Students in Massage Therapy, Medical Billing, Pharmacy technician, and the Medical Assistance program will dive directly into their desired fields. To be able to plan a year in advance, a date which is still not yet know, is highly unrealistic. Plus any honors the student receives will be given to the runner up if they are not present for the 2015 ceremony. The date of the ceremony is June 20th. The students finish classes the 26th.

The school doesn't want to be put in a difficult position, giving students with less than one week of classes their certification early!

The clinic provides counseling services for up to 12 sessions free of charge for individuals 6 years of age and up. The services are open to the community. The mission of the UTB Community Counseling Clinic is to promote and enhance the quality of life for the community while providing professional training for graduate students completing their Master's Degree in Counseling and Guidance. Counselors are graduate students at UTB. These students have training in counseling theory, methods, human growth and development, and psycho-educational assessment.

All counselors are in the last phase of their education and training at UTB. Services are provided to 80-100 clients each semester and still there is an extensive waiting list. Clients and families that will suffer are victims of violence & trauma, suicidal clients, addicts, sex offenders, etc.

This will be a vital loss to the community. Schools, agencies, and other professionals refer clients to the community to benefit from these services because of their lack of financial resources. Once again, the community in need becomes affected with such oversight.

When brought to the attention of the administration of MHS, they reacted very quickly with an immediate suspension of five days out of school. While commending Mooresville Senior High School for it's prompt and proper reaction to this viral video, the students believe that the time of Out of School Suspension was not enough.

This petition is not aimed toward lengthening the amount of OSS time that the young woman from the bus was given, but to set a new minimum disciplinary standard in bullying cases with irrefutable evidence to prove the misconduct of a student.

This was met with considerable resistance by those within the building and a large police presence was required to keep things under control.

After this, protesters moved to the Senate Rooms to begin a new occupation. The protesters have called police actions 'heavy handed'.

The reciprocal recognition of student concessions is a problem facing all students.

A National Student Concession Card is important because:

1. Students do not have universal access to concessions schemes (such as student public transport concessions) outside their home state;

2. A national concession scheme exists for those holding a senior or pensioner cards but currently nothing similar exists for primary, secondary and tertiary students;

3. The card would offer students another form of identity to use other than a state government issued ‘Proof of Age’ card. This is important as some student cards are very basic, vary in form and are not recognised as formal identification;

4. The card may be able to provide students with a range of third party benefits from students services, and potential recognition for Australian students travelling internationally.

These misdoings of a minority of students should not affect the lives and schedules of the cohort as a whole. We are willing to accept the results as they stand. Please sign this petition if you agree with the above.

The school division superintendent says it is against the district dress code.

Hamish is proud of his heritage and wearing a kilt is widely accepted as appropriate clothing at a graduation.

On the 19th March, our story was published in the Medway Messenger and Kent News.

http://www.kentnews.co.uk/kent-news/Students-angered-at-merged-graduation-decision-newsinkent22284.aspx?news=local

http://www.medwaymessenger.co.uk/kol08/article/default.asp?article_id=59186

According to Kent News, a UCA spokesman defended the decision, saying: “To mark our first graduation ceremonies with full university title, we will be bringing students from Canterbury, Maidstone and Rochester together for a collective celebration at the Maidstone Studios. This venue is a contemporary space which will allow us to create the environment and ambience befitting a creative arts university, for instance by showcasing the work of graduating students through large screen displays."

The question is, why are they telling the media this and not us? They should have consulted us, the students in the first place and given us official reasons at least.

On the 20th of March, UCA finally released a brief statement to the students on the website.

http://www.ucreative.ac.uk/index.cfm?articleid=23282

It says, "In response to student feedback, the University is now reviewing the venue options for the graduation ceremonies in Kent. We hope to be able to confirm the arrangements next week."

The petition will be updated once we have been informed of their decision.

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BACKGROUND STORY:

We are due to graduate on the 25th June 2009. However, Instead of graduating the towns in which we studied, (i.e. Rochester students have their ceremony in the Rochester Cathedral, Canterbury in Canterbury, Maidstone in a nice historical part of Maidstone).

The university management has decided to move the graduation of all 3 campuses in Kent to the Maidstone studios (where they film the Trisha Goddard show). So that's 3 campuses, 59 courses in total (including post-grad) graduating in one day, under one roof, in 2 ceremonies.

Frankly, this isn't on. So far, students have received 2 explanations as to why this is happening, (both VERBAL explanations, although students are still yet to receive an official explaination). The 1st one is simply political correctness, the university wanted a setting that supposedly represented it's multicultural image.

The 2nd explanation is that UCA cannot afford 3 separate graduations. Considering that they have been blowing the budget on plasma screen TVs for the reception area, canteen and conference room (all rarely used), as well as daily fresh flowers for the reception desk, AND a private party for the uni staff and faculty at non other than the Saatchi Gallery. The fact that the uni has the audacity to say that they cannot afford separate ceremonies at the traditional venues is, frankly, disgusting. Especially considering that we the students are paying, out of our own pockets for our graduation.

To quote someone who has already signed the petition:

"Graduating is an award after spending three years at Uni, it requires a sense of uniqueness to it. Students should not be bundled together with campuses they have never visited on the most important day of their academic lives, especially not since their families have travelled far to witness the event."

Surely, we have the right to choose where we graduate. We want to graduate where students from our campuses have always traditionally graduated, ever since these 3 UCA Kent campuses were called KIAD!