As you may have heard, The University of Sydney has decided to shift the bulk of remaining 2021 graduation ceremonies entirely online due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation within NSW.

They are once again offering a soulless mass graduation online, citing that they don't have the resources to reschedule ceremonies for a later date. How, then, do universities such as UNSW seem to find the resources to do so? This is simply not good enough.

It's no secret that the University heavily leans on the prospect of graduating at the Great Hall and within the Quadrangle as a marketing drawcard for why students should choose to give their thousands of dollars (upfront, or via HECS debt) to USYD.

Except twice now the University has shown that they don't care - if you've paid for your degree, that's all that matters. Until they can use your graduation status to boast that they rank '1st in Australia for graduate employability'. Does that include abruptly bringing countless hours or preparation and hard work to a close with a video you get to watch for an hour on your couch, informing you that you graduated?

Students from the classes of 2020 and 2021 deserve better. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity with family and friends that USYD is robbing from us. If they want to, they can make it work - particularly within a state due to re-open properly in 2022.

We propose that the University allows all graduating students the choice to opt in to later ceremonies occurring in 2022, rather than being forced to accept an online mass ceremony.

This would allow those who wish to attend a real ceremony the opportunity to do so, including students who may have been for months trapped internationally or interstate but could viably attend in 2022. If successful, this should also include 2020 students who were robbed of a ceremony.