UW-Eau Claire summer graduates will

no longer have an August commencement ceremony, because Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich said the ceremony had relatively low attendance. Cancelling the ceremony would save $8,000 in such costs as staffing and setup, according to an April 2 WQOW article.

Even though students pay their dues to the university and they deserve to walk across the stage, cutting the summer ceremony is necessary.

According to the article, students who graduate in August will be invited to walk with the following December graduates.

This is better than not having a commencement at all, even though it could be difficult for some students to return to Eau Claire because of new obligations.

Students might think keeping the ceremony is a small price to pay compared to what the students give to the university. Though it seems unfair, that’s the nature of an economic crisis. Cutting this ceremony will affect relatively few students. It would be much worse to cut funding instead from a major campus service or program that could affect most, if not all, students, not to mention faculty and staff.

Millions of dollars are being cut from the university, so this decision is necessary, at least for now, until the economic climate improves.

The Spectator editorial board came down to a split decision and one abstention. Half thought that if the cost of the commencement program could be trimmed, perhaps by switching venues, then it should remain. The other half thought that spending time to explore cost reductions would distract administrators from more pressing financial decisions.