When did this trend start??

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · May 11, 2015

I did the whole hooding ceremony and graduation for my BSN. I didn't for my master's. I graduated in December and had no interest in worrying about the deadlines in May to walk then. I was so over school at that point. I don't remember anyone dressing up their caps. I went to a fairly small school and all the majors had their colored hoods. I had my purple and white tassel for Sigma Theta Tau. I think I also had a gold band for cum laude. I certainly felt decked out enough.

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · May 11, 2015

Was not allowed where I graduated. As someone else said, the ceremony is not the time for such nonsense, that's for the party afterwards!

I also have to comment on those that said "we were told not to do X, but we went ahead anyways!" or "the dean asked guests not to airhorn, wolf whistle, etc, but people do I anyway". WHY is it so hard to follow a simple request/direction? These are the same people that are the first to complain "why can't I wear the scrubs I want? my hospital requires navy blue, but I HATE navy blue" or "my replacement shows up everytime AT shift change but then spends 15 minutes getting her crap together before I can even give her report, being on time to the building is not the same as being on time and ready to work. I get off late every day because of her!"

Special snowflakes indeed!

PulselessNine · May 11, 2015

That's been going on forever. I saw some crazy stuff 30 years ago when watching my aunt graduate. I'm hoping I can come up with something as entertaining for those in the audience to watch. Don't take it too seriously.

No Stars In My Eyes · May 11, 2015

Never have heard of this trend nor witnessed it. It seems to me that the mere fact of graduating is a good excuse/reason to feel positively giddy, so what the heck. Plenty of time to "be professional" once you start a job. Graduation is a kind of blow-out event, don't you think?

But I do think the audience is rude for using air horns, etc.

SweenyG · May 11, 2015

It wasn't done as much in the 1980s when I first graduated, but I did decorate the hell out of it for my BSN last year. I have also been to four college graduations of my sons where the kids decorated their mortar boards. IMHO--graduations are joyous celebrations and should include a little silliness and humor just expresses that so well!

**emergenceRN17, ASN, BSN, RN** · May 11, 2015

GrnTea: YES!!!! I have worked at the Dental School going on 12 years now and I LOOOOVE the creativity each year. I will also be decorating mine. Very tasteful... no names... not gaudy. Our school is all black from head to toe so it is nice to be able to stand out a bit.

I do agree though, that some can be very inappropriate.

ShelbyaStar · May 11, 2015

I didn't go to my first college graduation. Not sure what the rules are for this one, but heck if I can, sure I'd decorate it.

Just saw this recently... maybe not the most professional thing, but clever.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · May 11, 2015

Can't say I've seen it more than a couple of times, and only on AN, not in real life.

My thoughts on it are that it looks rather ridiculous, and that doing it makes the wearer look....rather ridiculous. I think the time for silly celebration is the after-parties, NOT the ceremony itself. I think it's in very poor taste to wear styrofoam balls on springs, animal ears and whatever else on one's symbol of academic achievement during a formal ceremony. It ISN'T a personal party, it's a formal recognition of academia for everyone graduating at that time. What's next, dying the robes tie-dye and re-desigining the hems into a handkerchief pattern?

I personally chose to just bypass the event(s), as they held no great importance to me, but I would have considered it very disrespectful to have myself done up like a Halloween costume while in the presence of those who DID consider it important.

That said, as long as the one who is looking stupid isn't standing in someone's way when family takes photos, LOL, I guess it's no skin off my nose!

guestng82 · May 11, 2015

At all three of my schools (HS, junior college and university), if you tried to do anything like this, you got pulled out of the line and could not walk. Even our shoes and the clothes we wore under the gowns had to be specific colors or you could not walk.

NutmeggeRN, BSN · May 11, 2015

Well . ... . when I graduated from a community college with my ADN we were told not to make ourselves stand out from the rest of the graduates. We all had to look the same even though we were graduate nurses. So, some of us rebelled . . . .. . . . and wrote "RN" on the mortar board.
We were also told we couldn't have a pinning ceremony because it was unprofessional. We organized our own off campus. The head-honcho nurse told the instructors they couldn't attend but two of them did anyway.
I dunno - some rebellion is good and some goes too far. But who gets to make that choice?

Not sure what is unprofessional about a pining ceremony? I still wear mine to work every day and I got mine in 1983!

**emergenceRN17, ASN, BSN, RN** · May 11, 2015

I actually made this yesterday and will hang it in my bedroom. Every time something gets me down, I have a bad day, etc.... I will look at it and say to myself "I can do this! I want the day to come where I can finally glue this to my mortar board and walk across that stage" Good motivation .

xoemmylouox, ASN, RN · May 11, 2015

I don't see anything wrong with it as long as it isn't too tacky. I have seen plenty of nice ones that have allowed us to distinguish that person from the rest. I think graduation is a time of celebration and fun. Some schools do not allow it. To each their own.