Trinity College Dublin (TCD) is to end its long-standing tradition of grouping students at graduation ceremonies by the degree grade they achieved.
However the ceremony will continue to be conducted in Latin, as is tradition in the college.
In an email to students, TCD Students’ Union president Gabi Fullam and TCD registrar Prof Neville Cox said graduation ceremonies “are all about the huge achievement of receiving a degree from Trinity”.
“We really hope this will mean that no student will feel isolated or singled out on the basis that they received a particular class of degree,” the email said.
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Graduands will now be called up in alphabetical order from their class group. They were previously lined up and paraded in descending order of academic achievement.
Prof Cox told The Irish Times that while the proposal had been approved by the board it still has to be signed off by the college’s senate.
Prof Cox said the continued Latin usage at the ceremony serves as a reminder “of the historical nature of what is happening, and to link our new graduates with those who graduated years, decades and centuries ago”. “We acknowledge our debt to the past but also acknowledge that the momentous moment when a student graduates is not just a ‘photo-op’ moment, but a genuinely history making one for the institution.”
TCD Independent Senator Lynn Ruane, who has previously criticised the format of the graduations, said she was “delighted to see the change” and that “just getting to the end of your degree is [a] triumph.”
She said education was more than just an “exam or essay” and “people overcome many obstacles to devote four years of their life to learning. “They should be applauded not ranked.”
The registrar will also endeavour to provide financial support to students who “may be discouraged from attending” their graduation due to the cost of renting an academic gown and cap for the ceremony.
Cormac Watson, a graduate of history and political science, said the old format was “antiquated and cruel”.
“I’m surprised it took this long - graduation ceremonies are meant to be a celebration and a happy time for students. That rule turned it into something it shouldn’t be.”
