When did this trend start??

[mmc51264]

I finished my BSN in March, but I walked yesterday. What is with the over the top decorating of the mortar boards? When I got my ADN, many of my classmates decorated theirs, but I saw some outrageous, and some very unprofessional ones at that. Not just nursing. They split up the different colleges and the Health Sciences walked with Education. I have walked 4 other times and don't remember this from a few years ago.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

yes, but to put "i busted mine to save yours" on a mortar board is really unprofessional. Maybe it's just me, but graduation is a life changing event and it just seems to cheapen it. I saw one hat that had about 30 pink plastic flowers glued to it. Not sure what the point of that was. All I know is that I have never seen this until the last 3 or so years. I walked in 93, 95, 05 12 and 15 and didn't see it until '12. I guess I am old-fashioned

Ugh, that reminds me of a student in my class who would go around town in a tee shirt that read "student nurse: I gave up my life to learn how to save yours". She was the worst.

[No Stars In My Eyes]

Read this in the newspaper today:

According to the Omaha World-Herald in Omaha, Nebraska: Reversing an earlier decision prohibiting 'bling' @ graduation ceremonies, Omaha Public Schools allowed a Native American high school student to wear a feather on her graduation cap this week.

(Would it be really awful and politically incorrect if I were to comment, "mighty White of 'em!")

[TrishRNNew2NH]

I graduated in '99 from a NY community college. Let me tell you we had it all . I had a pinning ceremony the florence nightengale lamp and candle ceremony which was separate from graduation . Even honors and every graduating nurse had RN on their mortar board in our graduation ceremony. The Nursing professors wanted us to stand out among the over 2000 graduates. In Their words why shouldn't we "you are the best of the best. I also had a pi theta kappa sash and we were all sporting our pins quite proudly. Most of whom I had the pleasure of graduating with finished with high honours and most of the awards were presented to Nursing students . We worked our collective bums off. We were awesome and should stand out. In my humble opinion lol

[turtlesRcool]

Definitely not a new thing. I graduated in 98, and there were definitely lots of people decorating their mortar boards then.

I've never decorated mine, but that's because I'm not particularly crafty. I always enjoy looking at them, though.