Here is a test that any college-educated student should be able to pass with ease. Spot the lie in the following passage from UT San Antonio’s commencement website:
“At UT San Antonio, Commencement is more than a ceremony. It’s a celebration—a defining moment—of the resiliency and dedication of our trailblazing Roadrunners as they take the next step toward their bold futures by earning their degree.”
For those who cannot spot the falsehood, it is the word “celebration.”
If a student dare attempt a semblance of a celebratory gesture while crossing the commencement stage, cameras get cut, and the UT San Antonio commencement logo appears on the video feed. After working tirelessly for years on end, university students ought to be able to express themselves with more than a smile at their commencement ceremony.
Multiple UT San Antonio students who participated in the commencement ceremony last fall went viral on social media for their celebrations. They received upwards of 10 million views and 2 million likes by performing fraternity strolls, opening a pack of Pokémon cards and reenacting an artificial intelligence-generated baby holding its laugh and a stock photo of a man pointing at himself while on stage.
Considering everything they went through to get their degrees, they have earned at least five seconds on the commencement stage to celebrate their achievement. According to the Education Data Initiative, the average student will borrow $30,000 in pursuit of their bachelor’s degree. The average federal student loan debt exceeds that figure, sitting at $39,075 — an increase of over $10,000 from 2014. It is estimated that the next 20 years of students’ lives will be spent paying off their debts.
Financial hardships are not the only thing to plague college students; their mental health can take a hit as well. A study by the National Library of Medicine found “60% of those who had a mental health problem at baseline continued to report at least one mental health problem 2 years later.” Eating disorders, depression, self-injury and suicidal thoughts were among the mental health problems examined in college students. Alcohol use disorder and binge drinking are common concerns too, with one in five and around 44% of students suffering from them.
A few moments on a stage recognizes a great accomplishment during what could have been the most tumultuous years of students’ young lives; it does not deserve to be cut short by their university, especially when there is no written policy prohibiting their actions.
On UT San Antonio’s Commencement FAQ page, holding a child while walking across a stage is prohibited. Searching “commencement” on the University Catalog’s website yields no banned actions. The Alamodome has a comprehensive list of rules for guest conduct in the facility. One vague rule could arguably be applied to graduating students, “Not creating a disruption to the progress of the event by their actions,” but the students are participants in the event, and commencement continues as per usual, whether or not they celebrate.
Graduating students should have the opportunity to look back on their limited time on the stage — whether they walked or strolled, smiled or emoted — and see themselves uninterrupted by university branding, fully celebrating their college career however they see fit.
