TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Florida State University student, Noah Michael Chadwick Griego has written a letter to FSU administrators and started a petition for graduate's names to be read aloud during the planned virtual commencement, rather than a scrolling list.
Previously, FSU's virtual commencement announcement stated that, due to time constraints, graduate's names will not be individually announced, but will appear at the end of the virtual ceremony and can be found in the digital commencement program that will be posted online at commencement.fsu.edu before the ceremony.
"We were all heartbroken when the coronavirus pandemic forced us to cancel spring commencement at the Tucker Center,” said John Thrasher, the president of FSU. “We still want to recognize our students on graduation day and award the academic degrees that they earned through years of study and hard work. Hopefully, this virtual ceremony will give our graduates and their loved ones an opportunity to participate in a meaningful shared experience.”
Griego states in the letter that neither time constraints nor the coronavirus pandemic are the issue.
"This is not a letter condemning the university for canceling the real commencement ceremonies, safety comes first. But, to refuse to read our names and then call the act of reading our names a time constraint, is where this has become disrespectful."
Griego ends the letter asking for the same consideration and respect extended to any other graduating class.
FSU's virtual commencement ceremony for its spring graduates is Saturday, May 2, and will be streamed on the university’s website, Facebook and YouTube channels.
The letter to FSU administrators was published as an opinion piece by FSU News, where Griego is a staff writer.
To read the full letter, click here. To view the petition, click here.
