Graduating seniors will look like grapes
By Emily Baker
She is a senior news-editorial journalism major from Midland.

Purple: Once the color of royalty, now it’s the color of Barney, the obnoxious TV dinosaur.

Soon it will also be the color of TCU graduation caps and gowns.

Chancellor Victor Boschini agreed Tuesday to change the color of caps and gowns from black to purple in response to results of a survey sent to seniors. Of the 40 percent of seniors who responded to the survey, 70 percent wanted a color change.

And now, as a friend pointed out, TCU’s commencement will look like a giant bruise.

TCU went about the change in the right way by sending out the survey. After all, it is our graduation. They also did the right thing by catering to what the majority wanted. The chancellor is to be commended for this.
But I can’t say I’m thrilled about having to graduate from a respected university wearing a color more suited for wizard costumes.

The good Lord willing, I’m graduating this December. For some reason, the last four years of hard work don’t seem so special when I have to accept my diploma dressed like a carnival act.

There is a reason caps and gowns are black. Black is a distinguished color. It is classy and professional. Changing them to purple is an example of TCU faking a tradition. And that attempt at a new tradition is established by stripping graduates of a bigger tradition — the nearly universal tradition of wearing black at graduation.

Complaining about the color of a cap and gown may seem silly compared to the rest of the world’s problems. But I was looking forward to donning the black cap and gown that symbolizes academic achievement to accept my diploma. I have been dreaming about it since at least the second grade when my class had a student teacher who was a recent college graduate. Now I can’t wear black, and I feel cheated.

Then there is a matter of money. The new cap and gown will cost an extra $5.50, which will be added to the current $50 graduation fee. Now $5.50 doesn’t sound like much, but for a person like me, who works two jobs and is hardly getting by, $5.50 is a lot of money.

I’m moving to a new city a few days after graduating. That $5.50 could buy half of a tank of gas, a lot of moving boxes or a meal on the road. That seemingly insignificant amount of money I have to spend to look like a bruise could be put to a much more practical use.

The added fee pays for a different fabric and for the cap graduates are now allowed to keep. What in Sam Hill am I going to do with a mortarboard? I had to buy the cap and gown in high school, and I donated both for someone else to use. At least give me the gown so I can donate the whole set.

Regardless of what color the caps and gowns are, the important part of graduating will still remain. But that experience will be cheapened when I have to accept my diploma dressed like a grape.