Hello again!

It has been a few weeks since I left the You Make Change open for commenting and voting, and as things appear to have quietened down I'm going to take this opportunity to mark the submission as complete. This is by no means the end of the process, however - I will be writing up the points around Graduation into my handover so that Jo (the incoming VP Education & Democracy) will be able to continue the conversation next year. 

Thanks again for the submission!

Best wishes,

Sam Dedman (SUSU VP Education 2017-19, vpeducation@susu.org)

Hello again! 

I'm pleased to say that the University's Exams, Awards & Graduation team has replied already with the following response:

I’m sorry you’re disappointed with your graduation venue. We use on site theatres for a variety of reasons:

• It gives graduands the chance to show their friends and family where they’ve been studying and the gardens provide perfect photo opportunities
• There are lots of easily-accessible catering outlets nearby where visitors can grab a coffee or a bite to eat
• Most graduands are comfortable with travelling to and around the Highfield environment which can take away elements of anxiety on what can be sometimes be quite a stressful day
• We’re able to provide much more support for both graduands and guests with specific health requirements as we have lots of facilities on site, and we use accessible buses for the Park & Ride that drop off just outside the Nuffield (it’s another minute or so to the Turner Sims). Most external venues, especially in the city or town centre, don’t allow buses or coaches to drop off very close to the hall and some walkways are either cobbled or have steps or raised pavements around them
• Everyone gets a great view! There’s a lot of ‘limited viewing’ seats in some external venues
• Service such as photography, robing and your reception are within 1 or 2 minutes’ walk of the graduation venue (again, especially useful for those with mobility difficulties)
• Larger venues can mean longer ceremonies – we receive mostly positive feedback about the ceremony length which gives you a choice of what you do with the rest of your day.  In general, most ceremonies are 2 – 3 hours

Having said all that, we do check for the most suitable venue every 2 or 3 years – for instance, we may look at alternating between the Guildhall and the NST City venue in future years. But I’m afraid that won’t be for 2019.

Nevertheless, I hope you and your guests really enjoy your day, and I look forward to welcoming you in July.

Hopefully that helps to explain the situation a bit more. I'm going to leave this You Make Change open for a bit longer to let commenting and voting happen, but if you have any further questions in the meantime please let me know.

Best wishes,

Sam Dedman (SUSU VP Education 2017-19, vpeducation@susu.org)

Hello!

Thanks for this You Make Change submission. I'm going to have to go to the University's Exams, Awards & Graduation team to get a more detailed answer with this, so please bear with me and I'll be back as soon as I have something to report. Note that a reply might take slightly longer that usual due to the ongoing vacation period. 

Thanks again for the submission, and best wishes, 

Samuel Dedman (SUSU VP Educaiton 2017-19, vpeducation@susu.org)