Four years to the big day: Graduation on a Tuesday

For the first time in over 10 years, Washington State University Vancouver’s graduation commencement ceremony will not be held on its traditional Saturday date. Instead, the event will occur on Tuesday, May 12 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to accommodate the schedule of new university President Elizabeth Cantwell. The venue is yet to be announced.

The shift already concerns some students, worried that a Tuesday evening ceremony may prove difficult for their families to attend, especially those that work or live out of town. WSU Vancouver spokesperson Brenda Alling acknowledged the challenge but emphasized that no date is perfect for all.

President Cantwell could not be reached for comment.

“WSU System President Elizabeth Cantwell wants to attend every single commencement ceremony for every single WSU campus,” Alling said. “So in order to accommodate each one of these six campuses and to accommodate her travel, we all have to have our commencements on a different day.”

Ceremony dates have listed Pullman’s ceremony to happen on Saturday, May 9. Spokane’s is potentially on Friday, May 8. Tri-Cities’ will be held Sunday, May 10, and Vancouver’s on Tuesday May 12.

Alling argued a midweek ceremony would be the equivalent of a weekend event.

“When you hold the ceremony on a Saturday, you’ve got students who have to work, you’ve got parents who have to work, you’ve got family members and friends who have to work,” she said. “Same thing’s going to happen on a Tuesday.”

Faculty scheduling also plays a role here, as to why the ceremony cannot simply be pushed to another weekend date.

“Faculty will go off contract, so we need to do this before our faculty leave,” Alling said. “We want all of our faculty to be able to be at commencement.”