Chaos Now Breaks At An Unexpected University Graduation

May 16, 2024

Chaos now breaks at an unexpected university graduation, resulting in shattered glass, injuries, and a mob of angry parents.

A glass door was shattered.

A student suffered a cut to their hand.

And furious parents chanted “Let us in!”

This is what Howard University nursing students saw Thursday night as their graduation was canceled mid-ceremony and guests were locked out, reports NewsWeek.

A large crowd turned out to watch the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences students graduate in Washington, D.C., but not everyone got in.

Angry attendees denied entrance to Cramton Auditorium on Howard University’s campus due to capacity limitations chanted their disapproval.

“Wowwww @Howard University do F*CKING better.

I’m student (sic) here and can plan a graduation ceremony better that (sic) your unprofessional faculty.

Yall have a whole field that can be utilized, why would you try to cramp everyone in one auditorium,” destinymarilynn posted to TikTok.

Lydia Sermons, chief communications officer, told 7 News space limitations has not been an issue in past years.

She added that the 2024 graduating class is Howard University’s largest in history.

Combined with the fact many students did not have a “normal” high school graduation in 2020 due to the pandemic, the graduation crowds this year have been huge.

Cramton Auditorium holds about 1,500 people.

Sermons said the school would plan to prevent a repeat of this year’s events in the future.

The university released a statement Friday afternoon acknowledging the importance of the “long-awaited moment for our students, many of whom missed their high school graduations, other celebrations and began their academic journey in a virtual environment during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“Along that vein, we apologize wholeheartedly for the challenges experienced during our College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences (CNAHS) Honors and Awards Ceremony,” the statement read.

“The overcrowding at Cramton Auditorium significantly impacted the guest experience.”

There were no arrests in connection with Thursday’s graduation, according to Lee Lepe, Metropolitan Police Department Communications Officer.

The nursing graduation website stated tickets were not required. Seating was going to be “allotted on a first-come, first-served basis.”

Several hundred people were also left out in the rain on Friday after Cramton Auditorium reached capacity for the College of Engineering and Architecture graduation ceremony.

A second ceremony for the nursing students was held Saturday.

The university said in their statement Friday they would still be “unable to accommodate everyone” and invited guests who would not be able to sit in the auditorium to watch via livestream.

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Also Read: An Unexpected Retailer Is Now Closing All Stores in Illinois

Other Economy News Today

An essential retailer now makes more unexpected closures in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and in Virginia.

On May 7, Rite Aid filed a notice of additional closing stores in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey, which listed four locations that it will shut down in New York City; Philadelphia; Virginia Beach, Va.; and Sewell, N.J.

Rite Aid last filed notices for additional closures on April 26 to close seven additional locations in the Midwest and East and on April 23 to close 16 stores across the nation, per TheStreet.

The latest Rite Aid store closures bring the amount of shuttered locations to 349 of the original 2,100 stores that were open in the U.S. when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The drugstore chain initially filed an Oct. 17 motion to reject store leases and close 154 stores.

The retailer faced strong competition from its rivals including CVS (CVS), Walgreens Boots Alliance, Walmart, Costco, Amazon and investor Mark Cuban’s CostPlus Drug, which contributed to the debtor’s financial woes.

The company was also a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed against it by the Department of Justice in March 2023, which alleged that the chain’s pharmacists inappropriately filled opioid prescriptions, contributing to the opioid epidemic.

The bankruptcy filing provides an automatic stay of any further legal action against the debtor in the lawsuit while the Chapter 11 case proceeds.

It also provides the company the opportunity to negotiate a settlement at a potentially lower amount than outside of bankruptcy, reports the outlet.

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Also Read: Retirees Will Now Receive More Money For Social Security

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