Graduate Segregation

At UCLA, graduation was difficult to schedule this spring. Whats interesting about this school is their extensive amount of separate "identity-group" graduation ceremonies, the challenge able being to schedule them all at non-conflicting times with one another.

"The women’s studies graduation and the Chicana/Chicano studies graduation are both set for 10 AM Saturday. The broader Hispanic graduation, “Raza,” is in near-conflict with the black graduation, which starts just an hour later...Students of Asian heritage were once content with the Asian–Pacific Islanders ceremony. But now there are separate Filipino and Vietnamese commencements, and some talk of a Cambodian one in the future." -City Journal

And the list goes on.

What I don't understand is this idea of self-segregation, as if it makes a difference what the color the person is next to you...or for that matter, what their sexual orientation might be. UCLA also has the Lavender Graduation Ceremony for students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered. The event warrants a rainbow-colored tassel. Many students actually qualify for multiple graduations, and get to choose which aspect of themselves they wish to celebrate.

Yes, at a school of this size the main graduation ceremony can become quite large and impersonal. The answer, however, is not separating our students into groups based on birth-given characteristics. All we can see at UCLA is that segregation is still a growing force, only now it is self motivated. We all have one common identity through education, and it should be that identity that is prevalent at commencement.