With spring graduation quickly approaching at Salisbury University, excitement is at an all-time high with seniors receiving their cap and gowns.
But for the first time in the university’s history, graduates will be allowed to decorate the top of their caps for the commencement ceremony. This is a huge milestone for SU for it gives graduates the creative freedom to express themselves in a new manner outside of showing off their stoles and chords.
This announcement is extremely exciting for many reasons, one being that even in a crowd of all black caps and gowns, graduates will be able to stand out in some way above their peers.
Parents and loved ones will be able to pick their graduate out of the crowd. The graduates themselves are also given the opportunity to create something meaningful that represents their experience at Salisbury and beyond.
While of course graduating from college is an exceptionally important milestone in anyone’s life all by itself, being able to give the typical graduation attire a personal touch is an excellent idea for everyone involved.
Some common decorating ideas include student’s favorite quotes, favorite images, a representation of their major or anything that means something to them.
Of course there are rules pertaining to the cap decorating, such as no 3-D designs, nothing hanging off of the cap and no inappropriate or vulgar words or symbols. These rules will not necessarily stop certain people from creating an inappropriate cap, so hopefully a few bad apples will not ruin it for everyone.
These rules are simply there to protect the safety of students while maintaining a respectful ceremony. But even with the rules, graduates have a great deal of room to be creative with their caps.
Graduating students in every major have worked long and hard to get to the point of walking across the stage and receiving their diploma, and this announcement is the cherry on top of the commencement.
Not every graduate will be interested in decorating their cap, of course. Many students will go the traditional route and let their success speak for itself. Others however, will jump at any opportunity they can get to express their individuality, especially during such a monumental moment of their lives.
Whichever way the students choose, graduates should be immensely proud of all of their hard word over the past few years that got them to this point. They will now have the opportunity to share a part of themselves through their caps, and in whatever way they choose.
This recent announcement has also created a ton of excitement for many underclassmen who now have even more to look forward to when it is their turn to walk across the stage.
Despite what some traditionalist might say, this is a wonderful opportunity for graduating students to showcase their creative talents, reminding them of their years spent at Salisbury University forever.
By LILY BAZIS
Staff writer
Featured photo: Students are now able to decorate the tops of their mortarboards during commencement ceremonies (Ruin My Week image).