Chaos erupted at Howard University's nursing graduation ceremony, which quickly became the reason for its cancellation.
Howard University abruptly ended the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences graduation ceremony on Thursday, just an hour after it began. Video footage showed a broken door at Cramton Auditorium and a group of locked-out families gathered outside.
Nursing Graduation Ceremony in Chaos
According to The Hilltop, Howard University's student newspaper, crowds began forming two hours before 6 p.m. ceremony, which was not ticketed.
The Hilltop reported that university security closed the doors to the auditorium foyer once the approximately 1,500-seat capacity was reached. The ceremony was to award 280 degrees, with the auditorium's capacity allowing for an estimated 3-4 attendees per graduate.
Dean Gina Spivey-Brown of the CNAHS addressed the crowd, explaining that the fire department was present due to overcrowding concerns, saying, "Because of the size of the room, and because our relatives sometimes do not know how to act, the fire department is now here to shut us down." However, fire officials said that they did not halt the ceremony.
Noah Gray, Chief Communications Officer for D.C. Fire and EMS, stated that they responded to a medical call at 6:42 p.m. at the request of campus police. The patient injured during the chaos was evaluated and later refused transport, and D.C. Fire and EMS left the scene.
As stated by the Howard University officials, security in the institution had removed an individual from the building before the graduation ceremony began. However, the said person have returned back to the place and smashed a glass door outside the auditorium. As a result, one of the students attending the graduation sustained cuts on their hands from the broken glass.
The abrupt turn of events left students and their families shocked and upset. "I'm confused why it got so crazy, how it got so quick, so bad so fast," said graduate Kiana Hamilton.
Numerous more students share the same feelings of devastation and grievances as their anticipated graduation ceremony came to a halt due to the sudden chaos.
Howard University's Cancellation Response
Graduate Halle Ragoonanan expressed deep disappointment, noting her missed high school graduation in 2020 due to the pandemic and her magna cum laude college graduation.
Other graduates shared their frustration over the money their families spent to attend the ceremony, only for it to be canceled.
The university apologized for the cancellation in a Friday statement and announced plans to review crowd control policies, committing to better managing crowd capacity and enhancing future graduation ceremonies.
Howard University President Ben Vinson III acknowledged the college's graduates during the university's commencement ceremony on Saturday, apologizing for the week's events and saluting the graduates.
Following the university's commencement, the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences resumed its ceremony.
Howard University's statement noted that the incident led to a disturbance among guests outside the facility, causing a program disruption and immediate dispersal of attendees.
Some affected students participated in the university's main commencement ceremony on Saturday, with individual awards distributed on Friday.
