Students might not be able to wear many of the honorary ornamentations they worked to attain at the next commencement ceremony because of a recent Faculty Senate memorandum.
Faculty Senate President Kevin Cope said the Senate created an advisory memorandum that limits the honorary ornamentations — including cords, ribbons and stoles —  students can wear to only those that are academically based and come directly from the University, as opposed to ones from campus organizations or colleges.
The Senate decided to include only honors from the African American Cultural Center, Latin Honors — summa cum laude, magna cum laude and cum laude — and items from national honor societies Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Beta  Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi.
Cope said the academic honors selected to be recognized in the memorandum are all long-standing, national organizations undisputedly based on merit and accomplishment.
Cope said the memorandum was designed to determine what achievements should be publicly acknowledged at the large commencement ceremonies and not individual college ceremonies.
“[Decorations] through affiliation with clubs and organizations are admirable, but we don’t want [graduation] turning into a circus,” Cope said.
Student Government will discuss the issue today.
SG President J Hudson and Vice President Dani Borel said they have differing opinions on the issue.
“Graduation should be a celebration of the entire collegiate experience,” Hudson said. “Students are getting involved in organizations all over campus, and they deserve to be recognized.”
Hudson said he spoke with several students from the SG President’s Cabinet about their opinions.
“The consensus was that students should be able to wear what they’ve earned,” he said.
Borel said it’s important for students to understand the memorandum only applies to the main commencement ceremony.
“Students can still show their involvement at their individual college ceremonies,” she said.
Borel said students can voice their opinions at the beginning of today’s SG Senate meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Capital Chambers of the Student Union, where she said she hopes everyone can find a middle ground.
Cope said the memorandum was sent to the Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of the University Registrar and will likely go into effect for the May 2011 commencement ceremony.
“We will hear from Student Government within a week, and after that it’s likely to be confirmed within a few weeks,” he said. “We are open to suggestions [SG] might make.”
Kelli Webber, assistant director of the Office of Orientation and adviser to LSU Ambassadors, said Ambassadors deserve recognition for their dedication to the University.
“The LSU Ambassadors work their entire careers as Ambassadors to represent LSU in the best capacity possible,” she said. “It’s an honor to be recognized at graduation because it’s something they should be very proud of.”
Webber said allowing that recognition at the main ceremony would be appreciated, but she also accepts the compromise.
“I’m thankful I’ll still be able to reward them at their individual ceremonies,” she said. “That’s what’s important to me.”
Communication across the Curriculum has been awarding qualified students with the LSU Distinguished Communicator medal since 2007, but the medal is not included among the allowed achievements in the new memo.
Kimberly Bourque, CxC administrative coordinator, said the medal recognizes students who are highly motivated in working toward improving their communication skills.
Bourque said she could see both sides to the issue.
“Anyone who works hard at LSU to get an award deserves to be able to show it off at graduation,” she said. “But I’m sure they probably have very good reasoning behind their decision.”
Cope said too many decorations create clutter and confusion during the commencement ceremony.
Cope said it’s important to remember that honorary ornaments are designed to reflect the student’s achievements, but if students wear too many decorations, people won’t be able to interpret what they are, and the bachelor’s degree itself          becomes obscured.
“The black gown is something in its own right to be treasured,” he said. “With all these other ornamentations, the bachelor’s degree becomes secondary.”
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Contact Sarah Eddington at [email protected]