Students react to graduation changes

Graduating students are disappointed–and happy–with the venue changes in UTRGV’s December commencement.

Maria Fernanda Vila, a graduating rehabilitation services senior, was disappointed about the change of venue from the Jacob Brown Auditorium to the Harlingen Convention Center for December’s commencement ceremony.

“It is because my family is from Mexico so we have to take more time to cross the bridge and go to Harlingen,” Vila said. “We have to take our time and I think it would be more useful to us in the Jacob Brown.”

Vila said she would like to have the graduation ceremony in the auditorium because it is closer to the university.

“Some people told me that Harlingen is a little bit more beautiful and spacious, so I hope it will be,” she said.

The Fall 2019 commencement ceremonies will now be held at the Harlingen Convention Center and the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, according to university officials.

The ceremonies at the Harlingen Convention Center will take place at various times Dec. 13, and in the Bert Ogden Arena Dec. 14. Brownsville graduating students will attend the ceremonies in Harlingen and Edinburg graduating students will attend in Edinburg. Harlingen students can choose which location they will attend.

In Spring 2019, the Brownsville ceremonies were held in the Texas Southmost College Jacob Brown Auditorium and the Edinburg ceremonies were held at the McAllen Convention Center.

Dennise Hernandez, a graduating mass communication senior from the Edinburg campus, said the change to the Bert Ogden Arena is beneficial because it is a bigger space.

“Usually, I see how people struggle to find more tickets for their family and now, I received my email and it says that there’s going to be nine per person, instead of six,” Hernandez said. “I think that’s better since we don’t have to be struggling to have, like, the most important people in our life there in a way and also I know that more people are graduating. The graduation rate is increasing little by little every semester, so eventually the university would have had to move on to a bigger place.”

She wants the commencement ceremonies to be held at the Bert Ogden Arena because of the tickets.

“I just hope that the Bert Ogden Arena works best so that way they can start a new tradition, I guess,” Hernandez said. “I hope that it’s a good thing, that it’s there to stay.”

Carolina Oviedo, a graduating mathematics senior, will attend the Harlingen ceremony and said the change is unusual, but the university is getting used to the merger, so they constantly have to move.

Oviedo said if she could choose where graduation ceremonies will be held, she would like them to be at the Student Union lawn.

Dulce Herrera, a graduating mass communication senior from the Edinburg campus, said the change to the Bert Ogden Arena is convenient.

“I think it’s a convenience since we are mostly Hispanics down here at the [Rio Grande] Valley, so we have big families and I know on the UTRGV Students page on Facebook over the years people have been asking for more tickets and stuff like that, so I think it’s a convenience for everyone,” Herrera said.

She said the spacious arena will be a benefit and thinks UTRGV should have the ceremonies there.

Aldo Gonzalez, a mathematics senior who is also graduating, said the change caught him off guard but it is OK.

“I don’t see it as a disadvantage, but I’m not gaining anything from it either, so I’m neutral about it,” Gonzalez said. “If I had to choose, disadvantage because I have to drive over there.”

He would also like the ceremonies to be held on the Student Union lawn.

Lisa Garza, a graduating communication studies senior, said the arena is a great choice.

“I’m happy they actually did, just because we’re, you know, a Latino-based population here and it gives us more opportunity to get our family to be able to attend,” Garza said. “I’m really happy about that.”

She said the McAllen Convention Center is nice, but the arena is bigger.

“We’ll see how it goes,” she said. “I’m excited to see how it’s going to go. I know this is the first time it’s going to be done. I’m sure it’s going to go really smoothly and, hopefully, with this change we’ll just keep improving from there and more people will get to enjoy the whole experience.”

In an email sent to The Rider on Tuesday, Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez said UTRGV should reconsider moving commencement to Harlingen.

“The decision to move the Brownsville portion of the graduation to another city for Fall 2019 is something that I wish UT-RGV would reconsider,” Mendez wrote in the email. “Especially in light of the continued support that the university receives from the City of Brownsville and the many thousand students that attend on a daily basis.”

In the Harlingen Convention Center, ceremonies will be as follows:

—9 a.m.: College of Liberal Arts

—noon: College of Engineering and Computer Science, College of Health Professions, Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship, School of Nursing and School of Social Work

—3 p.m.: College of Education and P-16 Integration, College of Fine Arts, College of Sciences

In the Bert Ogden Arena, ceremonies will be as follows:

—9 a.m.: Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship, College of Health Professions, School of Nursing and School of Social Work

—1 p.m.: College of Education and P-16 Integration, College of Engineering and Computer Science, and College of Science

—5 p.m.: College of Fine Arts and College of Liberal Arts

As The Rider reported on Oct. 18, the university changed the venues for this year because the auditorium and convention center were already booked, according to Patrick Gonzales, associate vice president for University Marketing & Communications and university spokesman.

“Commencements have been some of the best events that we’ve had every semester at the university, and we expect it to be just as exciting and special for our students and their guests,” Gonzales said in a phone interview Oct. 18.

Asked if the changes were permanent, he said nothing is permanent.

“We’re always going to have to be flexible with that because we’re using, you know, other facilities but the key for us is just, one, to be able to announce it with enough time so our students can inform their guests and two, to make sure that it’s not taking away from the actual ceremony,” Gonzales said. “We know that commencement is huge and no matter what, we’re always going to make sure that we’re making the best decision to make sure we’re putting out a great ceremony for these students who deserve it.”

Students who will graduate in the Bert Ogden Arena will be given nine tickets for guests and distribution of the tickets will begin at 9 a.m. Dec. 2. and end at 4 p.m. Dec. 6 in the Edinburg U Central, according to an email sent Oct. 17 by University Registrar Sofia Montes.

Those who will graduate in the Harlingen Convention Center will be given six tickets for guests and distribution for the tickets will be at the same times and days in the Brownsville U Central.

The reason Brownsville graduating students receive less tickets for guests is because of the capacity of the convention center compared to the arena.

The Rider tried to contact Edinburg Mayor Richard Molina, Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez and Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. for comment but calls have not been returned. 

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