6
UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 4TH OCTOBER, 2015
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES – ST. AUGUSTINE CAMPUS
GRADUATION CEREMONIES 2015
Each year, students around the world
don the
ceremonial “cap and gown” and prepare to cross the
proverbial stage to receive their diplomas, a ritual
that signifies the end of one phase of their lives and
the beginning of another. However, its significance
stretches to a much broader scale since, for the
university the ceremony also symbolises its role in the
progress of a nation—both good reasons for the pomp
and circumstance that surround the occasion.
Yet, many of us take part, whether as performer
or member of the audience, without knowing where
these rituals began or why they are still such important
components of contemporary proceedings.
The graduation ceremony is one that is
steeped in tradition. Every element, from the term
“commencement” used to describe the event, to the
regalia that themajor players wear, finds its roots deeply
embedded in history.
Commencement
Although the word “commencement” implies
beginning, it is also the word used to describe the
celebration of the end of a student’s academic career,
or at least one stage of it. Why such contradiction?
The reason can be found in the 11th and 12th century
medieval universities of Paris and Bologna. These
universities were guilds where students (called
apprentices) learned skills from masters of certain
crafts. At the end of the period of study, the apprentice
earned a “testimonial of skill,” today known as the
“degree,” gaining him admission into the guild as a
new master of his craft. Immediately after receiving
his testimonial, he was expected to begin teaching.
Hence, the commencement ceremony celebrated
the apprentice’s induction into the profession—the
beginning of his life as a member of the guild.
The Procession
Every commencement ceremony begins and ends with
a procession. This ritual was derived from the clerical
processions of the Roman Catholic Church and many
of its symbolic elements are still incorporated into
graduations today. The stately music that provides
the background for the entrance of the marchers, for
instance, is one such element. It lends a dignified tone
to the occasion and its rhythm sets the pace for the
marchers, allowing the audience time to savour the
grandeur of the occasion and contemplate its meaning.
Traditional formations have also been preserved.
The ranks of two seen at UWI graduations are part
of that solemn, time-honoured walk. The academic
procession enters first, headed by the university
marshals and then the graduands. A fanfare follows,
heralding the entrance of the chancellor’s procession.
THE CIRCUMSTANCE OF
THE
GRADUATION IS ANANNUAL COMINGOF AGE CEREMONY
, traditionally the end of
“the apprenticeship,”
and its elaborate rituals are riveting for all their attention to reproducing every detail of centuries of academic
celebrations. While many admire the processions and solemnity of the occasions, the meanings of the rituals
and symbols remain a little obscure. Serah Acham explains some of them and their origins.
THE LINING COLOURS WHICH RE
UNDERGRADUATE
Bachelor of Science in Agriculture - Avocado
Bachelor of Arts - Plumbago Blue
Bachelor of Education - White
Bachelor of Science in Engineering - Aluminiu
Bachelor of Laws - Black
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, Do
and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine - Purple
Bachelor of Science (The Natural Sciences) - Al
Bachelor of Science (Nursing) - Purple, and to
Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy, BB Medical Sci
B Medical Science, Physical Therapy) - Purple,
with the bottom curve of the purple enhanced
Bachelor of Science (Social Sciences) - Orange
Bachelors: Interdisciplinary Programmes - Ecr
HRH Princes Alice at the end of the first Graduation Ceremony at the Harbour Site in Barbados in 1967. The mace bearer at front is still a fun-
damental part of the ceremony.
(Photo reproduced from “The University of the West Indies: A Caribbean response to the challenge of change” (Phillip
Sherlock & Rex Nettleford))
