STUDENT LIFE ‘mdash; Though thousands of graduating seniors are about to cross the stage in commencement ceremonies this June, few are aware that their graduation fees fund an event they most likely won’t attend.
In addition to the money shelled out for a cap and gown, announcements, graduation photos and that prized alumni hoodie, every graduate participating in a college ceremony is required to pay a $27.73 commencement fee ‘mdash; which UCSD has charged since its inception, though no other UC campus does. According to the UCSD Bookstore’s Web site ‘mdash;’ a likely source of information for the clueless senior ‘mdash; the payment is supposed to offset costs for each student’s college ceremony.
What the site conveniently fails to mention is that nearly 30 percent of that fee supports the all-campus graduation celebration ‘mdash; which every graduate must pay for regardless of whether he or she chooses to attend, despite the fact that last year it boasted a whopping 7.5 percent participation rate among graduating seniors (only around 400 of the 5,290 graduates showed).
This year’s all-campus celebration will be the university’s second attempt at the annual event. Unlike the six individual college commencement ceremonies, the event does not include caps and gowns or individual recognition. However, the all-campus graduation party does give students an opportunity to celebrate with all graduates, regardless of college affiliation. The event consists of an alumni and graduate mixer, speakers, food, drinks and fireworks.
The all-campus graduation celebration, which claims to offer free admission for graduates, will cost nearly $95,000 this year. Even though relatively few graduates attend, the money that is redistributed to help fund the event will probably double next year, increasing the cost of the commencement fee for the class of 2010 by at least an additional $8, according to Commencement Coordinator Anna Gandolfi.
‘ Graduates are already forced to brace themselves for steep costs. The cheapest graduation ‘pride pack’ ‘mdash; which includes a cap and gown rental, tassel, commencement fee, one-year membership to the Alumni Association, alumni decal and $20 donation to an undergraduate scholarship ‘mdash; surpasses $100. And within a few months, student-loan providers will begin sending collection notices, increasing pressure for graduates to find well-paying work in one of the worst job markets in decades.
Although the increased commencement fees are unlikely to send anyone into bankruptcy, a university that just increased next year’s student fees by almost $700 should not be upping fees of any amount unless they’re absolutely vital. UCSD has no right to continue charging commencement fees just because it has in the past ‘mdash; especially considering that none of our peer institutions charge these fees.
With the mounting expenses a graduate must face, the university should be making a concerted effort to alleviate costs instead of making them worse. To prevent commencement fees from rising further, the university should implement separate fees for the college commencement ceremonies and the all-campus celebration, charging only the students who choose to participate. Not only would the commencement fee be lower, it would also be more fair. Students unable to participate in the all-campus celebration, which is inconveniently scheduled for Friday of finals week, would not be required to fund an event they can’t attend.
To minimize costs even further, commencement committees could
organize fundraisers. Selling food on Library Walk, holding a walk-a-thon or handing out Jamba Juice flyers could all help lower the commencement fee charged to each student.
Students must also be told that their commencement fee is paying for them to attend the ‘free’ all-campus celebration. They not only have the right to know how their fees are spent, but acknowledging that students are indeed paying for the celebration may encourage participation at the sparsely attended event.
Though there may not be a way to totally eliminate the fee in light of UCSD’s current budget crisis, the university has an obligation to ensure that the fee benefits each student who pays it.
Readers can contact Michelle Chin at [email protected].