— Compiled by Natalie Lapsley, Viviana Infante and Silvana Villarreal
Here we go again. Another thing Brownsville-based UTRGV students will get stripped of before graduation, a commencement near homeโa decision made without asking the Fall 2024 graduating class.
It almost feels ceremonial. A farewell where UTRGV says, โAnd donโt you forget all the times we made you come to Edinburg and all the opportunities we never gave Brownsville.โ
Whether it was academic or recreational opportunities, we were robbed time and time again.
Walking across that stage will feel like being dismissed and kicked in the butt on my way out.
Sure, they would occasionally throw Brownsville a bone to shush the crowds, like a carnival here, a soccer game there, but nothing of substance that I can remember.
I give UTRGV a big pat on the back for making sure the graduating Class of 2024 and their families do not suffer from heat-related issuesโin December.
If there was any chance to fight this, I would fight to have the option.
I liked the option of having the opportunity to bring 20 people to watch me walk across the stage.
I liked the option of having the ceremony 15 minutes away rather than one hour.
I liked the option of bringing my own car to the ceremony and not having to haul my whole family with me at 7 a.m. to a stadium; they will simply have to wait outside before being admitted inside.
If I really wanted to graduate from another city, I would have gone to the University of Texas at San Antonio.
The thing I loved about UTRGV is that Iโd get to study in my hometown near my family and friends. Iโd get to save money and time.
Instead, I lost 16 hours a week to bus ridesโtime that couldโve been spent taking care of myself or completing homework, free from motion sickness.
And when the bus schedule didnโt work with my classes, which were scheduled mere minutes apart but housed miles and miles away, I lost hundreds of dollars to gas.
Now, Iโm losing my commencement ceremony to Edinburg.
Some Brownsville students may have voiced a preference for an indoor graduationโthose students always had that choice.
Now, no one gets to choose.
Now, instead of walking that stage in a beautiful, outdoor graduation with all of my loved ones present, Iโll be forced to make yet another hour-and-a-half journey to a city that isnโt even mine.
I chose UTRGV because I love Brownsville, and I wanted to celebrate this cherished milestone in my city. Now I donโt even want to walk that stage, but I will, for my mom and for my best friend.
Honestly, I would have donned my cap and gown in the rain with a smile, but if it really has to be indoors and if no venue is big enough, what ever happened to drive-by graduations?
My college experience has been getting harder and harder, but that ceremony was a light at the end of the tunnel.
I donโt know if itโs too late to get back the moment Iโve been dreaming of for five years, but this needs to be fixed for future Brownsville graduates.
The university has had 10 years to find a solution. It should consider building a multi-use facility to house graduation in Brownsville. It should advocate for the construction of a Cameron County arena. It should explore options, such as the Texas Southmost College Jacob Brown Auditorium or the TSC Performing Arts Complex. And if no facility has the capacity, it should split the ceremonies into smaller groups.
Anywayโthanks, UTRGV, or should I say UT Edinburg, for one last kick while Iโm down.
After years of watching all the problems students had to endure, such as rats in Rusteberg Hall and an increase in the Intercollegiate Athletics Fee due to the new football and spirit programs, concerns about my graduation was another issue I never thought would cross my mind.
Now, I wonder if my dad or my older sisters will have the chance to attend my commencement since my ceremony is scheduled for a Friday morning.
I didnโt think I would have to wake up at 4 a.m. to get ready and leave my house by 6 a.m. to get to Bert Ogden Arena by (hopefully, if traffic permits) 7:30 a.m. just to meet my required arrival time for graduation.
It makes me wonder how the university has boasted about serving the Hispanic/Latino population without taking into consideration the intricacies of being a Hispanic student.
A shared consensus is how difficult it is to be a Hispanic student in higher education. Moneyโfor gas, bills and foodโand timeโfor our studies, work, family, social life and ourselvesโare two of the most important aspects of our lives. Traveling to Edinburg means we will lose one or both of these.
So, now, I stress the question that has been on my mind about UTRGV for months: Is the effort to recruit and enroll an underrepresented group just mere tokenism?
