On March 25 Syracuse seniors received the “Tag You’re It” email from the Class of 2015 Giving, asking seniors to make a gift as part of Class Act Day. As if students graduating with thousands of dollars of debt have the capacity to donate to the institution that caused them to become indebted in the first place.

However, the more disturbing part of the email request was the side bar: an opportunity to donate (read: buy) for the new Class Act Cord to be worn at commencement. While I am sure this is well intentioned, the very idea that a student can purchase a repurposed honor cord is incredibly disheartening and fallacious. Honor cords historically have been earned through academic achievement and rigor, not bought.

Honor cords have been traditionally earned by those at the university who have spent thousands of hours on coursework, hundreds of hours in the local community and challenged themselves every single semester to perform at their peak. Wearing honor cords is a testament to the quality and type of time a student has spent here over the past four years.

These achievements are open for the entire Syracuse community to pursue; the epitome of a meritocratic reward structure. It would seem, however, that purchasing the Class Act Cord would enable those with the capacity to donate to buy-in to this meritocracy, to create a certain level of distinction where one should not exist.

To be clear, another opportunity for giving back to the university is not what I have an issue with. There are nearly endless possibilities at SU to distinguish oneself based on wealth in place of academic and community engagement. Graduation should not be one of them, as it is reserved for recognition of academic triumphs and service to the Syracuse community.

Graduation is about celebrating the time that was spent at SU, the good times with friends, the achievements and pursuits endeavored upon and transitioning toward the future.

Buying into the meritocratic ceremony that is graduation erodes the basis of the idea that success is directly related to your own hard work. Though, allowing the purchase of success may fit in well with a university trying to prepare its students for entering into the real world, one of severe inequality.

Jason Ashley ‘15
Political Science | Citizenship and Civic Engagement

Published on March 31, 2015 at 11:58 pm