Oregon State University - Beaver Yearbook (Corvallis, OR)

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In an attempt to make a po nt to President Byrne, ASOSU President Chris Voigt burns the memo concerning the proposal lor late graduation ceremonies Senior. Rich Cunningham, inspires the crowd to tight for the right to a tradrtional graduation. W ( 'mr Senioi Protest r 12 SENIOR DEMONSTRATION

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STUDENT LIFE DIVISION 11

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M.itt Him 1 Mortar Board Presuient der« nds the students in .1 war raip-d against the .• Jrr :r stration (i) change ( ommrili rmrn! Tradition Lost During fall term, several rallies occurred where students fought for the return of the traditional commencement date. The traditional date was scheduled for the weekend before finals. Due to the change, students joined the hundreds of other universities around the nation in graduating the weekend after finals week. One week is not going to make a substantial difference in our whole education, said Senior Class President Brad Whitaker. The Faculty Senate, who were responsible for the change in date, said there had been complaints for years from faculty members about the disruption in classes. The faculty didn't like the hassle of giving finals to seniors a week early. It's really hard to teach a class when part of it ends one week and part ends the next week. explained D.S. Fullerton. associate vice president for academic affairs. The faculty point was that, spring term, seniors didn't take all senior classes. They took different levels of classes, some even being freshman level classes. Therefore, the impact of disruption was all over campus, according to Fullerton. Some students complained the facul- ty didn't understand how strongly the issue would affect their futures. They were especially upset because the students didn't have any say in the manner. It's a faculty decision we are supporting. said Fullerton. They're looking at their own views and aren't considering how important it is for us to have that extra week. said Whitaker. The seniors informed the faculty they needed time before commencement to close bank accounts and rental agreements. tie up loose ends before moving on and get a jump start towards the job market before schools let out. In the past we've had a week to relocate, now we will be busy up until Friday and a lot of people have to start jobs on Monday. said Whitaker. According to Whitaker, the traditional commencement was something that has been unique to OSCI and now with the new date it won't be as eventful. Whitaker noted that the only drawback was that most undergraduates would be gone and all that would attend the ceremony would be a few faculty members, seniors and their parents. It's not the four hour ceremony that you attend, it's the whole weekend that is most remembered, said Whitaker. —Jill Carlin It's not the four hour ceremony that you attend, it's the whole weekend that is most remembered. —Brad Whitaker fowd or seniors scream to protest I ha- new o|x sj| ot President IKrne to de!a graduation erenxxves 13