It was decided that the Class of 2009's graduation ceremony will be held in the Wilson Ice Arena on campus.
The decision, announced at the Student Association meeting on Jan. 21, was made to save money due to the recent SUNY budget cuts.
The problem with this choice is that 63.4 percent of the Class voted in favor of having the ceremony at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester. Having graduation there would save the school $85,000, allow us to graduate as one class and enable us to invite our families to watch. The administration, however, has decided to ignore democracy.
If there is one graduation ceremony on campus, we can invite two guests; two identical ceremonies will allow for five guests. This creates a nightmarish situation for us, as seniors will have to choose which family members are the most important. How does one explain to his or her grandparents that they cannot attend the first four-year college graduation in the family?
Many boyfriends, girlfriends and best friends in the class are concerned about being placed in different graduation ceremonies. After four years of memories how truly lame would it be to not be able to watch these people walk at graduation because they are in the other ceremony due to different majors?
The proposal to hold the ceremony in Blue Cross Arena and offer to raise the difference it would cost to have it there was rejected by President Dahl, who said in an e-mail that the only disadvantage to Blue Cross is its being off-campus - an advantage in seniors' eyes. Rochester would be easier for everyone due to the large number of resources there. There are plenty of restaurants (Dinosaur BBQ, anyone?), a larger infrastructure and hotel rooms for anyone who needs them.
We all know the pain of getting hotel rooms in Geneseo. The terrible trouble of finding a room in Geneseo wouldn't be an issue if the ceremony was held in Rochester. We honestly believe that the Geneseo administration saw only 36.6 percent of the class wanted it in the ice arena and refused to comply because they could care less about the students' best interests. This leads us to the social disconnect that exists between the students and the administration.
Does Geneseo truly expect us to donate money 10 years down the line after this? If we give back to the school it will be because we believe it will help the student body. Graduation, however, is a clear example of the students speaking and the administration ignoring. So Geneseo, you can expect to get nothing from us, and we hope other students realize they shouldn't be complacent either. Hit the administration where it really hurts them: their pockets.