Commencement conundrum

It’s that time again! The time after Thanksgiving break where the stress level is high and the papers for class are at a constant flow. For some, it is the home stretch until December Commencement, where you can finally leave and begin your new life away from college. But what a lot of people do not seem to notice is the scheduling around December Commencement. Here’s something all potential December grads should think about before getting too excited about leaving VCU.

The way things are set up around December Commencement is a little like the revolving door you don’t know is broken and don’t become stuck until you think you’re almost outside.

I’ll refer to the Monroe Park Campus schedule since that is the semester schedule I am most familiar with – the December graduates on the Monroe Park Campus will attend class until Dec. 10, just like everyone else. They go to Commencement in the Siegel Center on Dec. 10 and have their graduation ceremony. But the December graduates have to return to campus on Dec. 12 so they can take their final exams.

If you haven’t taken notice yet, the December graduates, who have already graduated from the school, have to return to take their final exams. Why is this?

If you think about it, the December graduates have not really graduated. They may have gone through the graduation ceremony, but they have no idea if they have passed their classes or not. So when you think about this some more, you could graduate from VCU on the 10th, come back to campus to take your finals during the 12th to the 20th, possibly fail one of your finals and then have to reapply to the school to get back in the system and register to take the class you failed – then graduate in the May Commencement. What sense does that make?

(I have to point out that I am only speculating that one would have to reapply to the school in order to take the class one has failed. I am not familiar with the rules behind this type of problem should it actually arise.)

I have spoken to several people who are going to graduate this coming December, and they all agree that having finals after commencement is a very – for the lack of a better word – stupid idea. Why graduate if you don’t know if you really have passed your classes or not? So I have some suggestions to fix this problem and create less of a headache for the December graduates:

Move commencement to a later date. Yes, the December grads will have to wait a little longer to graduate, but isn’t it a little easier on the mind if you know whether or not you passed your classes so you can graduate than go through the hassle of trying to reschedule to take a class again that you later find out you failed?

Have December graduates take their finals earlier. I know this will upset the professors in their scheduling of their classes – as well as the potential grads – since no one wants to conduct or take a test earlier than originally scheduled. But if 90 percent of the class material is covered and the general point is made to the reason why the class is being taken, why not set aside a day or two to have the grads take the final early?

With either of these options, commencement could stay at the same date, and the grads would know if they passed their classes or not. Being a senior myself, I can gladly say for many people of the senior class that the less stress you have around trying to graduate, the better.

These are just a couple of suggestions to make life a little easier for the December graduates. And to all who are graduating in December: I envy you, good luck with your finals and good luck with your futures!

Danielle Moss may be reached at ytwithlove@hotmail.com