GSU students ‘heartbroken’ after rain cuts outdoor graduation short

Almost 1,500 people have signed a petition asking for Georgia State to redo their graduation after rain cut their outdoor ceremony short.

A petition has gotten almost 1,500 signatures demanding GSU reschedule graduation. (Screen capture of petition)

The graduation for College of Arts and Sciences students, slated for 7 p.m. on Thursday at Georgia State Stadium, ended up much shorter than expected due to rain showers, the school tweeted.

Rain forced students to move underground then back to their seats for an abridged ceremony, Channel 2 Action News reported. Students didn’t have their names called and weren’t able to walk individually to receive their diplomas.

“It was clear that there was a threat of lightning, and we didn’t want to jeopardize our students or their families,” GSU vice president of public relations Don Hale told Channel 2. “Their safety was our primary concern.”

University officials told the station that students voted to graduate outdoors and knew the risks. Students are still upset about the way it was handled.

“(I’m) heartbroken really,” graduate Meghan Gordon, who had family who flew in from Puerto Rico for the ceremony, told the station. “It took a lot to get where I was and to accomplish what I did, and I felt like the school didn’t respect that.”

Many students took to Twitter to show their frustration.

However, university officials told Channel 2 that no replacement ceremony is being planned.

“It’s an important thing to them, and it’s an important thing for us as we put this event together,” Hale told the station. “We’re really disappointed that we weren’t able to do the usual ceremony last night.”