Just got an email from our admin person telling faculty that due to budget cuts we have to rent our own regalia for graduation this year and providing a helpful link to the bookstore website in order to do so. I bought my own hood when I got my PhD and, at the suggestion of another friend on this list, am considering pairing it with a nice bathrobe. I absolutely refuse to help my institution plug its budget hole by paying marked-up regalia rental fees at the company, I mean, book store.
Hang on...does this mean you're expected to waste your time representing the University at a tedious ceremony *and* pay for the privilege?
ReplyDeleteyes, that's what it means.
ReplyDeleteAt least, in my university at least, attending graduation is optional for faculty, so I'm not REQUIRED to spend the money to go to the tedious ceremony.
Attending graduation is not optional at my SLAC, and we've always had to pay for renting regalia.
ReplyDeletencb, tape loaded whoopie cushions to the inside of the robe, then squeeze them during the College President's speech.
ReplyDeleteOR
Leave a bag of flaming dogshit on the porch of the people responsible for the gown issue.
Trade childishness with childishness.
Try e-bay. YOu can get something very close at a fraction of the cost.
ReplyDeleteSchedule a visit with your physician to get you some anti-anxiety meds.
ReplyDeleteMake off with the paper exam gown.
Voila ... scored a twofer!
time to buy one. Contact the school where you got your degree....
ReplyDeleteI really wonder if it's in the school's (or any organization's) interests to nickel and dime employees like this. Who much salary would you lose if the school gave you free parking, free regalia rental, a small oncampus mealplan, free membership to the school gym, etc. Maybe $500? That's not peanuts, certainly, but I might prefer that to the hassles of paying for every little thing.
ReplyDeleteAt my school, administrators get some of these as benefits. It would be nice if we enjoyed the same perks. Moving in the same social circles, so to speak.
On the other hand, administrators might not want to settle for mere "faculty benefits."
One way to protest this would be to show up to commencement wearing NOTHING under your gown. Hey, money is tight. I didn't say this would be a good way to protest it.
ReplyDeleteI recommend a Slanket.
ReplyDeleteOr if you're tenured, don't go.
Really?
ReplyDeleteYour school rented your regalia for you? That must have been nice.
I've only worked places that didn't.
Figuring I would be in this a while, I bought my attire after a couple rentals. Saves you money in the long-run.
Why don't they just call it what it is? A pay cut.
ReplyDeleteOne word: Snuggly!
ReplyDeleteI think our school is still offering to pay for rental (though, come to think of it, I haven't seen that announcement this year). We're not required to go, and since I rarely get to teach seniors (unless they've put off my course way, way too long), I don't.
ReplyDeleteLike Bella, I was thinking ebay (most of the ones there don't have stripes, but an hour with a sewing machine and a yard or two of velvet would take care of that). Or, if graduation isn't on a Sunday, hit up your local choir director or mainline Protestant pastor for a loan (many choir robes are similar, and some pastors wear academic gowns to preach -- deliberate symbolism about their role, but coupled with a stole rather than a hood). Or a local costume shop/drama department. Or go all Scarlett O'Hara on them, and make something out of the nearest set of curtains (preferably a la Carol Burnett, with the curtain rods still attached). Desperate times call for desperate measures. If you can claim to have graduated from some institution in the far-flung reaches of the former British Empire without being accused of academic fraud, something made out of upholstery materials might be quite appropriate; some of their regalia is pretty wild, and does, in fact, seem to be channeling a Victorian interior decorator more than anyone else. It strikes me that the (tenured) faculty, aided by the drama department, could get up a really colorful protest if they so chose, and then claim that they were simply honoring diversity by modeling international regalia.
But seriously, I'd consider going in a dark suit or dress (depending on what is gender-conventional), with or without the hood. The dress-up parade is colorful, and sort of fun, but if the point is for you to be there for the students, then what you wear, within reason, really shouldn't matter. And hey, if they won't let you march, then you're free to move around (or disappear) during the ceremony, and come back for mingling and whatever refreshments are on offer afterward.
No one owns their regalia? Really?
ReplyDeleteI have two sets- one that's a little "nicer" and one that's "just okay." Of course, for a while I had a job that I attended as many as six graduation ceremonies a year.
And the handle is accurate. I'm in Student Services.
I've been working here 5 years. I've not attended a single ceremony where regalia was called for. I toss the requests in the trash and play tennis those days.
ReplyDeleteMy PhD advisor got a second-hand black choir robe and wore it with his hood. It worked.
ReplyDeleteIf you actually want to own a robe, a used choir robe would, indeed, be a good place to start. Many are in the same style as academic robes (in fact, they're made by the same manufacturers), the fabrics are chosen with similar considerations in mind (appearance vs. comfort when added over full clothing), and they're sturdy enough to withstand years of weekly use (and occasional cleaning). The first thing to go bad is usually the zipper, which is easily replaced. And, as mentioned above, it's easy to add velvet in strategic spots if you want it.
ReplyDeleteI did what anonymous did. Second-hand black choir robe + the hood. (Mine is a "cassock" though.)
ReplyDelete