Case Van Stolk
Contributing Writer
After a faculty vote on Monday, Feb. 4, The College of Wooster’s policy regarding participation in commencement exercises was altered. The idea for this change started in the Education Policy Committee (EPC) which consists of administration, faculty and student members. According to the committee duties, “[EPC] shall share responsibility for the development and the implementation of educational policies of the College, including the curriculum.”
When asked about the issues with the old policy that prompted this change, Provost Carolyn Newton, a member of EPC, said, “It created situations in which some students learned very late that they would not be eligible to participate at Commencement. That created hardships for students, their families and Wooster’s staff and faculty.”
Bryan Karazsia, dean for Curriculum and Academic Engagement (DCAE) and the chair of EPC, echoed this sentiment. “Every year, 10-20 (sometimes more) students find out quite late in the semester that they will not be eligible to walk at graduation,” Karazsia said. “Some students have literally found out when their families are on campus for commencement weekend (others while families are on flights).”
To receive a diploma from the College, the requirements have not changed. A student must have completed all requirements in the major, a minimum of 32 course credits, a cumulative GPA of 2.000 or higher, a major GPA of 2.000 or higher and the student must be in good standing under the codes of academic integrity and social responsibility as administered through the judicial system of the College.
According to the original guidelines, in order to walk at Commencement a student must have successfully completed 31 of the 32 required course credits along with the rest of the criteria for receiving a diploma. If these criteria were not met, the student had to arrange through the Office of the Registrar to complete the outstanding course credit, whether at the College or at another institution, and the Commencement program would include a notation that the student has not yet completed the degree.
Registrar Suzanne Bates commented about the “difficulties” her office dealt with regarding the old policy which were in line with the logistical problems outlined by the Provost and DCAE.
Bates explained that final exams ended on a Thursday and grades were due by noon Friday. If a student got an unexpectedly low grade or an incomplete they would not be able to participate in commencement and would be notified that afternoon. “[Many] families were already on campus or en-route — sometimes from halfway around the world,” Bates said. “The new policy benefits students by allowing them to participate in the Commencement ceremony and ‘walk’ with their class.”
According to the revised policy, if a student has a viable academic plan in place to complete their degree requirements no later than December of the same calendar year as the May Commencement, the student may participate in the College’s Commencement program. In such instances, the student’s name will still appear in the program and if applicable, will include a note to indicate that requirements are still to be completed. The viable academic plan must be verified by the Registrar and the DCAE. As has always been the case, students will only receive a diploma when all degree requirements have been completed.
Karazsia expressed that the new policy is a step in a very positive direction. “It is my sincere hope that this policy will enable as many students as possible to engage in the Commencement exercises at the College among their class peers (and guests) present,” he said. “Commencement is a day for the campus community to celebrate the accomplishments of all students, and this policy is designed to allow more students within reach of that goal to be rewarded with that once-in-a¬-lifetime celebratory moment.”
Newton affirmed the DCAE’s comments about the revised policy. “We only have one commencement exercise each year, and so if a student did not qualify for the Commencement that they had been planning for, we found that they rarely returned to campus the following year after requirements were complete,” she explained. “So, essentially, an opportunity to celebrate was lost.”
Newton added, “Commencement is a time for celebration — the new policy is much more inclusive which honors the efforts of individual students who have either completed or are within a reasonable reach of completing requirements. So, this new policy offers more potential for celebration.”
Christian Betre ’19, a student member of EPC, affirmed the importance of the new policy but stressed that there is still room to improve.
“More steps can be taken by the College to increase transparency; the students are adults, [and] they have a vested interest in their graduation,” Betre said. “Future changes can be made, but this is a step in the right direction.”