Columbia University is holding two separate graduation ceremonies this year — one for students who are in their graduating class, and another for students who are not.
The school’s decision to hold two ceremonies was made in order to give students the opportunity to celebrate with their peers and family members in a more intimate setting. Additionally, the school is able to accommodate more guests this way. The school will hold separate ceremonies for its graduate students in the morning and undergraduate students in the afternoon.
“Our first concern is always the comfort and enjoyment of our graduates,” said Columbia University spokesman Robert Hornsby. “We have always had multiple graduation years because we have so many graduates.”
Columbia’s decision comes after some other universities decided to hold separate graduation ceremonies for students of color following student protests at the University of Missouri that led to the resignation of university president Tim Wolfe last month.
A group at Yale University held a “mock graduation” ceremony on campus last week where black students were invited to participate in an event that celebrated the legacy of black women at Yale through dance, music and poetry readings. The university said it would not recognize the event as an official commencement ceremony because no seniors were invited to participate or receive diplomas during it.
