Cardiff University apologised to students after the graduation ‘chaos’ caused by robe collection delays caused many to miss their ceremonies.
Some students allegedly had to wait over two hours to collect their graduation robes meaning some of the graduating class missed their own ceremony.
Cardiff Graduation ‘chaos’ over robes delay
One student told BBC Wales there was a two-and-a-half-hour wait for robes. Another graduate told Wales Online that they had arrived an hour earlier than they were advised to collect their gown, and were still late for their graduation due to the large queues.
‘I nearly had to make the decision of whether to ditch the gown and go and hear my name being called out, or miss the ceremony and just take photos with the gown,’ they said.
Ceremonies delayed due to robe queues
One modern language graduate arrived to collect her gown at 9:45am, with her ceremony at 10:50am. She had to tell the gown organisers that her ceremony had started to be let to the front of the line, but was still late. She, and eight other students, were so late that a separate ceremony had to be put on for them.
On Friday, a Cardiff Uni spokesperson stated: ‘We apologise that some of our students are experiencing delays in collecting their gowns today. We are working hard with our supplier to solve the issue as a matter of urgency.’
‘Some School recognition events have been postponed for 30 minutes to accommodate the delay. We are also adding extra School recognition events throughout the day to ensure no student misses out – in these cases students will be notified directly,’ they continued.
Students left disappointed
Pro Vice-Chancellor Clare Morgan also spoke on the situation and said: ‘I know first-hand that there were problems and I am deeply sorry, it is not what we expected nor what you deserved. Those affected will hopefully have seen how we tried to put it right throughout the day, for some of you it is a big ask, but tonight, I hope this evening marks a turning point in your day, and my thanks again for your patience.’
Students and attendees have taken to Twitter to share their experiences from their graduation days at Cardiff Uni.
One parent wrote: ‘At the University of Cardiff graduation day today with our daughter after waiting for 2 years since she finished her degree in 2020 and the organisation (or lack of it) is absolutely shambolic. Such a shame for all the ex students.’
Meanwhile, a disappointed graduand tweeted: ‘Cardiff university have absolutely ruined the excitement for graduation tomorrow.’