Update...

USU to end winter commencement

By Kim Burgess

Published:

Friday, July 31, 2009 2:57 AM CDT

Utah State University students will get a graduation ceremony this December, but administrators have decided it will be the last one held at that time.

This upcoming fall commencement is scheduled for Dec. 11 and 12. Starting in 2010, USU will offer only a spring commencement for all students.

The school has held a December ceremony for the past four years. The decision to cut it was based on a number of issues with budget constraints being foremost, said Sydney Peterson, USU chief of staff and chair of the commencement committee.

“Current budget cuts have precipitated the need to eliminate fall commencement exercises,” Peterson said. “This change is just one in a series of adjustments we are making to address cutbacks.”

USU spokesperson John DeVilbiss said he doesn’t know exactly how much December commencement costs but said it is tens of thousands of dollars.

“The printing costs (for graduation booklets) alone is over $15,000,” DeVilbiss said. Other expenses include overtime pay for safety personnel and others involved with the ceremony.

“Any savings is important in light of the fact that we are having to deal with $27.5 million in budget cuts,” he added. “We are having to do as much or more with less.”

Other factors in the decision included low participation rates and weather concerns. Last December, roughly 2,040 Aggies were eligible to walk in the fall commencement exercise, but only about 500 participated, according to DeVilbiss. He also noted that the ceremony was almost canceled due to a major snow storm.

“We hope our students understand that this is a difficult decision,” DeVilbiss said. “The decision to return to a spring-only commencement isn’t meant to lesson the achievement of students who complete their requirement in fall semester.”

Journalism and public relations major Hayley Hayden-Axtell said she is glad she will be able to walk in the December 2009 commencement, which her family plans to attend.

“It’s better to give a year’s notice rather than a few months,” she said. “I think it’s more ethical.”

Still Hayden-Axtell said she will talk to administrators and students about the decision because she feels that a December commencement is convenient for many. She suggests offering a fall and spring commencement but getting rid of a luncheon and other events held before the main ceremony.

Weber State University is the only other public university in Utah to offer a fall commencement.

I am very grateful for the power of the press...:]

I was that secret Aggie.. :]

USU could cancel December commencement ceremony

By Kim Burgess

Published:

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 6:46 PM CDT

Utah State University may cancel its December commencement activities and several students are up in arms at the possibility.

USU’s spokesperson, John DeVilbiss, said the school will announce Thursday whether the December graduation events will be cut. On Wednesday afternoon, he stressed that administrators had not yet made a decision, but were discussing whether to get rid of the ceremony.

If the December commencement is canceled, students who complete coursework during fall semester would have to wait to participate in the spring commencement, held in early May.

USU began holding December commencement activities four years ago.

Saving money in the face of major budget cuts would be a major reason for taking that action, DeVilbiss said.

Should that happen, two Aggies say they are prepared to start a large petition drive to get the December commencement reinstated.

“To have this pulled out from under you without a choice or a survey or an interview — it’s one of the many budget cuts that are killing USU,” said Kelsey Koenen, a journalism student who said her whole family is hoping to attend the December graduation.

Koenen plans to start a full-time job in Logan during January, but she said it’s hard for her to be certain she will be in the area in May.

That sentiment was echoed by a friend of Koenen, who asked to remain anonymous until USU makes an official announcement about the situation.

She said that she plans to move out of state after completing her coursework in December. Returning to Cache Valley for the May ceremony would be expensive and time consuming, she said.

“It’s ridiculous,” she said. “With the fees and the tuition payments and all of the junk we have to go through, they should not take away the one thing we’ve been looking forward to.”

The student said she feels there are better ways to deal with budget problems, like getting rid of a luncheon that happens before both the December and May graduation ceremonies.

“That would save a lot,” she said. “We don’t need a luncheon, just give us the commencement.”


So what can I say, I made some calls and let them know how I felt in the nicest way I could..... :]

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ksl.com - Marines ready as they prepare for Afghanistan

Hope you liked it!!