Dear Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine Administration,

The current graduation hooding policy at WMed restricts students to selecting a personal hooder with an MD, DO or MBBS degree. While this may seem equitable on its face, in practice, the policy perpetuates systemic inequities rooted in medicine’s long history of exclusion based on class, race and sex.

For generations, women, racial minorities, and individuals from economically disadvantaged backgrounds were systematically excluded from the medical field. As a result, most students from traditionally excluded communities do not have family members with medical degrees. In contrast, students from generationally wealthy and disproportionately white families often have doctor parents, siblings, or spouses to hood them at graduation.

This policy creates a clear and symbolic divide during a ceremony meant to celebrate all of us equally. Families of white and wealthy students are welcomed onstage to participate in graduation—front and center—while the families of their Black, Latino, New American, and low-income classmates are relegated to merely watch from the audience—figuratively speaking, the back of the bus.

We believe this is unacceptable. Graduation should reflect the values of inclusion, equity, and community that our school claims to uphold.

We call on Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine to revise its policy and allow every student to choose a hooder meaningful to them, regardless of whether they hold a medical degree. This change ensures that all students, regardless of family background, can fully celebrate graduation with the people who supported them most.

We also reject the administration’s proposed alternative of a single designated class hooder. This proposal creates a false dichotomy and unfairly frames our demand for equity as being at odds with preserving an existing option for others. Our goal is to expand that existing privilege to everyone, not to restrict classmates’ ability to choose a loved one as their hooder.

Rituals like graduation ceremonies are not “just tradition”—they communicate to the world what we value and stand for. Does WMed want to be a trailblazer for health equity and inclusion, or will it continue reinforcing the same inequities it claims to challenge? Health equity means more than recruiting students from marginalized communities—it requires valuing their voices and experiences to drive systemic change. Revising this policy is a tangible step toward equity.

We, the undersigned, call on WMed to embrace a hooding policy that truly reflects the principles of health equity and inclusion it claims to champion.

We also invite our families and community partners to sign this petition alongside us. As vital members of the WMed community, your support amplifies our call for equity and demonstrates the far-reaching impact of this policy. If this policy affects you or your loved ones, we encourage you to share your story in the comments.