Graduating seniors are meant to celebrate their academic success. One of those celebrations is the UTRGV Ring Ceremony.
The event showcases these students and their dedication in front of alumni and loved ones. However, not every senior will experience this moment.
This year, the Ring Ceremony will be held April 16 at the Performing Arts Complex in Edinburg. Some seniors will not be attending because of ring prices and their dislike of the variety of ring choices.
One of these graduating seniors is Lynette Leader, a mass communication major.
“You know, like, it’s unfortunate that I will not be purchasing a ring because I really wish I could be in the ceremony,” Leader said.
She said the lowest price available for a ring is still too expensive for her.
“That’s gas money,” Leader said. “That’s rent money. So seeing that pricing, I was just, like, that sucks but I wish I could be a part of something because I have put in my work through the years.”
She said the rings do not look good on her hand.
“I already have big hands as it is,” Leader said. “[The ring] looks gigantic. It’s nothing delicate, nothing small.”
Because of the size, Leader said she would not use the ring in the future. It would not be worth the money, she said.
Students who attend the Ring Ceremony must have purchased their ring through Jostens, the ring company partnered with UTRGV. This is due to UTRGV’s contract with Jostens that requires exclusivity, meaning students may only wear Jostens rings, Letty Benavides, associate vice president for Campus Auxiliary Services said.
“By having it as a separate requirement puts a heavy burden on students who already have maybe financial difficulties,” Leader said. “Students that are on payment plans trying to pay for their classes. … So, a whole extra $500. That’s a whopping size.”
The first ring ceremony was held in 2017, after a survey was distributed to UTRGV students through Qualtrics in 2016. The survey asked students what UTRGV meant to them and what attributes of the Rio Grande Valley were dear to them. UTRGV art students then created ring designs based on the survey answers and input from the Student Government Association, Benavides said.
“It was designed by students for students,” Benavides said.
Students were able to purchase a ring from Jostens for the 2020 Ring Ceremony via Jostens’ website or on campus. The last day to purchase one was last Friday, according to the UTRGV website. To qualify for one, students had to have 75 semester credit hours.
Rings are customized by size, number of stones, type of metal and karats of gold, if chosen. As for the designs, the rings have a university seal on the top. On the side, a gonfalon from each college is depicted. Valley elements, such as palm trees, are also on the ring design. Palm trees are represented on the Presidential Medallion, linking the ring to commencement. To represent UTRGV, the ring also has arches on it. Additionally, sun rays are included to not only symbolize the Valley’s warm weather, but also to symbolize “illumination, life, and rebirth,” Benavides said.
After hearing several complaints about the ring sizes, Benavides asked Jostens to consider this matter. She encourages students to tell her what they would like to see in the rings.
However, Benavides advises against changing too many elements from past rings.
“If you change [the ring design] too much, then you’re kind of going away from the intent of having an official link [between all graduated UTRGV students],” she said.
Asked about students’ complaints of prices, Benavides said, “Different metals and different options will add or factor into the price. She said the most affordable ring would be made out of lustrium without stones or other customs.
“The design itself and just a metal, I think is beautiful, just like it is, you know, but … it’s a matter of preference,” she said.
According to the UTRGV website, the ceremony itself consists of students signing an official registry and dipping their fingers in orange ink to show Vaquero pride.
“[The ceremony is] intended to help motivate [students] to finish their academic goals, to realize their academic goals,” Benavides said.
Dean of Students Rebecca Gadson recommends students voice their opinions regarding the rings.
“I think part of it is students have specific ideas that they’d like to have incorporated,” she said. “It would be good for them to be able to compile that and be able to present that.”
For students who want more variety for the rings, Gadson recommends contacting the department that handles the contract. She said students can also “bring their concerns forward to myself, or to talk [about] the details about what they might be looking for, for resolutions, or to the Student Government Association.”
In October 2019, Leader uploaded a Facebook post asking other UTRGV students if they hate the class rings like she does. She received many comments that she wasn’t the only one. Various students expressed their dislike with the size, the design and some students felt the rings didn’t adequately represent the university nor the Valley.
After receiving this response, Leader and other students are interested in hosting their own non-affiliated ceremony.
“Nothing’s like official official, but it is the idea of [hosting a non-affiliated ceremony],” she said. “And I would think the more students that are interested in, we can grow it to, like, a larger scale type of event.”
If the event takes place, any graduating senior would be welcome to attend. Students could also take their own piece of jewelry like rings, necklaces, etc. to symbolize their dedication. It would likely happen at a hotel, with baked goods and possibly have a photographer donate their service, according to Leader.
She said she might contact UTRGV officials about whether a possible partnership with the university could be made for the student-made ceremony.
“It’d be awesome if the school would partner with us and let us host this event but I know that goes into a lot more detail because of the Ring Ceremony,” she said.
Whether or not Leader contacts UTRGV about a possible partnership, she believes this ceremony will most likely still take place.
“This [student-made ceremony] could be something that happens every semester,” Leader said.
