Good Afternoon Supporters, On April 29 at 3:30 PM, 9 seniors met with Loyola Marymount University’s Provost, Dr. Joseph Hellige in his office for 90 minutes discussing all the concerns that have been raised through this petition. There was a critical message that was not conveyed to seniors for this ticketed Undergraduate Commencement. When seniors picked up their initial 10 tickets, they were apparently suppose to only take the amount they needed and leave the rest. Tickets left were going to be re-distributed as the additional tickets for seniors requesting between April 15th to 25th. The problem is that message was not communicated to students in LMU's various emails nor verbal speeches. In addition, Bria Eubanks asked the question, “What will former United States President Bill Clinton’s involvement be in commencement?” Dr. Hellige stated that Mr. Clinton will simply be giving the commencement speech and disappearing from the stage. It prompted Ms. Eubanks to suggest that his speech be pre-recorded and he enjoy the graduation from The Hill or St. Robert’s Hall like all celebrities in the past. The suggestion was completely shutdown leading to the conclusion that Mr. Clinton’s speech is more important than graduates enjoying commencement with the family/friends/mentors/professors that helped them accomplish this milestone. The Provost and Commencement Committee are fundamentally missing that commencement is about graduating students and not speakers. It can be about the speaker if it is communicate well in advance like January/February when students apply for their degrees. I fear for future classes that feature famous families like the Jacksons. What will happen then? The Publicity of Loyola Marymount University is more imperative to the University then the students that spend an arm and leg to attend AND graduate from this institution, which has been abundantly clear through this month’s events. The saddest parts in all of this is it brought out the worst in students and only further marginalized minority communities. Some students began selling extra tickets for money at outrageous prices to their fellow students when they could have given them out of the kindness of their heart seeing as they didn’t need them. Minority communities, such as people of color, lower socio-economic, and international students, were the most effected by this ticketing event. The "villages" that raised some of the talented and brilliant seniors will not be in attendance yet made financial investments to attend Commencement. According to Dr. Hellige, they confirm the speaker days before he was announced and roll out a half-baked plan to accommodate families for one of the most important days in a graduate's life. This is not a birthday they poorly planned but a undergraduate commencement that is beyond a student walking across the stage but rather a toast to the many individuals that raised them up to reach such an honor only one third of Americans achieve. Moving forward, the LMU’s Provost and Commencement Committee will send another update on commencement Monday morning before noon as requested. To be clear, there are no more tickets beyond 10 for Sunken Garden and 5 for Screening in Lawton Plaza or Gersten Pavilion. As the last emailed stated, students are expected to distribute tickets among themselves through social media. It is expected to explain the organizational flow of Commencement with a possible apology. I would declare victory on this petition but the 5 extra tickets watching a screen is not a solution just another compromise that graduates and their supporters are enduring by decisions made by individuals unaffected by them aside from emails and phone calls. Wouldn't you love the see the Commencement Committee handing out these extra 5 tickets themselves so they can meet the very people their decisions affect?Nonetheless, this petition will stay active until graduates receive these 5 screening tickets. Thank you for your support through this difficult situation!