A Justice Site
Graduation, 2001 at CSUDH
California State University, Dominguez Hills
Created: May 25, 2000
Latest update: May 25, 2001
jeannecurran@habermas.org.
A Student's view of the scene.
I suspect it was Michael Planck who drew this. jeanne
On Transforming Discourse
At Graduation 2001
Teaching Essay by Jeanne Curran and Susan R. Takata
Copyright: Jeanne Curran and Susan R. Takata, May 2001. Fair use "encouraged."
Yesterday was graduation. And it was truly yours, students. I was so proud of you, so proud to be with you there in the forum. You were polite and attentive and fun, even when one of you leaned over and whispered: "This feels like prison." Yes, it did a little, didn't it? It was stuffy and close in the tunnels under the forum. There was no water, and we were hot! I remember how glad some of you were that your robes were lighter than mine. At least it was cooler in the forum itself.
Our Chinese Dragon, Puff, from the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum (during their exhibit on the Chinese of California,. was thrilled to share in your graduation. Cesar carried Puff into the auditorium, where you valiantly gave your "Sociology Is Best" cheer. I'm sorry. I just didn't realize that we would not be identified by discipline. Your cheer was impressive anyway! And I thank you for your spirit!
I think I agree with Cesar that some entrepreurial graduate should have figured out to sell bottled water. We certainly needed it. I had brought along a bottle in case of emergencies, but one small bottle hardly sufficed for us all. At least one of the security people showed us how to get out to a water fountain, even if it didn't offer much. This was our first year away from the campus for graduation, and we had much to learn. I was grateful for the spirit in which you behaved and the help you offered in coping with these minor crises and for your great good humor.
Once seated we discovered we were under the video screen. Undaunted, you popped up and moved into the aisles. Your energy and happiness were contagious. See all the artwork we produced. And there you were, hopping up and down with Puff and with Armond going airborne with the ball. There weren't supposed to be any balls, but I'm sure glad there were! I almost broke my neck again, craning to watch you perform on the screen. I hope they keep that in the act next year!
Alas, we discovered as the program began that we couldn't hear. Pat was sitting right behind the stage, and she said the voices were perfectly clear there. Perhaps they will be able to fix that for next year. Once again, I want to thank you for your understanding and courtesy to the platform party. The only murmur I heard from behind led me to call out to you, "Sociology, none of that!" And I was promptly answered by Armond and Tyron (at least I think that's who it was): "Jeanne, they're not in Sociology!" Thank you. I'm so glad!
I was amazed that so many of you had phones. Michael Planck and I laughed as Tina Juen called instructions to her family as to where all her friends were. Maybe I should have brought my cell phone, so I could have found Pat after the ceremonies.
As names were called, you graciously passed about your oil pastels and Graduation Memory Book for 2001 Sociology. I'll leave your graduation book with the department so you can all see it. And we have much yet to put in it. Anyone who missed taking a page can catch up later this Summer or next Fall. The painting that opens this file was amongst your contributions.
And now, for that awful moment when we all looked up to see a whole line of graduates who had just received their certificates, climbing up, apparently leaving. Again, I thank you for your manners and aplomb. I was taken aback, too. Surely, I thought, I couldn't have missed anything that important yesterday. But robed graduates did appear to be leaving. That should not have happened. We were to return to our seats, as we discussed, and I thank you for doing so, as instructed.
There seemed to be no one to lead us back to our seats, and I couldn't because of the platform arrangement. I had to stay at the foot of the steps to greet the remaining Sociology students, so you had to find your way back quite alone. Things were never quite the same after that. By that time there seemed to be some random confusion over the entire forum.
jeanne
"Is that you, Laura?"
"Yes, Lisa, the local newspapers listened in good faith!"President Lyons announced today, April 18, 2001, that the names of graduating students would be announced at the graduation cermonies. Congratulations, Lisa and Laura, and all of you who supported the good faith hearing of all validity claims. jeanne
I am pleased to thank you for turning that crisis into a wonderful graduation recovery. Many of you asked me what to do. You continued to share your Graduation 2001 book, and listened politely to my instructions that we were to march out in procession behind the platform party. As the auditorium continued to buzz and more and more graduates left their seats, you again asked me what to do. At that point there were no more "textbook" answers. I left it up to each of you, reminding you that some of our students were still approaching the platform to be recognized.
This is when peacemaking counts. Many of you graciously waited with me for the platform party to march past us. But there were very few of them. I could see red Harvard robes in the distance, and knew there were more to come, so I did not want to take you out in their midst. But the others never came. Several had passed by earlier looking for "The Exit." Finally Puff and I decided to lead you out. Figuring that the situation called for assertiveness, I ploughed assertively ahead raising Puff high so everyone could see him. But there was no way out behind the platform party who had disappeared to be replaced by a mass of graduates. Undaunted, I marched us through the nearer exit, where we picked up another Faculty Marshall. The guard peremptorily ordered us to the other side of the Forum.
Across the graduates from the other side? He insisted. But once again a phalanx of guards prevented our leaving. How on earth had all those others exited? We were ordered to climb the steps up the forum to exit. This was a procession? And we were to climb through the Forum aisles? I was carrying all our art supplies and that pitiful bottle of water. No way could I make it to the top of the stairs. Neither could the other Faculty Marshall with me. By that time I no longer had you with me as a procession. Even Puff gave up. Gee, I wish Dr. Greenwald had mentioned this during those long minutes as he harangued us in the parking lot.
I hugged Puff to me and demanded an elevator with the last breath of my assertiveness. It worked! One of the guards led us to a huge elevator. By the time I got out, I couldn't find any of you. I carried all our stuff to the car, clutching Puff for security. By the time I got to my car, my hair was wet, my pink cowboy hat was drooping, and I could barely take another step. I realized I wasn't going to be able to go searching for the reception. I climbed in my car and left, sorry to have missed you, but knowing when I've reached my limit.
About five minutes into driving, the scoliosis ceased hurting so, and I found myself smiling, remembering the afternoon. Your graduation had been truly yours. You had wanted your names called out. And we had listened to you in good faith and not allowed your voices to go unheard. Oh, it wasn't perfect. I wish we'd been able to keep all the graduates seated properly until the end. But you had all been courteous to each other in the pandemonium. And everyone had had their moment on the stage. I don't think any of you would have purposely left before the others had been called. Something just started up the confusion, and there was no one in a position to right it quickly.
Pat told me later that there were many comments from faculty that "the students had been rowdy and not behaved well at all." I want to make it perfectly clear that that was not the case at all. Something went wrong when the first robed graduates were permitted to march up and out of the forum. Clearly there were security guards to prevent that. Those same security guards prevented our marching out after the platform party. But for some reason I'm sure we will eventually be given, security didn't work with those first graduates.
I also want to emphasize that that glitch came with the very first graduates who received their certificates of participation. Students did not leave because they were impatient and rude. They left in confusion because there were no directions for this situation. I understand that to the platform party it must have looked as though the students were simply walking out. As a Faculty Marshal, I assure you that was not the case. My students behaved courteously and well. They responded politely to my instructions that they not leave. Pat told me that Vice President Castro admonished us all to sit quietly until all names were called. Apparently he did not know that many of us with the graduating party were unable to hear any of the speeches or comments. It is imperative, in the interest of good faith hearing that the Faculty and the Platform Party understand that there was major confusion as the students left the Platform. We need to hear in good faith what happened in the student seating area, so that it will not happen when they are called up to the platform next year.
jeanne
Guelph Graduating"I made it! I made it!
What do you mean, you're not calling my name?"
Have you ever noticed that just as you finally get there,
they close the door, and change the rules?"When all is said and done, we had a lot of fun. You were all so happy with the video display. Your pompoms waved, and balls bounced. It must have looked great if you had a spot from which you could see it. And I hope they got pictures of you all. Whenever there is major change, there are glitches in the program. But glitches or no, I had a wonderful time with Sociology on this happy occasion. I'm glad you raised your voices to ask that your names be called. I'm glad those voices were heard. May that be one of the most valuable lessons you learned at CSUDH. And may your graduation help solve all the glitches for future graduates.
To keep silent in the face of social injustice and to do nothing, is to be complicit in that injustice. To students who had struggled to achieve this goal of a college degree, shaking the Dean's hand and receiving their certificate from him mattered. They raised their voices to tell us what mattered. They took their civic rights and obligations seriously.
One of our students wrote in Sociology's Graduation 2001 Book:
"First in the family to graduate!
YEAH!
April Tucker"Congratulations, April!
Congratulations to all of you who raised your voices to tell us how much that meant to you.
May our voices be heard!
We'd like our names called as we receive our diplomas from a college official, please.
We've been taught that ritual is important, and we know it is for our families!And so they were!
Congratulations, Graduates of 2001! We're Proud of You!Araceli Mark's (Sociology 2001) signature quote on e-mail:
"I'd rather die fighting on my feet than live the rest of my life on my knees."
