Education students plan presentation in opposition of commencement changes

McClain Baxley

In response to the commencement changes, junior students in the College of Education will hold a presentation and deliver a letter to President Kyle Marrero highlighting their concerns with the changes.

The changes were announced in January with graduation being split into both college-specific ceremonies and a university-wide graduation. The College of Education as well as the Waters College of Health Professions and the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health are scheduled to have their commencement in Savannah.

Kurtis Archer, junior education major and one of the leaders of the presentation, was assigned a final project to work on an education-related issue, and wanted to make it about more than just a grade.

“We want anyone that can come to come,” Archer said. “It’s our final project, but it’s important thing for the university.”

Archer and his group hope that the administration and members of the Student Government Association come to the presentation on May 6 to hear the concerns of the students.

“We were trying to figure out a way to tell the administration to say ‘look we’re feeling neglected by you because we’ve been here,’” Archer said. “This has been our school and now you’re telling us we have to graduate over there.”

Earlier this month, Marrero affirmed there would be no changes to the plans announced in January, but that assessment and student reaction would be taken into consideration for future graduations.

“They have worked hard administratively to come up with an ideal from the very big university that could work in consolidation,” Marrero said. “I know we’ll do what we do with everything in higher education and we’re going to assess it.”

The presentation is open to the public and set to take place in the Education Building room 1120 on May 6 at 12:30 p.m.

The letter being sent to Marrero can be viewed below.

McClain Baxley, The George-Anne Daily Managing Editor, gadaily@georgiasouthern.edu