(05-12-2013 11:16 AM)Memphis Owl Wrote: (05-11-2013 10:49 AM)Almadenmike Wrote: Check out some of the Rice Owls' graduating seniors, their families, athletics dept. staff and dignitaries (including Bobby Tudor, RG (in the background) and George Webb) in this Athletics Dept. video of its pre-commencement Senior Breakfast:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151585656234586
When did commencement change from a Saturday evening to Saturday morning event?
It looks like Rice commencements have been held in the morning since
1986, when it started at 9:30 a.m.. The
1985 commencement started at 7 p.m.
In the
May 11, 2011, Rice History Corner post on the subject, Melissa Kean said: "There is a good bit of evidence, though, that the real concerns were about decorum (or the lack thereof). I’m not sure if that’s all there was to it, but I can certainly testify that the switch did lead to different beverage choices."
And in a comment, a former faculty member said: "The reason I remember for the change was the fact that many of the graduating seniors had indulged all day prior to graduation."
Other comments are consistent with this rationale:
From Grungy: "From ’81 to ’84 I was providing the graduates with liquid refreshments prior to commencement. ’81 was in the gym because of rain and I only brought one ice chest for my friends (both beer and soft drinks) and, because there was no air conditioning in the gym back then, I had people that I’d never met before begging for ice chips. So, from ’82 to ’84 I brought a LOT of drinks – with eight ice chests full in ’84. I won’t take all of the blame for the condition of the graduates, but I can’t dodge it all either."
From James Medford: "The 1985 commencement, when I graduated, was also Norman Hackerman’s last commencement as president. He got frustrated with the students at one point during his speech, saying something to the effect of, 'If you’ll just be quiet and let me finish …' "
From Annette M: "I graduated in ’85 and I have plenty of photos of my fellow grads holding beer during the ceremony. My dad thought it was the best graduation he have ever attended."