No graduation ceremony for KU class of 2021: The River reacts

Kingston University has added itself to the list of UK universities postponing their student’s graduation ceremonies with an email sent to all KU students delivering the news. 

“It would be incredibly challenging for finalists to attend a physical or virtual graduation in these weeks with the revised end-of-year dates, due to the time required between [the] publication of results and the ceremonies themselves,” wrote Professor Sue Reece, KU Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor Education. 

The postponement of the ceremonies, starting with the one that was meant to take place in January this year, has outraged us here on The River team as we will all be graduating this year:

“Our university is preventing us from having the one thing to look forward to. Clubs are set to open in June but we can’t stand with our course mates and say our goodbyes.” 

“We’re not getting anything when we were promised for two, three years that we were going to graduate in July with our class. Me coming back all the way to the UK, waiting to have this graduation, even if it was virtual… I really wasted my money, my time and energy coming back.”

“The university had to postpone January’s ceremony, which means that they are already behind with graduations. Thousands of students are waiting to celebrate the most important moment of their lives.”

“I’m not surprised that the whole ceremony is online because of Covid, but I am disappointed. I’m happy that they’ve still tried to give us something, [but] it feels like there’s no big ending to finishing our degree.”

“Students like myself and many others haven’t had much social interaction at all, so I though our graduation ceremony would make this journey worth it at the end because you get the feeling of being rewarded and celebrated.”

“I don’t see a concrete reason why we shouldn’t be celebrating this important step of our lives considering that Boris Johnson plans to ease all the restrictions by June 21st. So, technically I could go to a club but not cheer with my friends for our degrees?”

“It’s really annoying as the graduation ceremony is something all final year students look forward. It represents all the hard work done over the three years. If the Prime Minister said that the lockdown is estimated to be over by June 21st, I don’t see why we have to cancel [our] graduation which would happen in July. I hope they revisit this decision.”

Although the email states that the university is considering other alternatives where students can celebrate the end of the studies, The River believes that this is an unfair decision for those that were looking forward to having a physical ceremony this year.