COMMENTARY: UHCL needs to host summer graduation ceremonies

UHCL does not host a summer graduation ceremony for those that finish in the summer. For a lot of students this puts a hold on getting a job and getting to start in their career for six months. To some this may not be an issue but a lot of students at UHCL are affected by this every summer. UHCL should host a summer graduation because this will give ample number of students the chance to graduate on time. UHCL’s recent graduation ceremonies took place at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

There are many reasons as to why UHCL does not have a graduation ceremony for the summer. One big reason being that the school does not allocate the funds to host three graduation ceremonies a year. Graduation ceremonies are expensive to put on and a lot of work has to be done in order for it to go smoothly but that should not mean that those who finish in the summer should have to wait another semester just to get to graduate.

For summer 2021, 347 students graduated who had to wait until the December 2021 graduation ceremony to walk. Each summer maintains a similar amount of students with 317 in 2020 and 258 in 2019. Many students who finish their degree in the summer end up not walking at graduation in December because of the long timeframe. This does not mean they will not get their degree, but that they do not participate in the ceremony. Six months is a long time to wait just to walk across a stage to receive a blank diploma.

Finishing your degree and walking at graduation are two different things. Once you meet all of your degree plan requirements, you are able to receive a diploma from the school. If you met all of the requirements in order to walk the stage at the ceremony then you are able to do so. Earning a degree from a university is a big deal, so walking the stage to show that accomplishment is something that everyone should be given the chance to do.

Students who finish up their degree in August and are actually able to find a job right then, might find it very difficult to come back into town in December. Especially if their new job is out of the state. A lot of times when starting a new job, you are not granted a lot of vacation in the first six months to a year so these students might not be able to attend their graduation.

Students who have to take out student loans in order to pay for school have to start paying on student loans six months after graduating. For someone that has to wait until December this means that they will have to start paying immediately after their graduation ceremony instead of six months after in June. This is something that happens often and if that person does not have a job already then it would make it very difficult for them to start paying on their student loans.

There are hundreds of students who graduate each semester at UHCL. Many of which have probably been finished with their degree for a while but are just now getting to graduate.

Having a summer graduation ceremony is important because it gives the summer graduates a chance to participate in the graduation ceremony with their fellow classmates. This would mean a big deal to international students who are from other countries. They would get to walk with students that they met in all of their courses at UHCL before returning home.
Holding a summer graduation would decrease the number of students who participate in the winter and fall ceremonies as well because this will mean that they would not have to wait six months just to walk across the stage.

If UHCL were to host a summer graduation ceremony it could be held at a smaller venue. Since there are not as many students finishing in the summer as there are in May and December then they could host a smaller graduation ceremony which overall would be cheaper for the school as well.

Having a summer graduation would also give the students more time in the fall to look for an occupation. It is important to give every student the chance to walk at graduation in a timely manner.