Dear Fellow Gryphons,

Blood, Sweat, Tears, and Thousands of Dollars. 

That’s how I will summarize my university experience at my graduation, and I think this would ring true for most of us. Graduation is a momentous occasion for all of us. Years of schooling, hundreds of assignments, and the countless times we avoided the “Grade Updated” notification from Pulse, all leading up to the one moment when our degree is conferred onto us. The Convocation Ceremony, formally, marks the completion of our degrees and celebrates a culmination point in our academic journey. The Degree Certificate is awarded to you as a tangible testament to the successful completion of your academic program.

This petition calls for a rather obvious update to the format of the Degree Certificate awarded to us. As it currently stands, the UoG Degree Certificate only mentions the name of your degree program (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Applied Sciences, etc.) and if you graduated with Honours.

As you can see, the Degree Certificate does very little to provide any specific information about our specializations. They do not mention your Major, Minor, or Higher Academic Standing like Distinction (CGPA of 80% or higher) if applicable. This can be problematic if you are graduating from a degree program offering multiple majors. For instance, students graduating with an undergraduate degree in English, Geography, Psychology, and Mathematical Economics would all receive an identical Bachelor of Arts Degree Certificate even though all four majors drastically differ in terms of the student’s academic education.

When comparing UoG’s Degree Certificate to ones awarded by other Ontario Universities like the University of Waterloo, Western University, and Wilfred Laurier University, the problem becomes more apparent. All of these universities mention their student’s Major, Minor, and Academic Standing (both Honours & Distinction levels). Our current Degree Certificates at the University of Guelph lack this depth and personalization.

Let's urge the University of Guelph Administration to make this necessary update so that every Gryphon's academic journey can be accurately reflected on their degree certificate! Sign this petition today!

Proposed updates to the UoG Degree Certificate include:  

• Mention of Student’s Major or Majors
• Mention of Student’s Minor or Minors
• Mention of Student’s Academic Standing (Distinction)

Note: This petition intends that the proposed or improved UoG Degree Certificate will be offered as the default option to students. 

Illustrative Example for Consideration: A student graduating with a BA Honours with distinction, with a major in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience. 

Have more questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me!

Your Bestie,

Prathamesh S. Chalke (any pronouns)         

Email: pchalk01@uoguelph.ca