University drops Brownsville graduation; officials cite cost, weather, surveys
UTRGV is combining both Brownsville and Edinburg commencements for Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, which will take place in the Bert Ogden Arena due to alumni and incoming freshman feedback and cost effectiveness, university officials say.
UTRGV President Guy Bailey said the decision was primarily based on surveys from incoming freshmen and graduates from Fall 2023 and Spring 2024.
“I don’t know that any one person came up with an idea,” Bailey said. “It was not somebody who said, ‘Yeah, let’s do this,’ but it was just really feedback from students.”
In the Fall 2023 survey, 173 out of 609 Brownsville students responded and 66% of them would have preferred to hold commencements in the Bert Ogden Arena.
In the Spring 2024 survey, 172 out of 741 Brownsville students responded and 76% of them would have preferred to hold commencements in the Bert Ogden Arena.
In the Brownsville Vaquero Roundup Fall 2024 survey, 1,249 out of 1,289 incoming freshmen students responded and 86% preferred to hold commencements in the Bert Ogden Arena.
Magdalena Hinojosa, UTRGV senior vice president for Strategic Enrollment and Student Affairs, said the reason why Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 students were not surveyed was because the university could not identify where students wanted to graduate.
“You can’t survey the Fall ’24 students because we don’t know who would have selected the Brownsville ceremony,” Hinojosa said. “We do not know who they are until they go out for RSVP and that’s why it’s important for us to survey then the students who have experienced it. … But as far as anybody who would be graduating this semester, we don’t know who would have graduated in Brownsville because we don’t make that choice.”
Bailey said other factors for the decision included comfort and safety.
“The outdoor ceremonies, we had examples of heat exhaustion or fainting,” he said. “There were just any number of issues there with health and safety.”
Bailey said the cost of an outdoor ceremony is more expensive than holding it in a venue.
“It’s very expensive to do it outdoors in Brownsville,” he said. “I think it’s probably $100,000 a year or more, more than … doing it in Bert Ogden.”
The Rider requested the commencement budget from Fiscal Year 2024 and the projection for Fiscal Year 2025. Patrick Gonzales, vice president for Marketing and Communications, provided the figures.
For FY 2024, the total cost of graduation for both campuses was $761,186.52 and the graduation fee revenue amounted to $348,356, leaving a deficit of $412,830.52.
For FY 2025, the cost of holding commencement only in Edinburg is a projected $440,943 and the fee revenue is $348,356, leaving a deficit of $92,587. Holding commencement only in Edinburg would be $320,243.52 less than the cost of holding it on each campus.
Bailey said there is not a single indoor venue option close to Brownsville big enough or time appropriate.
“First of all, the only other option … is really not a very good option in Brownsville was Jacob Brown [Auditorium],” he said. “And so it would have taken probably 10 ceremonies to get that done. … There’s no way we could do that over a graduation week.”
Bailey said the change in commencement was the best choice, especially with a lack of an arena.
“Unless there’s some change, we can do this,” he said. “Now, if Cameron County builds an arena, we’re happy to revisit it. But in the absence of an arena there that works, this looks like our only option.”
Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. said he appreciates outdoor ceremonies and that the commencement changes were disappointing but made sense.
“I understand moving it,” Treviño said. “I hope it doesn’t impact the quality of commencement. I hope they’ll take into account the number of people who want to see their kids graduate.”
He said having an arena would improve the quality of life for the Rio Grande Valley.
“I think our community, hopefully, is realizing, No. 1, that we need to have a facility, a multi-use arena facility like what we’ve been planning or contemplating and, two, if we all get behind it everyone can benefit from it,” Treviño said.
Juana Jimenez Lopez, external vice president for the Student Government Association, said the SGA had no say in the commencement decisions.
“Although the final decision was made by university administration, the SGA had no say in this,” Jimenez Lopez said. “So, the SGA is new to this information, but we’re actively listening to students’ concerns and we stand firm on advocating for students and hearing student perspectives.”
Hinojosa said she, Stephen Hirst, associate vice president for Strategic Enrollment and Student Affairs, and Ismael Amaya, dean of students, spoke to the SGA over the decision.
“This was actually not the first time that this has been brought up but, obviously, this is a different–well, a couple of the individuals are the same–but a different SGA group,” Hinojosa said. “I can vouch and tell you that we did have a conversation with them.”
Jimenez Lopez said it is reasonable to move the Brownsville commencement to Bert Ogden due to previous experiences.
“I understand the need of it being changed as weather was a main issue as we saw back in [the] 2023 Spring ceremony,” she said. “… This decision was made keeping students’ safety in mind and just addressing the uncertainty of students fearing their graduation getting canceled due to weather.”
Mass communication senior Alexia Berlanga said she was surprised by the change but agreed with the outcome.
“I think it’s better, especially because now it’s going to be in a place that has AC,” Berlanga said. “It’s going to be a closed arena. There might not be any restrictions because, now that it’s an indoor place, weather won’t be an issue, so I feel like there’s a lot of pros to this.”
She said if a vote ever came up to build an arena in Cameron County again, she would vote for it.
“I think it’d be better just so that way we can have it here in Brownsville and I think it’d be fair,” Berlanga said. “I mean, if they already have an arena in Edinburg, then they should definitely go ahead and make one here as well.”
Management senior Franca Longoria said she was annoyed with the moving of the Brownsville commencement since she considers Brownsville to be the campus she belongs on.
“I grew up in Brownsville and I’ve driven past when they’re setting up for the graduation so many times and I think it looks so pretty and I was so excited to graduate there,” Longoria said.
She said an arena here in Brownsville would provide great benefits and opportunities to the community.
“Brownsville’s growing a lot and we’re getting a lot of things with SpaceX and everything,” Longoria said. “There’s a lot of people moving here. I think it would be beneficial to get an arena because we are becoming a bigger city.”
Hinojosa said transportation will be offered to students and their guests for the upcoming commencements, and that they are still working on the details.
“What’s happening right now, is we opened RSVP and this particular RSVP allows graduating students the opportunity to tell us that they are interested in transportation from the Brownsville campus and how many [are] in their party.”
Bailey said through a faculty request, they are asking students to stay for the entire commencement ceremony.
“What we’d like to do, and I think what faculty has requested, is that students stay through the end of the ceremony,” he said. “And so we’d like for you to stay and watch your colleagues graduate.”
Bailey said the university is working its best with the resources it has on hand.
“Our goal is really to have the best experience for our students with their health and safety, for both students and family, and to our faculty as well,” he said.
–Copy editor Carlos Castañeda and photographer Raquel Cazares contributed to this story.
