May 3, 2024
High Point University’s 2024 undergraduate and graduate level graduations are right around the corner. Seniors and grad students alike are making arrangements to enter the real world of the workforce or choosing to further their education.
Bottles of champagne are being popped for grad photos, flight arrangements are being made for family members to attend graduation and goodbyes to friends and professors are coming quickly. Graduation has many moving parts and requires certain steps of preparation before Commencement Day, such as ticket registration for friends and family, submitting name pronunciations and picking up caps and gowns. Graduating students were instructed to pick up their caps, gowns and tassels from the campus bookstore located in Slane.
It didn’t take long for students to notice something was different about this year’s caps and gowns. An adjustment has been made to the caps and gowns to celebrate the university’s 100th year. This year’s caps and gowns are in line with the university, which was established in 1924, and its staple color…purple.
The purple caps and gowns have received mixed feedback from graduating students. Some students are less than pleased with the change, and they think the purple is too extravagant and bold for a graduation ceremony. Other students complain that their various cords and yellow tassels for Bachelor of Science degrees clash too much with the purple.
“The caps and gowns don’t match anything,” said Steven Gast, a graduating HPU senior. “The purple and yellow look absolutely disgusting together.”
Many students have described the purple caps and gowns as tacky and awkward. Some have even gone as far as comparing the shade of purple to famous cartoon characters such as Grimace from McDonald’s or Thanos from The Avengers franchise.
Despite the negative feedback and reactions the new caps and gowns have received, some students don’t mind the color change and actually prefer the non-traditional look. Sophia Santoyo is a grad student at HPU who graduated from the undergraduate program in December; however, she will be walking at the spring commencement.
“The purple is special for the 100th anniversary graduation,” Santoyo said. “I’m not opposed to it. I don’t mind it.”
Some students’ opinions lie somewhere in the middle, and they didn’t like the purple at first, but slowly started to like the idea of having a fun, vibrant color for their cap and gown. Daniel Garguilo is another graduating senior, and he says he quickly became accustomed to the purple caps and gowns.
“I’m not going to lie, I hated the caps and gowns at first.” Garguilo said. “But they grew on me after a while. Overall, they’re okay.”
HPU is celebrating 100 years of establishment this year. Since President Nido Qubein’s start as the university’s president in 2005, the number of academic schools has increased from three to 14. Student enrollment numbers have been increasing every year, and the school is currently undergoing a $400 million academic expansion.
This centennial undergraduate class will be graduating May 4 at 9:00 a.m. on Roberts Lawn while CBL graduates will have their commencement ceremony on May 2.