We, the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) Undergraduate Class of 2017, petition the university to provide a larger venue for the undergraduate diploma ceremony so that AT THE VERY LEAST our immediate families can be present to witness our graduation. Graduating is a significant milestone. While the act of walking a few yards to shake a dean’s hand and receive a “piece of paper” seems unimportant, those few moments are profoundly symbolic. For the majority of us, graduating from college is the biggest accomplishment of our lives as some of us are the first to attend college in our families.

Furthermore, we have endured physical and mental stressors, health issues, and insecurities to be where we are today. Many of us had to work to pay for college and save money to pay back student loans. To have lasted four years at CWRU is no small feat and we could not have done it without the constant support (emotional and/or financial) of our families and friends. To tell them that they should travel hundreds to thousands of miles to watch us receive our diplomas from a TV screen in a separate room is utterly disrespectful.

As it stands, each student only has three guest tickets for the diploma ceremony, unless they won a ticket raffle, in which case they have four. Guests who do not have tickets can watch it televised at an alternate viewing location.

We are asking that the university "think beyond the possible" and accommodate our request, even if it means holding two ceremonies--one for the first half of the alphabet and one for the second half. The current situation would not only undermine us graduates, our supporters, and the momentous event itself, but also the respectability of this prestigious university.