Every year in June, commencement provides graduating students, families and faculty the opportunity to celebrate and reflect on their time at Oregon State University.
However, this year, a notable fixture of past commencements will be missing. For the first time in at least a decade, the Associated Students of Oregon State University president will not be speaking live at graduation.
In an April 23 email to the ASOSU and Alumni Association presidents, Provost Roy Haggerty explained the decision as a way “to tighten the program and create the best experience for our graduates and their families and friends.”
For all future graduation ceremonies, the ASOSU president and Alumni Association president will record short videos to play on loop while graduates take their seats. Additionally, both the ASOSU and Alumni Association presidents will be removed from the platform party where the OSU administration sits.
“This will help us to further focus/shorten the live program while not missing out on these very important messages,” Haggerty said in the email.
The decision comes following a year of tension between ASOSU President Masha Mogylevsky and the OSU Administration.
In September, Mogylevsky’s running mate, Kayla Ramirez was terminated from their position as ASOSU president prior to the beginning of the school year due to changes in hiring eligibility requirements.
In addition, according to Mogylevsky, disagreement over the decision made last summer to move some parts of student fees from ASOSU to the University Budget Committee was a point of contention.
Mogylevsky said they believe the decision to discontinue the live speech is a limitation on student expression.
“I think when students are challenging the systems at this university, it has a chilling effect on their speech and the way they’re treated,” Mogylevsky said.
The new guidelines for recorded videos specify that they should be between 60 and 90 seconds and will be reviewed and approved by the provost ahead of time.
In an April 23 email to Mogylevsky, Kathleen Eng, the commencement coordinator, said that videos shown at commencement are all “upbeat and inspirational.”
Mogylevsky said they would want to deliver a message that is hopeful, but also acknowledges that it’s been a “tough year” for students on “many levels.”
“I think there is a positive message to be found in there of resilience and solidarity, but I think that cannot be an authentic message without being able to talk about the hardship that comes from that,” Mogylevsky said.
The Provost’s Office commented on the speaking changes through a statement from Rob Odom, vice president of university relations and marketing.
“Each year, the university makes adjustments to commencement in response to feedback from students and parents to provide them with the best possible experience as they celebrate OSU graduates,” Odom said.
“This year, we are streamlining the remarks portion of the ceremony while celebrating student achievement with our commencement speaker, Jade Carey, and our other platform speakers, President Murthy and Board of Trustees Chair Román Hernández. We hope everyone enjoys this year’s program and that it is a joyous day for the entire OSU community.”