THE UNIVERSITY of the East Student Council and Central Student Council called on the attention of school administration to postpone the virtual year-end commencement rites of graduating students for the academic year 2019-2020.

USC and CSC sent a letter to UE President Dr. Ester Garcia last September 9, stating, “In our sincere opinion, pushing through a virtual graduation ceremony amid Covid19 is grossly undeserved and would be an act akin to a mockery of graduating learners’ wishes.”

The student bodies  earlier conducted an online survey to find out the opinion of graduating candidates on the administration’s plans to hold a virtual graduation next month.

Survey showed that 89.1 percent of the 623 respondents from all UE campuses opposed the move of the university administration to have an online graduation, while 96.30 percent opted to postpone the ceremony until such time that it becomes safe to conduct a physical one.

USC and CSC also stressed virtual graduation will not reflect the students’ endeavors and achievements during their college years.

“The students’ sentiments revealed that an online graduation does not properly reflect the culmination of the four to five-year endeavor they have undertaken in pursuit of their dreams. It cannot be denied that it is an event that takes place once in a lifetime,” the student body added.

“Students have mentioned that this is not only for them, but also for their parents, who wish to bear witness to a ceremony fitting for the recognition of their greatest achievement.”

The student bodies urged school administration to consider the demands of the graduating learners as it showed that they were willing to wait until the situation becomes possible.

“Owing to the fact that a graduation ceremony is conducted for the students in the first place, it should be their right to at least have a voice on how such a momentous affair would be conducted,” the letter read.