Let Them Wear Glitter!

For the past four years, I have sat in the faculty section during Lander's graduation ceremony, and heard the President tactfully tell the audience of friends, loved ones, dignitaries, graduates, faculty and staff, that the graduation ceremony is to be "dignified," and that they should refrain from boisterous and disruptive outbursts when their loved ones are crossing the stage. This year, he told the audience that he had received actual phone calls from parents who alleged they were not able to hear their child's name called due to "disruptive" cheering from the audience, at past ceremonies. In addition, I learned that Lander had imposed a dress code for the ladies' shoes this year-- meaning that they had to wear plain shoes of white, black or brown, and certainly no glitter. Despite all this, I haven't felt the need to respond, until I received an email from the President this week, responding to a graduate's complaint that not every graduate had followed the rules of decorum set forth by the administration. Another "rule" allegedly violated was students wearing "stoles" of their sororities and other clubs, I guess, over their graduation gowns.

Sometimes a girl has to speak her mind, and that time has come. A college graduation ceremony is a time for RICH and FULL jubilation! Family members who have spent hours in a car to get to a graduation ceremony should be allowed to hoot and holler and praise their special graduate to the fullest! The graduates should be allowed to wear their club stoles proudly, as an integral part of their overall college experience! Ladies should in no way, shape or form be restricted to a particular type of shoe to be worn with their gowns -- to the contrary! Restricting a woman's fashion choices is clearly going too far -- particularly when you're talking about a graduation day! If given the choice in life, I would never choose to sit in respectful silence and "air clap," over standing up, yelling, cheering and praising a loved one who has accomplished such a remarkable thing as earning a college degree! If there is hooting and hollering, the burden should be placed upon the shoulders of the person who is calling out the names -- there is such a thing as waiting until the cheering has ended to call the next name! According to the U.S. Department of Education, only about 27 percent of the adult population in the United States earns college and post-college degrees. This is something in which to rejoice and celebrate to the fullest!