Daughter unable to attend her graduation as no tickets left (second thread)

[mildlyfried]

My daughter cannot attend her graduation as major Uni only offers tickets on a 'first come first served' basis. We are very upset and think the Uni should have ensured there were enough ceremonies/capacity for every graduate. This is the second thread.

Plantcoc your comments are very childish. The bulk of the comments on this thread have been very supportive and constructive. The University Facebook mums (not the Uni staff) have shown their true colours on this thread (as was commented by a previous poster). Just leave it now. We don't know the outcome and the Uni may do the right thing.

Like your daughter, you don’t seem to actually read carefully and digest words

Majority was…. All her mates and housemates responded in time and get to graduate in July.

The OP’s daughter knew that the alternative would be November, knew that there was limited space and knew that it was “first come first serve” and knew the point of the deadline was only about guaranteeing guest passes.

So trounced basically

What is the “right thing”…. Squeezing in your daughter to a full hall?

putting on an extra session? She won’t be the only one.

Have you seen the line up?! Three ceremonies every day for a week!
and… would STIlL mean the dd doesn’t get to graduate with her mates who all did response early.

@Plantchoc are you always this horrible to people?

I don’t like fact that op has been scathing of this university and actually says the ceremonies will be a “flop” simply because her daughter (unlike all her mates) didn’t respond promptly to the invite.

And I do not have any children at Lancaster and infact have been to Lancaster in my life!

These ceremonies will be very special and a wonderful celebration and certainly not a “flop” because DD isn’t there

I think you misunderstood my message. I do not think the ceremonies will be a flop. I meant it will flop for all the many students on the waiting list.

You said these ceremonies will “fall flat” because the graduations haven’t been “organised properly”

The uni has already responded to you

The letter is a bland statement of facts stating she was told it was 'first come first served' and she should have applied earlier. They say it is not their fault and due to 'health and safety'. No suggestion of putting on an extra day for those on the waiting list

are you still expecting them to squeeze her in?

It sounds to me that the university needs a bigger venue.

@Plantchoc stop kicking the OP.

When this happened with my uni they didn't do any additional Ceremonies . They will just say it is what it is and that there's nothing that can be done.

which Uni Morphingirl? if you are happy to share

My daughter had an online graduation during Covid but in Ireland we were over cautious anyway. Her name and her college mates names were called out on a prerecorded video. We watched it on her phone while out for a meal to celebrate with her. They took photos outside the college in the day they were supposed to graduate and the degrees were posted out to them. They hired the caps and gowns for the photos..

and what was your response @Morphingirl ?

Oh I loved how people came together to work out work-arounds like this.

Did they enjoy @Hollyhobbi

Must have been very emotional to be watching it for you on screen during these difficult years?

Aww I’m so sad for your daughter - I’d have imagined that there would be enough space for anyone that was graduating to attend :( hope you get something sorted x

It didn't affect me as I booked my space and my tickets as soon as they became available. But I got a lot of contact from the uni asking us to give up our space if we couldn't attend so someone else could be given it .Tbh thou I was like 4 months post surgery and dealing with chronic illnesses so I only really cared about myself .

Too right!!

They have offered your daughter a chance to have a graduation ceremony.
The problem is it is not on the date she wants it.
What is the solution you want? If there is no space on the day/ time she wants should they kick someone else out?

Majority... perhaps by number of messages but not necessarily by number of distinct posters. I didn't count... did you?

Regardless of OP's daughter's specific circumstances, many of us think that it's poor form for a university not to guarantee that all students can attend a ceremony at the end of the term they finish their course. OP's daughter may not have responded promptly, but it does appear that the university won't necessarily arrange for sufficient capacity for everyone who wishes to do so.

I disagree
it was a couple of hardcore posters supporting the idea that this uni had committed some kind of heinous corruption and the vast majority was “disappointing but…” well if it was important to dd she should have read the email and done as her mates did… responded. And if the alternative of November was very unappealing… definitely responded promptly”

as long as the process was made abundantly clear to the students in the invite… then I don’t think unfair personally.

Unfair would have been hiding the alterntaice date and hiding the fact that first come first served due to limited capacity

I'm not suggesting that the result was unfair but, essentially, there were two different streams going on in those thousand messages. One small group of posters kept repeating that OPs daughter could have responded more promptly. Another small group kept repeating that it's bad that the university chooses not to provide sufficient capacity such that all students can attend a ceremony at the end of the term they finish their course, even if they respond promptly. In between those two groups talking past each other, many others acknowledged that both things can be true at the same time.