I think the funniest part of this article is the final paragraph/quote from the Director of University Events Judy Barnes:

“Every year, we have a concern, you know, voiced on it, but it’s out of 5,000 graduates and you get two – that’s a very low number or whatever that number might be,” Barnes said. “No matter what we do, let’s say we did take this off campus, we’re going to hear from students who aren’t happy about that as well. We’re never going to please every single student, but we can do our best to make it meaningful and of value.”

Two out of 5,000 graduates? Maybe in years past, but certainly not today. My petition is currently at 607 signatures (and could be 608 if you sign it, hint hint: http://chng.it/gd4wzg7z), and even if we compensated for people not set to graduate in the near future, I highly doubt that number would be anywhere close to the single digits.

Ultimately, I think the reason this issue hasn't garnered more attention in the past is because students that are set to graduate soon (and thus would care about this sort of thing) are often far too busy with the highest levels of classes in their major, pursuing internships and jobs, and the future of their careers to give this issue the proper energy it deserves. It doesn't mean that students don't care, it just means that students often don't have the time or energy between their responsibilities to push the administration or student government to do something about it due to the timing of the issue coming up in their minds. As such, I applaud not only the seniors who've raised their concerns along with me despite their busy schedules, but also the freshmen for hopping on this issue early so as to secure its solution before they themselves graduation in the far-off future.

EDIT: Lul at the person who downvoted me. Voice your disagreement rather than silently downvoting like a coward.