University President’s son set to graduate the same morning
On Oct. 31, St. Bonaventure University sent out a news release stating that the time of this school year’s commencement ceremony had been changed from the original morning start to 3:30 p.m.
The release claimed this time alteration was due to a conflict with the graduation of the son of Dennis DePerro, the university president.
“President DePerro came to the [Faculty] Senate and said, ‘Look guys, I really want to be at my son’s graduation, and I really want to be here,’” said Anne Foerst, the chair of the Faculty Senate and a computer science professor. “It was just impossible to change the date.”
Foerst said the Senate tried for three sessions to find a solution to the conflict that would allow DePerro to attend graduation while also seeing his son graduate.
Foerst said DePerro had communicated during his first two weeks in office that there would be a conflict with this coming graduation. The problem came when this matter was not reported to the Senate chair at the time.
“It was a huge communication fault,” said Foerst.
By the time the matter was brought up again, two years after it was first communicated, plans had already been set for commencement.
“We wanted Dr. DePerro to be there, and the students wanted him to be there,” said Foerst.
Foerst said the Senate ended up having the idea of Dr. DePerro calling in or sending a message for graduation.
“Then the trustees said, ‘No, we are not happy with that,’” continued Foerst. “The trustees, of course, are the bosses of the president. The president is their hire.”
DePerro then proposed the idea of changing not the date, but the time of graduation, said Foerst. One of the trustees offered use of his private plane and consequently planned for DePerro to fly into Olean.
Foerst said the graduating class was asked and said they had no problem with this change.
The SGA representative for the Faculty Senate said that this new time was not a problem, according to Foerst.
“So, we went on and did it,” said Foerst.
Foerst said all move-out activities will have to happen before graduation now.
“So, all the students basically have to spend their Sunday morning packing and putting all their stuff in their parent’s car,” said Foerst. “Then they have to be on the road right after so if they have, let’s say a 5 or 6-hour drive, that could be a problem.”
With graduation starting at this new time, attendees may not get out until 6. This could mean that some may never make it home until around midnight, said Foerst.
“Most of us decided that that is the smaller evil to having the president not being present at the commencement,” said Foerst.
Paris Freeman, a senior theater major, disagreed with this decision to change the time of graduation.
“I don’t like that they’re pushing graduation back,” said Freeman. “If graduation moves to 3:30 p.m., I definitely won’t walk.”
Freeman said they wouldn’t be able to get home until really late if they tried to attend graduation at the new time.
“If the time change goes through, Bona’s can mail me my diploma,” said Freeman. “I would genuinely rather [DePerro] record a video to be played and just go to his son’s graduation than move the time or tear him away from family.”
Freeman said the only way they would consider walking at graduation with the time change is if the university allowed them to leave Monday morning.
Foerst said if students had any concerns or comments on the matter, they could bring it up with the SGA, the chair of the Student Affairs Committee, Kaplan Harris, or go to her directly.
By Landon Allison, Associate Editor
allisolj17@bonaventure.edu
