Keepingtraditiononourminds

As a senior here at Cabrini, I am able to look back on the past four years and come away with many positive feelings of this school. There are many good things that I have received from Cabrini, including the chance to live in a safe environment, an opportunity to work with excellent faculty, be a part of a close-knit major that has given me many friends and receive an overall great education.

Now that I am approaching my second semester as a senior, I have begun to think about graduation.

Graduation from college is such a major event in most people's lives. I know it is in my life, which has brought me to an issue at Cabrini that currently does not please me.

In the years past, until last May, the college has held graduation outside in back of the mansion. The outside graduation, with it'> wide space for seating, allowed the graduates• immediate family, friends and relatives to attend if they chose to. Last May, graduation was held in the new Dixon Center and everyone was still invited to attend.

..,..,_,.op~ nrnl-k'TI ···•t'- 'et+;nr ever;, ue .mend v..is that there v.a not erou 0 h room to hold everyone People were being seated outside of the uimplex looking in or on •he folded-up bleachers, ur they ~, .11 '.: ·1: stand. ln addition. two reported fights broke out over seating rights. This does not sound like the wonderful ceremony that graduation is supposed to be. This year, the administration plans to have graduation in the Dixon Center again to continue to showcase their new building. Only now they are allowing just four people to accompany each graduate to the ceremony. Four people per graduate graduation at the Villanova Pavilion. At the Pavilion, there was no shortage of space for almost 300 students with 10 people accompanying them. At Cabrini, after my parents and I spent over $80,000, I am allowed just four family members. At around 600 graduating students with four accompanying people, the total is under what my high school allowed, but the number is pushing the Dixon Center limits towards a fire hazard.

Then again, graduation can be held outside of the Mansion and every graduate's family will have the opportunity to attend.

RON D'ORAZIO

does not even cover many of the immediate families, especially for some of the graduate students who have their own parents plus a spouse and children.

For myself, it means that my two surviving grandparents will not be able to see me graduate college. I may be looked at as fortunate to only have four other immediate family members who will be able to see me complete my edu,. •i0" or r1Ca'Yln'" nt" er" !""IV be t fnenJs on campus has seven immedi.rte family members, so I guess three of them have to stay home, right?

I !ook at my .;ollege gradu tion 1 ,omparison tc '11! "~ ,y ½igh school ran their ceremony. My parents spent $8,000 for my time in high school for 10 tickets to a

One question that was brought up is what happens if it rains on graduation day. It rained on graduation day in 1997, and I did attend that ceremony to see my friends accept their diplomas. I also saw that not too many people got up and left during the rain.

A solution could be to have a fallback plan for a rainy day, but not just assume it will rain.

So I am asking, on behalf of my friends and my own family, that the administration and the planning committee re-evaluate the plans fer graduation and allow us ·o ' _ TP t td0r,ro: A ft!"r JI 1/C shou J get v.hat we paid for.

RonD'Oraz,c·sa senior a1oring1n Englisll/commt.:riica,:or u., is onii of Loquitur"ssportseditors.Heis organizing a massprotestof theDixon Centerceremonies,andyou'reall invitedto joininon thefun.

LETTERS To THE EDITOR

Students Demand Action

As members of the Cabrini community, we are all aware of the traditional location for the Baccalaureate and 'Graduation ceremonies. Also commonly known is that, with the introduction of the Dixon Center in April 1998, this tradition was broken last year. According to current plans, this year's ceremonies will also be held in the new sports complex, despite student wishes.

As a member of the graduating class of 1999, I know the many reasons we want the ceremonies to take place behind the mansion, and not in the Dixon Center. In addition to maintaining a long-lasting tradition in the history of our college, we feel that the outside location is much more aesthetically pleasing. We are not concerned with the heat, since last year, the Dixon Center was just as hot as the temperature outside. We want to avoid overcrowding and congestion. We prefer to invite more than four guests to our ceremonies and would not like to witness any acts of violence on our day of celebration. Graduation is a celebration of OUR academic accomplishments and we want the graduation ceremonies to be representative of our membership in the Cabrini College community. Cabrini is committed to providing an education of the heart and our heart is behind the mansion. The only way we accept the ceremonies to be held in the Dixon Center is in the event of rain.

As members of the class of 1999, we have clearly verbalized our desire that these ceremonies be held in the traditional location behind the mansion. However, it is clear that these mere complaints are not adequate expressions of our concerns and will not gain the results that we wish to achieve. We need to take collective action. As a result, I am asking that all members of the class of 1999, who wish to graduate with a sense of pride and honor, unite as a class and sign a petition stating our requests. Graduation is for the students. If we wish to be considered seriously, we must act with serious determination.

Please read the petition on the right. If you agree with the many graduating students who feel this way, please contact Jamie Fagan (Box 77) so that you may sign this plea for recognition. I will be in the cafeteria and food court on Thursday and Friday during lunch, or you can stop me in the hall at any time.

Remember that graduation is a symbolic representation of the many accomplishments that we have achieved academically, socially and emotionally in our years at Cabrini. It is an event that will create lifetime memories. As a class, we can and will demonstrate to Dr. Iadarola and the Administration that we are not as apathetic as they imagine. We want this and intend to attain this.

Jamie Fagan Senior

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