MINNEAPOLIS — The University of Minnesota is planning to combine graduation ceremonies next May in a "University-wide commencement" at Huntington Bank Stadium, which may prevent seniors from walking across the stage to receive diplomas, according to emails sent to students this week in various colleges.
The shift in venues appears related to renovations at 3M Arena at Mariucci, where many colleges typically hold individual commencements.
While some schools, like the College of Biological Sciences and College of Liberal Arts, have simply described vague plans for graduation ceremonies on May 12-13, 2023, the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences provided further details in an email to students on Monday morning.
As first reported by The Minnesota Daily, Dean Brian Buhr wrote that "because of the large number of graduates expected at each ceremony — approximately 6,600 undergraduate students and 1,900 masters and doctoral students — the events will not include individual students walking across the stage to have their name announced, receive a diploma, or be hooded. The joint ceremony will focus instead on the conferral of degrees."
Olivia Szatkowski, a senior biology major, said she became very upset when she learned her graduation might not include the tradition of walking across the stage. She noted that members of the Class of 2023 have spent most of their college careers in the COVID era, having moved to remote learning during the winter of their freshman year.
"It's hard to think after all the tuition that we've paid, all the years we've spent here, that we won't get the opportunity of hearing your name read and shaking a person's hand and taking that degree from them. It's a tradition that we correlate with graduation," Szatkowski said. "What's the point in going to see the graduation when all you're doing is sitting in a chair and listening to a speech, and your name's not being read and you're not walking across that stage?"
Szatkowski started an online petition Tuesday night that garnered more than 2,000 signatures within 24 hours. Naming President Joan Gabel and the University of Minnesota Regents, Szatkowski wrote that she was "saddened and outraged" by the change to 2023 graduation ceremonies.
One senior who signed the petition wrote that the school's decision was "insensitive, unprofessional and completely uncalled for," while another student said "I paid way too much money to not get to walk the stage."
"I hope they'll listen to our concerns," Szatkowski said, "and be able to understand that being able to walk across the stage at graduation is a huge, huge part of graduation."
The University of Minnesota has not released an official statement about the commencement ceremonies for 2023.
So far, the email from the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences is the only one to explicitly mention that students will not walk across the stage. That same message to students also said that "while there are many questions yet to be answered, we are committed to finding the right set of complementary celebration activities specific to CFANS."
A university spokesperson told KARE 11 "I don't believe we have anything to add at this time" and that "commencement planning is in the very early stages."
Szatkowski urged the school to find alternate venues so that individual colleges can hold their own commencements, as they have in the past.
"When it comes down to it, you do feel quite left out," Szatkowski said. "You're getting the degree still, but you don't feel the closure that you would feel normally."
MORE NEWS: 'The little kids look up to us' | Richfield 5th graders share bullying prevention message
MORE NEWS: MOA trying out new security systems
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist: