Harding opted to allow 2020 spring, summer and fall graduates to participate in an on-ground graduation ceremony for the 2020 fall semester. The event will occur before fall graduates officially finish classes, a fact that drew a range of opinions from seniors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The University announced the news via email earlier this semester. Only graduates and faculty are allowed to attend the ceremony, scheduled for Nov. 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senior Shelby Brehm, an accounting major, said graduating before finishing classes is not a bother and that she would feel the same about her classes regardless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a little bit funny because we won\u2019t be done,\u201d Brehm said. \u201cAfter Thanksgiving Break, I just have a couple of projects and tests, so it\u2019s not, like, that big of a deal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Students like senior Daniela Cuellar, a journalism major, have different feelings towards graduation and have decided not to walk at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI felt like doing the ceremony beforehand would mess with my mind and make me think I\u2019m done when I\u2019m not,\u201d Cuellar, who is studying remotely, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some seniors who will participate in the ceremony also feel the danger of having a false sense of completion after walking across the stage. Senior Isaac Davis, a Bible and preaching major, said he wanted to partake in the ceremony to obtain graduation pictures for his mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is very conflicting because I am already aware that I will struggle to still be present in my classes having gone through the ceremony because the ceremony is known for concluding or ending our experience,\u201d Davis said. \u201c[Knowing] I am going to get to celebrate that I am graduating and then right after that \u2026 I\u2019ll probably be working on a project or preparing for a presentation or studying for a test.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senior general studies major Reid Pace said, though his classes are starting to wind down, he also will probably struggle to retain his focus after graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c[Graduating before classes conclude] is kind of weird though, but with the circumstances we got going on right now, it does make some sense because we go home for so long,\u201d Pace said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite various opinions, many seniors appreciate that Harding is giving them the opportunity to experience walking across the stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think it was really sweet of Harding to make it a big deal for us to walk across the stage because I know that they didn\u2019t have to do that,\u201d Brehm said. \u201cI am grateful that I\u2019ll still get to walk, even though it\u2019s going to look a little different.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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