Students raise funds for graduation ceremony after UJ postpones event

AMMAN — Several students from the University of Jordan (UJ) are collecting money to organise a graduation ceremony for summer course graduates after the university postponed the scheduled event, students said on Wednesday.

The graduation ceremony for the faculty of arts was scheduled to be held on Thursday, but on Monday, the university announced that it would be postponed until further notice, said student Qusai Adwan. 

“It was announced on the faculty’s main gate. Many students do not live in Amman to know about this; many of them had already invited their relatives, and others were making preparations for the ceremony,” he told The Jordan Times.

Students decided to organise a fund-raising campaign to hold the ceremony in the presence of former deans and university officials, Adwan said. 

He added that students hoped to reach an agreement on the issue, but had not received any response from the university president. 

“This year, the university decided to stop holding the graduation ceremony in the stadium, and then many decisions were taken about rescheduling the graduation dates. This is why we are collecting money from students,” Adwan said.

The faculty’s assistant dean, Musa Samha, said the ceremony for summer course graduation was postponed because the certificates had not yet been accredited by the council of deans at the university.

“The graduation ceremony was postponed to the first week of September. The only reason is the accreditation of the certificates by the council,” he told The Jordan Times.

The faculty is the only body that should be organising the ceremony, Samha added.  

Earlier in August, around 7,000 students signed a petition asking the university administration to reverse its decision to stop holding graduation ceremonies at the university’s stadium.

Ceremonies will now be held at theatres within each faculty.

In previous remarks to students, UJ President Azmi Mahafza said the decision to move the ceremony was taken to limit costs, reduce traffic jams during the event and to stop fights which have broken out during previous ceremonies at the stadium. 

Mahafza was not available for comment on Wednesday despite several attempts by The Jordan Times.