Education

Strolling graduates manhandled at commencement

Bob CollinsBob Collins May 7, 2018
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There aren’t a lot of debates that have lasted longer than behavior at commencement exercises. It’s that time of year.

Typically, the controversies surround parents and friends who refuse to sit and be quiet when the name of their graduate is announced.

Today, it’s the “stroll”, the celebratory dance that some members of sororities and fraternities do on their way across the stage.

An on-stage usher literally manhandled any students who celebrated as they stepped on stage at the University of Florida commencement.

“Both of my friends wanted to celebrate by strolling, which is a cultural tradition in historically black fraternities and sororities,” 22-year-old Christopher Garcia-Wilde, a microbiology major, told the Gainesville Sun. ”…. It’s a tradition to stroll at graduation if you choose to, and people have been doing this for years.”

“The university just regrets that the acts of those who were monitoring the lineup could dampen the spirits of the day,” said a university spokeswoman.

“We very much believe that this was a time for celebration,” she said. “So the university just regrets that the acts of those who were monitoring the lineup could dampen the spirits of the day. That’s not at all what commencement is about — it’s about celebration.”