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I am the first woman in my family to earn a college degree.
On May 9, I am going to walk across the stage in great part because of the sacrifice of all 20 members of my family. My parents, my siblings, and each of my nieces and nephews have made my graduation possible by their support of my education.
Yet not all of them will be able to attend, because I am permitted only 12 tickets to commencement.
One of those tickets is mine, leaving me 11 to distribute to my 20 family members, nine of whom are under the age of 7. If the limitations are for security purposes, the current policy, which requires a ticket for children over the age of 2, treats my 4-year-old nephew the same as my father. If seating is limited, the 3, 4, and two 5-year-olds will be sitting on their parents’ laps, leaving open seats others could have used.
Ticket limits exist for a reason. The venue has a limited capacity, and security measures are reasonable, but it is unclear what the requirements seek to accomplish. A policy that makes no distinction between adult guests and toddlers in their parents’ arms is not a security measure nor a capacity limitation. It is an oversight that disproportionately disadvantages large families, multigenerational families, and students whose graduation is much larger than themselves.
I am not the only graduate navigating this. Many Hillsdale students can’t count their siblings on one hand, to say nothing of parents, grandparents, and in-laws. A friend of mine, who is also in the middle of eight children, must decide between her young nephews and adult family members. Sorting families into 11 slots forces graduates to choose who deserves to be there.
The solution is simple: Exempt all children 5 and under from requiring tickets. Allow students to request the number of tickets they will need for their families, as is reasonable, before opening up ticket reservations to current students and friends of the college. These simple fixes would not drastically impact commencement security or capacity. A family-friendly ticket policy would give this ceremony the value it is due, not as a managed event, but a celebration.
My family members should see me walk. All 20 of them.
Anna Broussard is a senior studying politics.
