For the previous 4 years, Shontay Newsome has waited for the day she may stroll throughout the stage and obtain her faculty diploma from Prairie View A&M College. She rose early on commencement day, Might 13, headed to PV, and encountered what she calls the worst expertise of her life.
“I can’t even start to clarify how PV dropped the ball and ruined this second for myself, together with the opposite graduates,” Newsome mentioned. “A second that all of us labored so onerous for, a second that our household and family members traveled from totally different cities and states to have fun, a second that was speculated to be so particular, a second that we will NEVER get again…was completely ruined by PV’s poor decision-making because of the climate.”
The forecast had referred to as for inclement climate. PV officers, nonetheless, deliberate to maneuver ahead with the skin ceremony anyway. However then, early Saturday morning, they made the choice to maneuver the occasion contained in the Child Dome, which solely holds a fraction of the company.
The pounding rain exacerbated parking, and households discovered themselves motionless in site visitors for hours, with little to no parking administration.
“The police directing site visitors did a horrible job, on high of being extraordinarily impolite. Visitors was so backed up from households looking for parking for the commencement. It made me THREE HOURS late to my very own commencement. I headed out to the commencement at 6:30a.m. from Katy and I didn’t even arrive on campus till 10a.m. Unbelievable,” Newsome mentioned.
Households, lots of whom had traveled from out of city, had been in tears as they had been compelled to look at the commencement by way of reside stream on their cell telephones within the automobile, as they waited in site visitors. Lots of people who did make it via, together with the aged, had been compelled to face outdoors of the Child Dome within the pouring rain after officers stopped permitting individuals in due to fireplace code points.
“That is completely, positively the worst expertise for these graduates. How dare Prairie View A&M College permit this to occur?” mentioned dad or mum Kimberly Belton-Smith. “Frequent sense says DO NOT PLAN to have the graduation ceremony outdoors. Cease being so low-cost and pay for a venue that may accommodate all graduates and company. Individuals are actually standing outdoors within the pouring rain AND lightning. To see these younger individuals of their good apparel and footwear in hand, working within the rain, is simply terrible. Unhappy…unhappy…unhappy. And STOP attempting to make use of the darn mini dome. The title is MINI so it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine that it WILL NOT accommodate the graduates.”
Graduates had been heartbroken as many say they weren’t acknowledged by the administration, names had been randomly referred to as and lots of missed the occasion altogether.
“This commencement was completely unacceptable. My baby, together with different graduates, labored extraordinarily onerous and didn’t get an opportunity to stroll throughout the stage. I’m completely disenchanted in how PV dealt with this entire inclement climate problem. Six tickets had been issued out to every graduate on Friday IF the climate was dangerous and never one ticket was used. Additionally we sat in site visitors for two.5 hrs for my daughter to nonetheless MISS her commencement. One thing must be accomplished for the graduates that missed their commencement. SO, SO SAD,” mentioned Dana Dockery, whose daughter Khyllia Barnes graduated with a Grasp of Science Accounting diploma.
Graduates and relations say they’ve acquired no apology or communication from the college. The Defender reached out to PVAMU officers however as of press time, had not acquired a remark again.
Let the Individuals Be Heard …
Extra individuals weigh in on the commencement fiasco
“It was ridiculous. I didn’t get to make it in to see my baby stroll. We made one of the best of it and moved on. I simply hope for the long run it’s higher deliberate out. I wouldn’t need the subsequent graduating class or their dad and mom to expertise what we did. I’m simply glad it’s over.”
Dionne Furgerson
“Completely HORRIBLE expertise and the WORST commencement I’ve ever attended!!!!!!”
Chris Parrish
They didn’t plan accordingly, particularly for the climate. It took my good friend two hours to get onto the campus. There have been no site visitors cops. They determined after it was storming to maneuver the ceremony into the Child Dome after it was speculated to be on the sphere. Dome wasn’t sufficiently big so had overflow within the Rec Heart. Looks like they didn’t put collectively a foul climate contingency plan or both it wasn’t a superb one. Feelings had been excessive. They referred to as out the names not by faculty however by nonetheless you lined up so you could have missed your pupil’s title in the event you weren’t listening. It was an entire mess!
S. Lynn Scott
I feel it was a good suggestion that they postponed the beginning time as a result of site visitors was horrible and it was raining badly. Individuals wanted time to lastly make it on campus, park, after which stroll lengthy distances to the place the commencement passed off. I virtually didn’t get in as a result of they stopped permitting individuals to enter the dome at one level because of the fireplace code. I ended up within the overflow room in a second fitness center, the place we may solely see the ceremony however not hear it for a number of minutes on account of technical difficulties. We missed the start and all of Dr. Simmons’ speech. Nonetheless, all the pieces was up and working by the point the graduates had been referred to as to obtain their levels. The graduates weren’t in alphabetical order, so it was onerous to know when to search for whoever you had been there to help. Fortunately, the graduates had playing cards, with their data on them. They handed them to the announcer as they randomly approached the stage. How a few of the students acted as they walked throughout the stage is a narrative by itself. A few of them (primarily Greeks) turned what ought to have been a dignified ceremony right into a sideshow. They stomped, danced and twerked throughout the stage to obtain their levels. Some did entire routines and got here out of stoles, cords, and caps. One younger girl even bent over in entrance of the president of PV’s face and twerked. It was shameful. No decorum in any way! I used to be very shocked that the college allowed this sort of habits on the graduation. I assume it was onerous to accommodate the group on the within as a result of the restricted variety of tickets per graduate rule was not enforced and there have been greater than 900 graduates. The place was busting on the seams with individuals. I can’t think about if I used to be a dad or mum of one of many graduates however couldn’t get in. I’d’ve been furious.
Noelle Inexperienced-Anderson
Arrival time given by my goddaughter was 6:45a.m. to make sure good parking and for 7:30a.m. gate to open, for 8a.m. ceremony… The monsoon in Waller had different plans! Stood within the line outdoors the stadium for an hour within the rain, gates opened for everybody to face beneath the bleachers in rain!! Then, I obtained a name from my goddaughter’s mom to observe the graduates to the Child Dome to attend inside for an additional hour and a few change for now a late begin…10a.m. So we’re now two hours not on time, graduates nonetheless graduated however in random order and with dad and mom/family members in overflow areas watching a display, sadly. It was unlucky there was an absence of a climate contingency plan, however they pivoted one of the best they may, I assume. However I’ve by no means seen a conveyor belt of graduates earlier than.
Ayanna Hill
I watched it on-line additionally undoubtedly not the identical. We’ll by no means get that second again. It ought to have been a greater plan in place.
Veronica Alexander
Congratulations to PVAMU graduates! Despite the climate, have fun this accomplishment. It’s unhappy that PV has been one of the best till now and oldsters wish to bash the varsity! You are taking it to a spot that then causes everybody to pay for parking, then that turns into a difficulty! All issues work out the way it’s speculated to, so preserve being that nice establishment that so many have youngsters and relations which have attended.
William Clark
I’m PV Alumni – Class of 95 and I’m unhappy to say that also in 2023 PV has dropped the ball. Parking is already horrible right here, but there have been loads of areas within the previous Hobart Taylor parking zone, however you wouldn’t permit individuals to drive right down to. My sister had my aged father within the automobile together with her to see his granddaughter graduate and actually simply wished to let him out nearer but you made them park method up throughout the road on the elementary/center faculty and stroll within the rain, getting soaked. Disgrace on you PV. Ashamed to say I’m Alumni right here. Right here we’re virtually 30 years later and nonetheless dropping the ball. We’ve to do higher, level clean interval.
Teresa Jernigan Jones
For what they, PV, needed to work with, I feel it went off in addition to may’ve been for the circumstances. I’ll ship my letter on June 1, when the brand new president begins BUT please submit your letter & the dad and mom letters to administration with date and time stamp in right here as soon as despatched. Then we will proceed this dialog… nothing will get mounted on social media.
Donna Gee
