The newly announced graduation fee has come to a halt following talks between representatives from St. Thomas undergraduate student government and university administrators.

During the fall semester of 2017, the St. Thomas Registrar’s Office notified eligible seniors of a new fee that would be charged when students apply to graduate. The $50 fee caught many seniors off-guard because it was the first time students had been charged a fee to graduate. After a series of public forums were held by senior students, USG members and President Ryan Foster met with administrators from the university to express the senior class’ frustration with the lack of transparency.

“We had a meeting and a few days later we got an email saying there would be a pause on the fee this year,” Foster said. “In future years when the fee is implemented, it won’t be a surprise.”

According to Karen Lange, vice president of student affairs, the fee was implemented to improve the graduation experience as a response to negative feedback from previous graduates.

“We gathered over one thousand responses and suggestions for improving the commencement ceremony,” Lange said. “We have made a large number of enhancements to commencement week that have been requested by students.”

Lange said the university’s goal is to make the graduation experience more powerful, engaging and exciting. Some of the modifications to last year’s commencement ceremony were improved branding for the ceremony, a Facebook live stream, enhanced Wi-Fi coverage, Snapchat filters and an expanded selection of cords and stoles. Lange believes the graduation fee would help cover the costs to continue making improvements. These decisions will now involve members of student government.

“We will be working with the administration right away in the spring to determine exactly what the fee was going to cover,” Foster said. “We will find a way to make sure that that information is provided to students.”

As for the upcoming 2018 commencement ceremony, Lange said there are even more changes to enhance the experience. Some of those improvements include a new stage, large indoor video screens, photos of graduates and the option for students to decorate their own cap.

Aside from the commencement ceremony improvements, Lange also hopes to make other improvements to make graduation and post-graduation more seamless. From on-demand digital diplomas and transcripts to printing physical diplomas on site, Lange is looking to make the process of job seeking more effective for students.

Although the student government and the administration have decided to hold the graduation fee for the graduating class of 2018, the agreement will not prevent future graduating classes from being subject to paying a graduation fee.

“We do look forward to working closely with students on these changes and plan on implementing a fee next year,” Lange said.

Benton Johnson can be reached at bcjohnson@stthomas.edu