Commencement changes leave athletes out, again

I will not attend my college graduation this spring.

This isn’t because of some vendetta against the schools or because I think the ceremony will be too long and boring. No, it’s because the schools had the opportunity to ensure all graduates could attend their commencement, only to go in the opposite direction.

I’m a member of the SJU track and field team, and the second day of the MIAC Track and Field Championships falls on May 11, the day our graduation now is. This means that CSB track and field athletes also can’t attend their ceremony, something that they’ve unfortunately gotten used to over the years.

If they advance far enough in the MIAC Playoffs, SJU baseball and CSB softball players will also miss graduation. CSB softball’s 2023 graduates couldn’t attend their graduation last spring. While we are out competing to bring back championships, our peers will be celebrating the culmination of our four years here without us.

In total, up to 47 student-athletes could miss graduation, based on the number of juniors on the affected teams last spring. At minimum, the 29 track and field seniors will be unable to attend. This is not an insignificant number; I wouldn’t be writing this if that were the case. Want to know the number who would have to miss because of athletic events if the ceremonies were on Sunday? Zero.

In deciding to move the CSB and SJU commencements to the same day, the schools had the opportunity to make changes to account for as many student-athletes as possible. CSB track and field seniors could’ve attended graduation for the first time in years, barring the rare exception when the MIAC Championships are hosted a week after commencement. The schools chose to go the other way.

Now, they didn’t leave us entirely out to dry. I want to acknowledge and appreciate that they will host smaller ceremonies for athletes unable to attend the Saturday graduation. However, as much as I love my track and field teammates, I also care about a multitude of other members of my senior class. The smaller ceremony doesn’t fulfill my desire to celebrate with them.

When I asked the commencement committees why they chose Saturday and if athletes’ ability to attend was considered, their response stated that scheduling is challenging. They try to accommodate as many people as possible, and athletics have caused scheduling issues in the past.

Yes, scheduling is challenging. However, it’s clear they didn’t try to accommodate as many people as possible since it was as simple as looking at the MIAC website to see when championships were scheduled. They themselves acknowledged they were aware of these conflicts in the past.

Additionally, if they had a specific reason for holding the ceremonies on Saturday instead of Sunday, I hope they would have shared it with me. To me, the lack of explanation indicates that no one would be left out if graduation was on Sunday.

The only legitimate reason I can see for why the ceremonies cannot be on Sunday is because it is Mother’s Day. The easy counterpoint to this is “well, that hasn’t stopped SJU in the past.” I’ll take it a step further.

I love my mom, and having one day a year set aside for her isn’t nearly enough. She’s sacrificed so much for me in life, and I couldn’t have made it through college without her to lean on. I want her to see me walk across that stage at graduation, and I want to use that day to let her know how much of a role she’s played in my path toward getting that diploma.

If I’ve learned anything in college, it’s this: You can’t do it alone. So even though my mom wasn’t in the classroom with me or running alongside me on the track, she was my teammate through it all.

To the CSB and SJU commencement committees, I call on you to do the right thing and shift the festivities to Sunday. At the very least, don’t make this mistake again. Because in the process of scheduling ceremonies that feel more cohesive, you’ve left some people out along the way.