Carleton will once again hold its convocation ceremony on campus this year, something that is not uncommon among universities in Ontario.
This decision strikes some as odd however, including Alisha Dharshi, a fourth-year history and theory of architecture student who would like to see the university hold convocation off campus.
Dharshi, who will be graduating in December 2015, said holding the ceremony in the Fieldhouse lacks the elegance of it being at an off-campus venue.
“It’s lacking in the formality just because it’s in a gym. To me that feels like Grade 8 graduation and high school graduation all over again,” Dharshi said.
Jacqueline Ng graduated from Carleton in 2014 and disagrees with Dharshi.
“I actually preferred [convocation] on campus because I think Carleton has a nice campus to show off to my parents,” Ng said.
She also said the food served during the ceremony gave it a special touch.
Out of the 23 publicly-funded universities in Ontario, 16 universities hold their convocation ceremonies on campus and 6 hold the ceremony at a venue off campus. Nipissing University has two convocations: one at its North Bay campus, which is held on-campus, and one at its Brantford campus, which is held off-campus.
Other universities with more than one campus and more than one convocation either have all their convocations off-campus or on-campus. Nipissing is the only university with one on-campus and one off-campus.
The universities who hold their convocations off campus include the University of Ottawa and St. Paul’s University, which hold their convocations at the National Arts Centre (NAC), OCAD University, which holds its ceremony at Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto, and McMaster University, which holds convocation at Hamilton Place.
On the other hand, Queen’s University holds its ceremony on campus, like Carleton, as do the three University of Toronto campuses, which all use a building just for the occasion, Convocation Hall.
Jessica Redman, who graduated from the University of Ottawa in 2014, felt her convocation at the NAC was professional.
“It definitely seemed like they put a lot of effort into it and it looked very nice, it seemed like it was an important event,” Redman said.
Dharshi said she would be willing to pay up to $50 for a ticket if it meant convocation could be held at a nicer location off campus.
“Having the ceremony is a big deal for both parents and students, especially for those coming in from abroad . . . it’s a big step,” she said.
Yet, there are benefits to holding the ceremony on campus including the increased number of tickets available to attendees and the price of the space, which is free for the university. Some Carleton graduates also noted Carleton WiFi reaches the Fieldhouse.
Carleton’s spring convocation ceremonies will run from June 9-12. Two ceremonies are held each day and run for about three hours each.
