Ethnic graduations offer students a cultural alternative

Monday, 6/9/97 Ethnic graduations offer students a cultural
alternative CEREMONIES: Unlimited tickets allow for more
family-oriented affairs

By Carol McKay Daily Bruin Staff Little brothers and sisters are
likely to get bored at any graduation exercise. But this year, some
ceremonies at UCLA are aiming to keep everybody awake. With a
limited number of tickets given to each graduate for the bigger
exercises, sometimes bored little brothers and sisters aren’t even
invited. But at the ethnic ceremonies – which do not limit tickets
– sleepy relatives are welcome, though they may be kept awake by
lively cultural presentations. Take La Raza’s graduation, for
example. The ceremony, which caters to students of Latino descent,
will make a lot of noise. By including several ethnic presentations
chosen from a variety of backgrounds, planners of the commencement
hope to convey a message of both pride and unity. A mariachi band
will greet the procession and a group of UCLA students will perform
traditional Mexican folklore dances – the "ballet folklorico."
Indigenous dancers will end the ceremony by offering a blessing to
graduating students. "It’s a remember-your-roots kind of message,"
said Margarita Gonzales, a co-chair of the La Raza Grad 1997
Committee. "There’s a very specific goal we want to obtain,"
Gonzales said. "We are trying to fulfill the needs of students. The
ethnic graduations give us an opportunity to appreciate the
struggles we’ve been through." Gonzales, a fourth-year history and
Chicano studies student, said that preservation of the ethnic
graduation ceremonies is especially important now "with the attacks
on affirmative action." "It is so important for us to show our
presence at our own ceremonies," she added. "And at traditional
ceremonies too." Like other non-major-division graduation
ceremonies this spring, La Raza Grad will take place Sunday.
According to Gonzales, the scheduling of all the different
ceremonies on the same day has proved to be a problem for planners.
"It’s frustrating because (the scheduling) made it so hard.
Usually, we share the facilities" with the African Student Union’s
ceremony. Having to rent separate facilities has been more costly
for the organizations as well. But according to Gonzales, "the main
concern was with the (Proposition) 209 outcome. We thought ethnic
graduation would be threatened. That’s why we started so early with
fund raising." Other student leaders also fear that this could be
the last year for ethnic graduation ceremonies, or "e-grads." "We
are unsure … no one can predict how Prop. 209 will affect
e-grad," said Betty Song, a graduating history student and director
of the Asian Pacific Coalition. Song, who served as co-coordinator
of this year’s Asian/Pacific Islander Graduation, added that the
retirement this month of Chancellor Charles E. Young may also
change things. "Young has been very supportive of e-grad. We don’t
know if the new chancellor will be," she said. Despite these
hurdles, however, the ceremonies will go on, with speakers from a
variety of backgrounds. At La Raza Grad, U.S. Rep. Esteban Torres,
D-West Covina, will be the keynote speaker, and two student
speakers, Lupe Garcia and Raul Lomelo, will deliver the same speech
in two languages – Spanish and English. "Ethnic graduations are
really for the families," said Marlo Rabuy, a fourth-year
anthropology student with a specialization in Asian American
studies. Rabuy, who plans to take part in "P-Grad," the ceremony
for Pilipino students, said that because there is no limit to the
number of guest tickets allotted per graduate, the ceremonies are
more family-oriented. "The ceremony also gives each grad a chance
to address their family" in the form of speeches, Rabuy said. Each
student at the ceremony will be given the opportunity to say a few
words. And Rabuy thinks this is a very special gift. La Raza Grad
has a similar tradition in which students, instead of speaking as
individuals, submit a dedication prior to the ceremony to be read
by the master of ceremonies. Students participating in the
Asian/Pacific Islander ceremony also are allotted about 15 seconds
to address the audience. Song said that most often, students thank
their families – at times, in their parents’ native language. "It’s
very personal," she said. "A more intimate setting." Participation
at the ceremonies is increasing, according to planners. P-Grad is
expecting between 80 and 90 students – both undergraduates and
graduates – from all departments. The ceremony will take place
Sunday at the Court of Sciences, and 1,500 guests are expected. La
Raza Grad is also anticipating greater attendance than in previous
years. "This is the biggest class we’ve had for a long time,"
Gonzales said. Planners expect over 300 students, in contrast to
last year’s 250, and also anticipate 4,000 guests to attend the
commencement exercises. Coordinators of the Asian ceremony expect
almost 170 students to walk the stage and over 1,000 guests to fill
the Ackerman Grand Ballroom on Sunday. "The (increases) show the
significance of the ceremonies and how important they are to
students," Gonzales said. Photo courtesy of Betty Song The Nikkei
Student Union performs at last year’s Asian/Pacific Islander
graduation. Previous Daily Bruin Story Ethnic graduations offer
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