Waldorf to Hold Two Graduation Ceremonies

By: Alana Wickering

Waldorf University’s commencement is set for May 7, 2022. An email from Jennifer Edwards stating that each graduating senior was limited to four tickets for the event.

This decision made by the graduation committee struck a nerve in some of the seniors.

“So, my family as is, is a size of seven,” Senior Matthew Pfaltzgraff said. “I’m the middle child of five, two parents. So, seven. You know, math.”

Senior Hayleigh Solano expressed her feelings about this decision. 

“It’s our graduation not theirs,” said Salanao.

“It’s the student’s graduation not the college’s,” Pfaltzgraff said.

Senior Brandelle McGinn and Pfaltzgraff put together a document that was sent out to many of the seniors. Within the document they explained that they wanted the event to be held outdoors again because of the unlimited seating. 

With the help of Jason Raemaker, Dean of Students, they got a donation for a stage and offered to help set up chairs. Other important information included was an analysis of schools Waldorf’s size and the venue their graduation is held at. They also included the average number of guests from last year’s commencement here at Waldorf. It was 8.

This document was taken to administration and Pfaltzgraff stated “the vibe we got is that it’s not going to happen.”

“It’s unfortunate, you know, we want to make those requests happen, but we have to do what’s best for the greater good and the greater overall group,” Professor and committee member Carlos Ruiz said.

Many students are first in the family to graduate, McGinn and Pfaltzgraff are examples.

“I’m the first of my cousins, the first of my siblings,” McGinn said. “None of my parents went to college so it’s a really big deal for me and my family.”

The graduation committee met again after receiving this document and will have a meeting with the students. They decided that the best decision would be to continue to hold graduation in the Boman but to break it into two ceremonies.

“I’m really not in favor of it,” McGinn said. “I’m a psych major and a lot of my friends are going to be in the science graduation. That’s going to be really hard for me not being able to graduate with the people I came here with.”

“Sometimes there has to be difficult decisions, how do we split up the students when it comes to commencement,” Ruiz said. “Do we do it in one ceremony? Do we do it in two? And I think that it’s a benefit at the end of the day is that we can fit more people inside, across two ceremonies opposed to one.”

The decision was made by the committee and administration. The ceremony for students graduating with an A.A. or B.A. will be held at 10 a.m. in the Boman, followed by the B.S. degrees at 2 p.m. with unlimited ticket options.