On Wednesday, Feb. 26, a formal email was sent out from the Office of the President explaining that the Spring 2025 graduation will take place in the Andreasen Center for Wellness, instead of the Howard Performing Arts Center (where graduation was held from 2019 to 2024) or Pioneer Memorial church (where graduation was held prior to 2019). This change will not affect Andrews Academy or Ruth Murdoch Elementary School, both of which will continue to have their graduations in PMC. Regarding the change, Katie Davis, AUSA vice president of public relations, provided the following statement:
“During the Senate Town Hall meeting, I was able to ask Dr. Taylor directly about the change of location for graduation. I asked him why the University decided to change locations for graduation and he explained several reasons for the decision.
The University sent a survey to the graduate students to find out what they could improve for graduation weekend. There were two main problems that the students wanted to change, the first being the limited number of family members that could attend the service and the second was the awkwardness of the position of the speaker. The University took this into consideration and acted on the request from the graduate students to improve the graduation weekend. Hence, they decided to move graduation to Andreasen Wellness Center (AWC) to increase capacity by 50%.”
According to Rosemary McKenzie, the graduation committee chair, the seating capacity for guests in the ACW is estimated to be 1269, compared to 720 in the HPAC and 1000 seats in PMC. "The University is planning for the ACW gymnasium floor to be covered with carpet and the stage/backdrop to include enough pipe and draping to cover the back wall, including the scoreboards. We are ensuring that staging will be provide equal access for all graduates regardless of physical ability. Our AV team is working to provide screens throughout the auditorium that will provide our guests the best possible view of the graduates. Additionally, the ACW provides increased accessibility for guests. It also provides easy access to the Flag Mall for the reception after the commencement service."
Many students expected the university graduation would take place in PMC if it wasn’t held in HPAC, and reactions to the news have been largely negative. While the university administration has not released a comment confirming this, many students believe—indeed, assume—that administrators and/or alumni believe that the graduation ceremony is too secular for PMC, along with much more speculation.
“At the end of the day, we’re all doing this for God,” says Pétala Santos (senior, global studies and digital communications). “We’re here to serve the church, we’re here to get a religious education—who says that graduation is not a religious ceremony? We’re here to get a Christian education and we can’t graduate in a church? I also find this rather inconsiderate for students who have international families flying from other countries. Are they flying in to sit in a gym?”
In an anonymous statement emailed to the Student Movement, a student stated the following: “Graduating from the basketball court is honestly insulting. Five years and tens of thousands of dollars and this is what I get? Andrews Academy couldn't offer me a graduation in 2020, so after nine years on this campus, the best this university thinks I deserve is creaky plastic bleachers and a basketball court? That's where my parents and grandparents will have to sit after supporting me on this campus for a decade? I'm genuinely furious. I feel unvalued and disrespected. If the education I received here isn't sacred enough for the church, then what is? Why was the president's convocation in the church but mine cannot be? I have faithfully served God on this campus for almost a decade. Why was I not enough? Why don't I deserve a sacred dedication before setting off into the world?”
Beatriz Martins (senior, medical laboratory sciences) said, “I honestly just don’t understand. I’ve attended graduations before. This is Andrews University; the ceremony is by no means a secular event. The entire ceremony is to celebrate that we have finished receiving a religious education!”
Some other students believe that the specific issue with PMC is that the cheering and clapping associated with graduation is considered inappropriate.
“I understand why it [graduation] is not in PMC,” says DJ Hill (senior, graphic design). “It’s to control loud shouting—but they (administrators) should consider that a lot of students want a nicer graduation to celebrate 4 years of work, and I don’t think a gym is a substitute for that.”
Yoel Kim (senior, physics and math studies) echoed this sentiment: “I guess it’s because of the clapping. But then, I don’t understand why clapping for graduation is inappropriate, but not after sermons. I have been to sermons at PMC where there was applause. Also, I feel that PMC is significantly more cost-effective and disability-friendly than the Andreasen. The A/V is already there, the capacity there, and the livestream is already there. There are elevators and ramps. I have even heard that the A/V at PMC is already set up to be able to tune into hearing aids.”
However, not all students interviewed believed that the change was due to secularity, or even expected a change in location at all.
“I’m shocked!” said Reagan McCain (senior, history and Spanish), “I hadn’t heard of this, I don’t understand why. Why can’t we use PMC? I have not gone to school and studied so hard for so many years to have a ceremony with zero pomp and zero circumstances in a gym. I think the decision to have this event in the gym rather than PMC or the HPAC is just bad planning. I really don’t understand why. Whose interests does this serve?”
“I wasn’t even aware that it was moved,” opined Lexie Dunham (senior, psychology). “I had no idea that it was being changed. The gym part … I don’t know about that. There is something more grand about HPAC or PMC. And now the gym? I feel like the echo is going to be an issue, and I can’t imagine how it is going to be set up. Where is everyone going to sit? Surely not on the bleachers.”
Anna Lonto, who is receiving her doctorate in physical therapy, is also upset. “This August, I will receive … a degree I have sacrificed so much for mentally, physically, and emotionally. … Last week, I received news that my doctoral graduation would now take place in a flat gymnasium with less than adequate seating, all so that seating capacity could be increased by 170 individuals. … Just like that. With one email. No formal request, poll, or announcement was made prior to this major announcement,” she said. She and her cohort want to resist with everything they have “to let the higher-ups at Andrews know the crucial impact of their decision,” she said. “We’ve spent over $100,000 in loans to pursue this degree, and for it to be so quickly moved into a cold, loud, and cramped gymnasium without our input feels completely disrespectful. We must fight the powers and fight for change. We have put way too much work into this doctoral degree for it to be dismissed into a gymnasium with poor viewing accommodations.”
The decision to move the Spring 2025 graduation to the wellness center has sparked frustration among many students, who feel it diminishes the significance of their achievements.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.