Students don't get diploma due to excess cheering from crowd

[sunnyhibiscus]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070602/...uation_decorum

You know what, it saddens me of the lack of decorum we see here in graduation. I went to my sister's 8th grade graduation last week, and I was appalled at the lack of respect of the guest. I know it's only an 8th grade graduation, but still...
I have read a letter to the editor concerning this problem. I can't let you read it because I don't want to reveal the city because you guys will guess my school's name. But I tell you the letter in detail. The man and his sister-in-law was trying to shush up the people that were talking excessively. But the people had threatened them by saying "don't make me bring my hood out on you."

On another message board, there was this man who went to his son's graduation and there were excessive cheering that was constant.

I have seen other colleges come up with a system where if you make a whole lot of noise costantly, then you will get kick out from watching the ceremony. I wonder if they can do that in the schools. I mean graduation is a special time, and I hate it when people ruin it.

[PM_Mama00]

It is quite annoying when it's excessive. It felt good to hear my family and friends cheering for me, but they weren't yelling at "Yo das mah mama" or other loud, obnoxious cheering. A "woooo" is enough.

[UGAalum94]

Personally, I don't think anything other than restrained applause is appropriate.

I think we're getting to the point at which we act like everything is a sporting event, and it's not.

A graduation ceremony should be dignified and sedate, and when people sound air horns or cowbells, like I heard at an honors night event this year- no joke, we should probably stop having the events at all or at least stop reading individual names.

Even if you don't buy in to the idea of decorum, when people freak out at their relatives' names, they often prevent the name of the next person from being heard and doing do is selfish and wrong.

[Drolefille]

I agree that there should be decorum, or at least not excessive cheering, however, the student has no control over the actions of the crowd. Throw the offending audience members out, but withholding a diploma, or requiring a student to do community service because of the actions of his or her family? Stupid.

[UGAalum94]

It might seem stupid in the short term, but as long as there are people making sure they identify the actual guests of the graduate in question, this policy will be the most effective in the long run.

If your family is so proud of your graduation that they want to blast an air horn, they probably aren't going to risk your not getting a diploma because they made a bunch of inappropriate noise.

Many of the low class folks consider the ceremony over once their graduate's name is read anyway; getting kicked out then wouldn't be much of a penalty.

Plus, there are a lot of folks eager to make an even bigger scene when they get kicked out.

Really, following through with the graduate probably will work the best. If a graduate is worried that someone won't act right, she shouldn't invite him or her.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Alphagamuga

It might seem stupid in the short term, but as long as there are people making sure they identify the actual guests of the graduate in question, this policy will be the most effective in the long run.

If your family is so proud of your graduation that they want to blast an air horn, they probably aren't going to risk your not getting a diploma because they made a bunch of inappropriate noise.

Many of the low class folks consider the ceremony over once their graduate's name is read anyway; getting kicked out then wouldn't be much of a penalty.

Plus, there are a lot of folks eager to make an even bigger scene when they get kicked out.

Really, following through with the graduate probably will work the best. If a graduate is worried that someone won't act right, she shouldn't invite him or her.

This assumes that the graduate gets to choose whether or not to invite her family. I'm pretty sure my parents made the guest list when I was in high school.

[CutiePie2000]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Throw the offending audience members out, but withholding a diploma, or requiring a student to do community service because of the actions of his or her family? Stupid.

I agree.

Originally Posted by Alphagamuga

when people freak out at their relatives' names, they often prevent the name of the next person from being heard and doing do is selfish and wrong.

I agree...and perhaps this should be communicated in a memo when people receive their tickets in the days *BEFORE* the event, so that they know the reason WHY they may clap, but nothing more "expressive". There are a lot of dense people out there....they need to have things like this pointed out & explained to them.

[UGAalum94]

I don't think it happens because they don't know any better. It's because they don't care.

Sure, I think making accepting tickets contingent on following the behavior expectations would be great. Maybe they could sign something when they picked them up, and then when they were kicked out, officials could present it at court.

But I've been at many events at which announcements were made at the start of the event to absolutely no avail.

Some people don't care about others. If there's no penalty for them and theirs, they really don't give a flip about ruining the experience of others. Making a big scene and then getting kicked out wouldn't mar the day as far as they were concerned; it would just ruin it for everyone else.

I think if the school in question sticks with its policy, in a few years, its graduations will be excellent. But what I predict will happen is that all the kids will get their diploma on appeal, so people will learn that nothing really happens so they will keep doing it.

Sigh. Maybe we should just quit having them. Or have only private events put on by groups of the graduates who could set their own standards for behavior.

Edited again to add: I sit through at least one graduation a year; I know everything that the staff does to make the event go well: talking to the kids, sending home letter, announcements at the event. And every year, there are kids who screw it up and guests who screw it up. Why should it be so hard to do something nice? I honest believe that if we had the "act up and no diploma for your graduate" rule, it would work. We'd probably have to add tickets to make sure we knew which guest belong to which graduate, but I really believe it would change the decorum at the event.

[susan314]

People take air horns to high school graduation ceremonies?

Wow...just wow.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by susan314

People take air horns to high school graduation ceremonies?

Wow...just wow.

I'm not kidding when I say we had a parent bring a cow bell to honors night this year.

And in sort of a response to Rudey: this parent was white, so while in the newspaper article, it does seem like the people getting punished are trying to make it seem racial, race isn't even a factor in the cases I've personally experienced.

[PinkRose1098]

Originally Posted by susan314

People take air horns to high school graduation ceremonies?

Wow...just wow.

I think I remember a few beach balls floating around in the stands at the graduation of the glass before me in high school. The ceremony was also held outside in our football stadium which didn't exactly scream this is a special occasion so let's act like it.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by PinkRose1098

I think I remember a few beach balls floating around in the stands at the graduation of the glass before me in high school. The ceremony was also held outside in our football stadium which didn't exactly scream this is a special occasion so let's act like it.

I agree that location is probably part of it. Most public high school are having graduation in a stadium or gym/coliseum. It doesn't set the right tone, I agree. But I'm not sure it means we have to completely throw in the towel.

[RU OX Alum]

HS graduations should be taken seriously only if you plan on that being your last graduation....there should be beach balls, silly string, etc. espcially if it is outside

the college ones were just plain boring

[macallan25]

I agree, our HS graduation was like a big party....and everyone enjoyed it.