On behalf of the graduate students of Belmont University's eight Graduate & Professional Programs, we, the students of these respective colleges, issue a joint statement requesting that the Belmont University administration allow each individual college to host a private hooding ceremony to commemorate the extraordinary work we have put in during our time at Belmont. 

Belmont University has announced that Graduate students from the Jack C. Massey College of Business, the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, the School of Education, the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, the College of Music and Performing Arts, the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences and Nursing, the College of Law, and the College of Pharmacy will all be hosted at a singular ceremony on April 22, 2021. As this is a joint ceremony with eight different programs, students may only bring two guests to the ceremony due to limited seating and health and safety protocols.

Gaining a Master's or Doctoral degree is no easy task, especially amidst a global pandemic. Yet, Belmont graduate students triumphed during this challenging time, maintaining studies and exceeding expectations. Many students have also had to take care of their families, maintain a steady income, and prepare for what life will look like upon graduation. Hooding ceremonies are time-honored traditions reserved exclusively for graduate students. Being hooded by a respected professor or colleague is an honor and a tradition worthy of being upheld.

Moreover, the accomplishment of earning a graduate degree is an honor that deserves to be shared with the people who helped us get to this point. Our spouses, partners, parents, and children deserve to take part in the public celebration of our time at Belmont, because they have all shared in the sacrifices we have made over the years in working towards a graduate degree. If each graduate program is allowed to host an individual hooding ceremony, the social distancing guidelines will allow our families to attend and participate in a ceremony that recognizes our accomplishments and the support that made those accomplishments possible. 

We ask that Belmont University follow the example of the University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University, and countless graduate schools across the country, and allow each graduate program to host a private hooding ceremony to commemorate its Belmont Graduate students' incredible achievements.