Not only have final year students lost months of valuable face to face teaching, the last months of their university experience, and are now in danger of losing their last chance to celebrate their accomplishments as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.

Lots of universities are in the process of rescheduling Graduation ceremonies for late 2020. Final year students at the University of East London however, have been told they  will be offered "some form of virtual ceremony on July dates 15th and 16th".

We understand the necessity of postponing our graduation ceremony, however, we feel every University student who has paid their fees and worked hard deserves a Graduation ceremony. We want to celebrate our successes with our family and friends, especially because the last few months of our final year didn't go to plan. This is the day that many students dream about since day 1 of going to university and to be stripped of what we earned and what we have paid for would be a complete disservice to the many thousands of students graduating. A graduation is a right of passage that all university students no matter what deserves and we feel as though this should be upheld. Not only is the graduation a time for celebration but a time for goodbyes and a time to give thanks of the incredible work many of our tutors and professors have done over the past 3 years. 

This petition asks for the Vice-Chancellor Amanda Broderick to guarantee us a Graduation ceremony- we've worked too hard for our degrees to be given to us over a virtual ceremony without further form of celebration of accomplishment.