This week we decided to write a joint column because our agendas have merged on a critical student issue. You may or may not be aware that Rensselaer has unrolled a new commencement policy. We have included the policy to the right as written on the commencent website. If you have senior status, you should have received an e-mail on December 10 with the same policy. In last week’s “Top Hat,” Gil mentioned that we would be discussing the policy and more importantly, clarifying its impact and that is our goal here today.
The policy as written below will require a student to have completed their degree before participating in the commencement ceremony. However, exceptions will be made for students pursuing dual degrees, having special circumstances, or having gone on Co-op with no more than 4 credit hours remaining. For May 2002: “Students who have participated in Co-op or comparable programs may attend the ceremony if they are within one semester of completion of degree requirements.”
This basically means that if you do not meet the requirements of the new policy to participate in commencement, but you are within one semester of graduating, you will have to petition to participate in the ceremony. If this applies to you, the most important step that you can take is to complete and to submit your degree application to the Registrar’s office. Although the deadline to file a degree application was January 25 (last Friday), the Registrar is still accepting degree applications, due to the confusion surrounding the new policy. Again, it is imperative that you file a degree application if you intend to participate in the May 2002 Commencement Ceremony.
The administration has indicated that many students with circumstances such as Co-op or previous studies aboard will find their applications approved at that juncture. If your degree application is not approved, a case-by-case appeal process will take place through the vice-provost, Gary Gabrielle, 518-276-2244, gabrig2@rpi.edu. It is also our understanding that the appeals will be more stringently considered once the policy is fully implemented (beginning academic year 2002-2003).
As soon as the policy was brought to our attention, as your student leaders, we went into action. We expressed our opinions to the president, the provost, the vice president of student life, and the interim dean of students. It is not our principle to oppose every initiative or policy issued by the administration, yet we feel that it is imperative that student feedback be incorporated earlier in the decision making process, and in the implementation of new policies. Strengthening commencement and establishing a concrete commencement policy are not bad ideas, but unrolling the policy in the middle of someone’s senior year is.
We saw these same issues with the dean of students move and the ban on freshmen parking. These ideas are not necessarily bad, and may have a lot of merit, but if students don’t buy-in early and often, we will resent them regardless of whether or not we backtrack to some compromise.
We will go on the record as saying that thus far, the administration has been very willing to work with us and has given of their very time generously, and therefore we know these issues will be resolved in a manner that pleases both you, the students, and the administration.
Let us also not forget that the key and fundamental issue here is not the commencement policy, but is the advising and the general failure of the current advising system here at RPI. President Jackson personally shared her concern with us about the advising system and has made no bones about hiding the fact that she will find a way to improve it. We have already begun to work with her and the administration on this issue, and look forward to making progress. It is pertinent that students come forward and lend their input generously in this process.
If you have any input or questions please contact either of us at gm@rpi.edu or pu@rpi.edu.
