5 Students Denied Diplomas After Being Cheered At Graduation

[bowieluva]

So because these kids have friends and family that act like assholes, they have to do community service?  Wow.  That's retarded.  Sounds like someone just didn't want to pay the janitor overtime to stay and clean up after the ceremony.

[Nancy Drew]

I just attended my ex-boyfriend's college graduation a couple weeks ago, and sometimes the applause was downright rude. It would carry over until the next name was called so you didn't even know whose name they were calling. To me, that's disrespectful. The audience had been warned not to be disruptive. However, I wonder if they were really told, "Don't be disruptive or the graduate in question won't get his diploma." I doubt it. I think there were better ways of dealing with it, like removing the offenders from the ceremony. I'm an advocate of high schoolers performing community service, but now they're going to equate it with a punishment- for something they didn't even do in the first place.

[Wildgem]

[quote author=tara12sk link=topic=7893.msg399834#msg399834 date=1181138304]
I just attended my ex-boyfriend's college graduation a couple weeks ago, and sometimes the applause was downright rude. It would carry over until the next name was called so you didn't even know whose name they were calling. To me, that's disrespectful. The audience had been warned not to be disruptive. However, I wonder if they were really told, "Don't be disruptive or the graduate in question won't get his diploma." I doubt it. I think there were better ways of dealing with it, like removing the offenders from the ceremony. I'm an advocate of high schoolers performing community service, but now they're going to equate it with a punishment- for something they didn't even do in the first place.
[/quote]

Even if they were told I don't see how the kids should be punished. I don't have a problem with community service either. I think they should do it all through school.

[Nancy Drew]

[quote author=Wildgem link=topic=7893.msg399846#msg399846 date=1181139069]
Even if they were told I don't see how the kids should be punished. I don't have a problem with community service either. I think they should do it all through school.
[/quote]Yeah, exactly. I'm saying the only reason I could see it at all is if they had stated it at the beginning of the ceremony. Then I could see them being like shit, we hadn't thought that we were really going to enforce this...we'd better do it. As of right now, I think this is ridiculous. Way to dissuade kids from community service. It's not like it's important or anything.

[bowieluva]

At my high school graduation (didn't bother with college, didn't care) the Armenian kids' families had air whistles and all sorts of annoying, loud shit, and they were horribly obnoxious, but graduation is a celebration and it really didn't matter.  All that mattered was that more people applauded me than the two girls I hated and my principal was drunk anyways, and did a twenty minute long speech about Kobe Bryant.

I stand by my position that your family may be a bunch of horses' asses but A) the kids can't control that and B) it's fun, they're happy, what's the problem?  It's not a funeral, for fuck's sake.  Let 'em lead The Wave or whatever.  As long as they aren't booing other kids or something.

Here's where everyone who didn't grow up in L.A asks what an Armenian is.  Let me tell you....they're not quite a mop, and they're not quite a puppet, but man...hooh..so to answer your question, I don't know.

[Sheilamadrie]

[quote author=Mr. Formaldehyde link=topic=7893.msg399683#msg399683 date=1181116296]
umm, yeaaah....I, along with everyone else at my high school, had to do a certain amount of community service in order to get our diplomas. It wasn't a problem b/c I did that every summer anyway, but just sayin'.
[/quote]


So I did volunteer work and still do...but these kids already did the work...they should of recieved the paper..lol just sayin.

[SuzySteamboat]

Punishing the students for others' behavior?  Makes about as much sense as punishing Janet Jackson for Justin Timberlake ripping off her bra.  God bless America, folks.

[bowieluva]

[quote author=SuzySteamboat link=topic=7893.msg400295#msg400295 date=1181157580]
Punishing the students for others' behavior?  Makes about as much sense as punishing Janet Jackson for Justin Timberlake ripping off her bra.  God bless America, folks.
[/quote]

It was clearly her fault.  She was the one with those accursed, filthy titties. 

[hunibuni]

[quote author=andyniz link=topic=7893.msg397846#msg397846 date=1181047207]
They DID graduate, they just don't get the actual piece of PAPER to hang on their wall, throw in a drawer, make a paper airplane out of etc.

"It was like one of the worst days of my life," said Gayles, who had a 3.4 grade-point average and officially graduated, but does not have the keepsake diploma to hang on her wall.


http://www.wnbc.com/news/13434122/detail.html
[/quote]

Most states will send you a copy of your high school diploma.

[bowieluva]

[quote author=hunibuni link=topic=7893.msg400579#msg400579 date=1181164248]
Most states will send you a copy of your high school diploma.
[/quote]

Which you can make into a neat hat or paper airplane since it's just a piece of paper.

[hunibuni]

[quote author=bowieluva link=topic=7893.msg400584#msg400584 date=1181164341]
Which you can make into a neat hat or paper airplane since it's just a piece of paper.
[/quote]

My point was, as unfair as this was to the graduates. All is not lost. They can order one from the state of residence.

Perhaps to you it is just a piece of paper, but, obviously to these kids, it was far more important to them.

[pitluvr4ever]

I never realized this was such a huge problem. I think it would be weird to be at a graduation ceremony where there was no cheering at all. I didn't attend the classiest high school and we didn't have this problem at all. I do think that rude overly loud guests should be removed but to punish the graduates is asinine!

As far as the diploma goes, maybe they can keep them from the students for now but they will have to give them copies eventually. But really, it's just a piece of paper. I have never even seen mine since I still own their library books.

[bowieluva]

[quote author=hunibuni link=topic=7893.msg400593#msg400593 date=1181164888]
My point was, as unfair as this was to the graduates. All is not lost. They can order one from the state of residence.

Perhaps to you it is just a piece of paper, but, obviously to these kids, it was far more important to them.

[/quote]

I don't know if it's so much the actual diploma as much as the principal of the thing.  No pun intended. 

[death roe]

[quote author=bowieluva link=topic=7893.msg400597#msg400597 date=1181165065]
I don't know if it's so much the actual diploma as much as the principal of the thing.  No pun intended. 
[/quote]

I agree, it is the principle of the matter. I think that the people who signed the contractual agreements should maybe be the ones to do the community service, not the students who were cheered for while being recognized. Obviously if the students were walking they weren't in the audience yelling.

Even at college graduations people hoot and holler, but it is rude when they keep it going too long. At my daughters college graduation, one family was extremely vocal and did the fist pump or raise the roof? thing and all that. It was fun and everyone just chuckled and felt a bit for the girl! Though they did liven up the ceremony and helped other families loosen up a bit. So I figured, who cares...let em celebrate!

Maybe she was the first one in their family to graduate from college or maybe she had struggled to reach her achievements or whatever, they were proud and it showed. No reason to reprimand someone for showing their pride, within reason.

Ironic to this discussion, she was a black gal. With lots of family, she brought her Mom and Pop, Uncle Deion, Auntie Dionndria and Shorty Tim, Uncle Ray Ray, Auntie Sholanda and Topeka, Grandma Laqueta and Paw paw Edwidge

Next point...I thought they had made laws to prevent schools from using money owed or graduation antics to withhold diplomas from students.

[deeply shaded]

This isn't far from me, although I hadn't heard about it. I think I'd tell them to stick the diploma in their ass and kiss mine, but I can see why they're upset, too.

My daughter just "graduated" 8th grade and they threatened to withhold her report card because she owed a DIME for a phone call. She said she never made any long distance calls so I told her to get proof it was her. She just went ahead and paid them the lousy dime, but I was trying to get the point across that you don't just hand over money to someone because they say so. Anyway, as far as withholding her report card, I said WTF cares? It's paper, means nothing. Same with the diploma. 

[death roe]

[quote author=deeply shaded link=topic=7893.msg412971#msg412971 date=1181865354]
This isn't far from me, although I hadn't heard about it. I think I'd tell them to stick the diploma in their ass and kiss mine, but I can see why they're upset, too.

My daughter just "graduated" 8th grade and they threatened to withhold her report card because she owed a DIME for a phone call. She said she never made any long distance calls so I told her to get proof it was her. She just went ahead and paid them the lousy dime, but I was trying to get the point across that you don't just hand over money to someone because they say so. Anyway, as far as withholding her report card, I said WTF cares? It's paper, means nothing. Same with the diploma. 
[/quote]

I can see your daughter just paying it, but I can also see trying to show the point as well. It seems that even if a student completes all the requirements for their credit(s), there are some adults who will manipulate or even attempt to coerce kids to conform to their every demand (often with the intent to protect the schools image or even to make a teacher look better or more effective).

I think this may be indicative of the increase of people not knowing or understanding the difference between doing something because it is the right thing to do versus doing something because you get something in return and satisfy an attempt to get their way or what they want.

This brings up all sorts of moral issues in my mind. What are all these school situations that are happening affecting the students? What message does the student get when someones civil rights are violated? Is it really right to violate a students civil rights so the schools or teachers have them conform to their expectations? Are we teaching them it doesn't matter how you get the end result, just so as you get the results you want?