Brookes asks final year students to vote for a virtual or real life graduation ceremony

Brookes students set to graduate this year have been asked to vote on whether they would rather have a virtual graduation, or real life one.

Soon-to-be grads received an email from the graduation team stating that they are “considering how to alternatively celebrate your achievements”, followed by a Google Form asking for feedback by 14 May.

The first question on the form asked students if they would prefer “a virtual graduation ceremony in September 2020” or “a graduation ceremony in Oxford in 2021” when it is assumed it will be safe for a mass gathering to occur.

The form also asked students to tick boxes letting the University know which aspects of a graduation ceremony they value the most. Some of the options included “seeing my lecturers and tutors”, “wearing a graduation gown and having my photograph taken” and “celebrating with my fellow students”.

The form then asks students to tick if, assuming an in-person graduation goes ahead in 2021, they would still like the option to “attend virtually”.

Responses from students around the idea of a virtual graduation has suggested that they do not want a virtual graduation. Third year Emily told The Brookes Tab: “Imagine graduating on Skype ffs”.

Brookes have offered students a £5 Amazon voucher for discussing what they would expect from virtual graduations.