Cal State Long Beach’s first primary commencement ceremonies, which took place on Monday, May 15, at Angel Stadium weren’t exactly harmonious — with boos greeting CSULB President Jane Close Conoley.
The end-of-the-school-year celebrations, which will run through Wednesday, May 17, have upset many of the approximately 15,000 graduates set to receive their degrees this week. That’s because, for the third year in a row, graduates aren’t allowed to walk across the stage to receive their diplomas, and won’t have their names read aloud.
Instead, graduates must wait until after the official ceremonies. Smaller stages are set up outside the stadium, in Anaheim, on which the students can pose for photos as their names are announced. During the main commencement ceremonies, students’ names are being featured on a digital display, so they can wave to their supporters.
Monday’s ceremonies were for the College of Business, which took place in the morning, and the College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics, with that celebration in the afternoon. The ceremony for the College of Engineering began at 6:30 p.m. Monday.
Conoley was loudly booed by students and their family members at both. Onlookers even blew airhorns during Conoley’s speech — with at least one person seen being removed from the afternoon ceremony by event security.
CSULB spokesperson Jim Milbury did not directly acknowledge or respond to the disruptions when asked for comment.
“Our focus today is on celebrating our graduates,” Milbury said in a Monday statement, “and today has been a positive, rewarding experience for them and their guests.”
About 15,000 graduates will receive their degrees this week, the university said, making it the largest graduating class in CSULB’s history. The 2023 class tops last year’s — which CSULB said was the largest graduating class at the time — by about 3,000 students.
But many students and their family members have taken issue with the…
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