multiple news outlets did hear their voice and responded quickly to their stories, in fact, all major news stations covered their story. Considering both the results of the survey and media attention, school administration ultimately did the right thing. They changed the date back to Saturday May 23! “I am honored to be a part of a class that was not afraid to voice their opinions and concerns on the matter. Way to go Class of 2015 we could not have been able to do it with out you. Go Gators,” proclaimed a victorious Flores! A shining example of what can be done when people come together for a cause despite odds and hurdles! All of the hard work that each student endures culminates in one day that we can share; the moment when our family gathers to watch us walk across that stage and hear our name. Congratulations faculty and administration on preparing your students to take on the world!
DATELINE DOWNTOWN
@THEDATELINE
DATELINEDOWNTOWN.COM