UPDATED PETITION ANNOUNCEMENT for Lower SFSU Biology Department Graduation Ticket Cost
To whom it may concern,
As part of the Biology Department, we pride ourselves with the diversity and economic inclusion that comes with being SF State students. We acknowledge that the cost for the graduation ceremony is necessary; however, we acknowledge that there are many students within the department who are low income, experiencing economic hardships or are food insecure; many of which are first generation college students. It would be wrong to deny them the participation of graduation because of the economic status. We believe that charging the students $22 per ticket is excessive especially since it will be held in the Cox Stadium. The Biology Department is charging its students almost twice as much compared to other departments in SFSU. For example, the Health Education Department is charging their students $8 per ticket, the Engineering Department $10 or the Physics Department with no additional charge for the ceremony. We humbly ask for the graduation fee to be lowered to $10 per ticket. In doing so, this will ensure that our community will be present as an inclusive environment, disregarding economic status and financial burden to the students and their loved ones.
Thank you,
Students from the Biology Department
UPDATED PETITION ANNOUNCEMENT:
After talking to the Chair of the Biology Department about the pricing and budget cost regarding the ceremony, the petition was not able to get approved due to the cost of the event. The breakdown of the cost is as follows:
Chairs and Stage $14,000 (note that chairs were required as the bleachers are not up to code and risk management would not let us use the bleachers)
Porta Potties $1500
Sound $4300
Trash services $700
Police $2200
Water Stations + pastries $3800
Pay for helpers $2000
DPRC shuttle $200
Printing programs $1700
Cords $1200
Balloons $600
Stadium rental $200
TOTAL $32400
$32,400 divided by 1600 guests = $20.25 per person. They are charging $22 just to make sure that they break even if fewer guests show up (or if there are unanticipated costs).
We thank you for your support and time each of you took to relay this petition to a friend or classmate.
Updates
May 12, 2019
We hit 250 signatures and the Biology Department chair still thinks they can ignore us. Charging students double what other departments pay is nothing more than greed and we are not backing down until those ticket prices drop.
Reached 250 supporters
May 12, 2019
May 7, 2019
We hit 100 signatures today because the Biology Department refuses to acknowledge that these predatory ticket prices are pricing students out of their own graduation. The administration thinks they can ignore us behind closed doors but these numbers prove they are dead wrong.
Reached 100 supporters
May 7, 2019
May 5, 2019
The Biology Department brass thinks they can ignore us just because they hit a wall with their excuses. We are heading toward one hundred signatures and we need to shove this number in their faces until they stop price-gouging our families.
46 Comments
Prices are too damn high, we already spent a lot of money on grad apps and gowns, now tickets as well, I won’t be able to have all my family members there with me in my special day
I’m at cox stadium all the time and it’s Not worth $22! Biology students already have it the worst, GIVE US A BREAK !
The students who have already bought tickets should get refunded the difference!
Please reduce or eliminate the fee for graduation tickets that families and students have to pay for after all the years of tuition and school related expenses the graduation ceremony shouldn't be another way to collect revenue!
There’s no reason the be charged this much for tickets for a venue that is on campus. We can literally walk onto Cox Field right now for free of charge cause we pay tuition to access spaces on campus.
If it’s gonna be at cox stadium it should be lower.
This is way too expensive
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UPDATED PETITION ANNOUNCEMENT for Lower SFSU Biology Department Graduation Ticket Cost
To whom it may concern,
As part of the Biology Department, we pride ourselves with the diversity and economic inclusion that comes with being SF State students. We acknowledge that the cost for the graduation ceremony is necessary; however, we acknowledge that there are many students within the department who are low income, experiencing economic hardships or are food insecure; many of which are first generation college students. It would be wrong to deny them the participation of graduation because of the economic status. We believe that charging the students $22 per ticket is excessive especially since it will be held in the Cox Stadium. The Biology Department is charging its students almost twice as much compared to other departments in SFSU. For example, the Health Education Department is charging their students $8 per ticket, the Engineering Department $10 or the Physics Department with no additional charge for the ceremony. We humbly ask for the graduation fee to be lowered to $10 per ticket. In doing so, this will ensure that our community will be present as an inclusive environment, disregarding economic status and financial burden to the students and their loved ones.
Thank you,
Students from the Biology Department
UPDATED PETITION ANNOUNCEMENT:
After talking to the Chair of the Biology Department about the pricing and budget cost regarding the ceremony, the petition was not able to get approved due to the cost of the event. The breakdown of the cost is as follows:
Chairs and Stage $14,000 (note that chairs were required as the bleachers are not up to code and risk management would not let us use the bleachers)
Porta Potties $1500
Sound $4300
Trash services $700
Police $2200
Water Stations + pastries $3800
Pay for helpers $2000
DPRC shuttle $200
Printing programs $1700
Cords $1200
Balloons $600
Stadium rental $200
TOTAL $32400
$32,400 divided by 1600 guests = $20.25 per person. They are charging $22 just to make sure that they break even if fewer guests show up (or if there are unanticipated costs).
We thank you for your support and time each of you took to relay this petition to a friend or classmate.
Updates
May 12, 2019
We hit 250 signatures and the Biology Department chair still thinks they can ignore us. Charging students double what other departments pay is nothing more than greed and we are not backing down until those ticket prices drop.
Reached 250 supporters
May 12, 2019
May 7, 2019
We hit 100 signatures today because the Biology Department refuses to acknowledge that these predatory ticket prices are pricing students out of their own graduation. The administration thinks they can ignore us behind closed doors but these numbers prove they are dead wrong.
Reached 100 supporters
May 7, 2019
May 5, 2019
The Biology Department brass thinks they can ignore us just because they hit a wall with their excuses. We are heading toward one hundred signatures and we need to shove this number in their faces until they stop price-gouging our families.
46 Comments
$22 is too much for a ceremony on our soccer field. If there is a cap at 1800 then the department is earning 40,000. There is no way that the stage and chair setups are costing $40000.
Prices are too damn high, we already spent a lot of money on grad apps and gowns, now tickets as well, I won’t be able to have all my family members there with me in my special day
I’m at cox stadium all the time and it’s Not worth $22! Biology students already have it the worst, GIVE US A BREAK !
The students who have already bought tickets should get refunded the difference!
Please reduce or eliminate the fee for graduation tickets that families and students have to pay for after all the years of tuition and school related expenses the graduation ceremony shouldn't be another way to collect revenue!
There’s no reason the be charged this much for tickets for a venue that is on campus. We can literally walk onto Cox Field right now for free of charge cause we pay tuition to access spaces on campus.
If it’s gonna be at cox stadium it should be lower.
This is way too expensive
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$22 is too much for a ceremony on our soccer field. If there is a cap at 1800 then the department is earning 40,000. There is no way that the stage and chair setups are costing $40000.