This week, Columbia University announced plans to hold multicultural graduation ceremonies to celebrate the diversity of its student community, providing a more intimate and supportive environment for students who define themselves in various ways to graduate.
However, this move drew mixed reactions online. Who would have thought a graduation ceremony could stir up such a storm...
Columbia Graduation Ceremonies Accused of Racism?
The biggest controversy surrounding Columbia's graduation lies in its six additional ceremonies.
These six ceremonies will be held for six different racial and cultural groups: local students, Latinx students, Black students, Asian students, LGBTQ students, and low-income students.
Graduates from Columbia College, Columbia Engineering, the School of General Studies, and Barnard College are all eligible to register. All eligible students can register and join any one or more of the ceremonies.
In fact, these non-degree-granting multicultural graduation ceremonies have been offered by the university for years. However, a Fox News article titled "Columbia Holds Six Separate Graduation Ceremonies Based on Income, Race, Ethnicity" caused an uproar online.
Fox News' clickbait, combined with the growing political correctness in the U.S., suddenly thrust the Ivy League school into the spotlight. A flood of usually silent netizens rushed to the university's official Twitter to comment that this was 'segregation,' 'racism,' 'Columbia leads the way in racial segregation,' 'blatant racial discrimination'...
Multicultural Graduation Ceremonies: Columbia Is Not the First
Amid the criticism, there were also many voices of support. Many netizens, including Columbia faculty and students, stepped forward to say the media and keyboard warriors were taking things out of context. Many of these ceremonies were originally initiated by students and alumni and have been carried on, and there is still a university-wide commencement.
Students from other universities also noted that their schools have similar ceremonies and felt this format was more intimate and personal, not just a matter of race.
Just after Fox News published the article on Tuesday, Columbia quickly responded, pointing out errors in the report and clarifying details about the upcoming graduation events.
Columbia officials stated that these celebrations are additional events to the university-wide commencement, not a replacement for the university-wide and individual school ceremonies. They are open to all students and are voluntary.
In fact, many other prestigious U.S. universities like Georgetown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Princeton, and Yale have held similar events for many years.
At Yale, the Afro-American Cultural Center has been holding a graduation ceremony for Black students for over 20 years. And since 1995, the University of Michigan's Lavender Graduation for LGBTQ students has now become an event held at over 200 universities nationwide.
Of course, the media and keyboard warriors won't back down. No matter how much you explain, they say the event itself is inappropriate, even rising to the level of dividing the country and violating civil rights. And no matter how you defend it, they sarcastically retort: 'Is there an all-white graduation party?'
Why should outsiders dictate our own graduation ceremonies?!
Columbia this week found itself in a situation where trouble just falls from the sky. The graduation ceremony was damned if you do and damned if you don't; it had to consider student safety and be memorable. Now, it's being labeled as inappropriate—it's really tough being a university.
The significance of graduation is something only international students truly understand. Since the pandemic, it has become even more precious; even online ceremonies are a special memento.
However, a well-meaning graduation ceremony has become a target for keyboard warriors to vent their opinions. International students who just want to celebrate their graduation happily must feel disheartened seeing this.
Haters gonna hate. We hope this year's graduates won't be affected by this negativity and will fully enjoy their moment in the spotlight!
U.S. Universities Announce In-Person Graduation Ceremonies
With the pandemic under control and vaccinations progressing, many U.S. universities have announced that students graduating this spring will have in-person graduation ceremonies just like in previous years.
Penn State University will provide in-person graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2021. Of course, online ceremonies and live streams are still available as options for graduates and their friends and family.
San Diego State University plans to hold in-person ceremonies on May 25-27. The university is also inviting graduates from December 2019 to August 2020 to join, to make up for the missed celebrations.
Northeastern University will hold five in-person ceremonies at Boston's iconic Fenway Park for undergraduates and graduate students graduating in May.
Wake Forest University's president stated that as public health conditions and guidelines evolve, WFU plans to hold undergraduate ceremonies on May 16-17.
The University of South Florida also announced in a March 15 email that it will hold in-person ceremonies for spring 2021 graduates, with each graduate allowed to bring two guests. Graduates and guests must wear masks throughout the ceremony, including those who have been vaccinated.
Just a few days ago, we brought you the good news that U.S. universities are announcing in-person classes, and now we have updates on spring in-person graduation ceremonies. It's clear that the pandemic situation in the U.S. is gradually improving, with news of reopenings coming frequently.
We hope that students who have been enduring time zone differences and late nights attending Zoom University for a year can soon return to campus and experience the true vibrancy of college life~
