As a graduating senior, this issue is personal to me, and like any of my fellow students at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), my dream was to walk across the stage on our beautiful bluff, a place that has been my second home for years. Today, I am launching a heartfelt plea to bring graduation ceremonies for undergraduates and graduates back on campus.

Toggle navigation Pew Research Center reports that more than half of the students who attend college consider graduation day to be the crowning moment of their educational journey. (Pew Research Center, 2019) For many students and their families, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that celebrates the culmination of years of hard work and determination. Therefore, the decision to withhold on-campus graduation not only deprives students of this opportunity but also jeopardizes traditions that form the core ethos of our educational institution and does align with the Jesuit Ignatian mission.

We respect the complexities of event planning amid the chaos of our ever-changing world, but we urge the university to find ways to maintain this cherished tradition. It could involve multiple smaller ceremonies, as long as it gives graduates the satisfaction of receiving their gown and cap on the grounds that have contributed significantly to their transformation.

So, my fellow LMU students, alumni, faculty, and all who care about preserving these vital rites of passage, we need YOUR support. Your signature can provide the backing to ensure our voices are heard by the university's administration. Together, we can persuade them to restore our right to graduate on the place we call our second home. Please sign this petition today.