Nursing Students Claim OCC Graduation Plans Exclude Them

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Changes to the way Ocean County College will hold its commencement ceremonies in the spring have sparked complaints from students in the nursing program, who say they are being excluded from the ceremonies.

But Ocean County College President Pamela Monaco says the students have reacted without having complete information.

A petition on Change.org launched over the weekend says nursing students will not be included in the college's commencement program, and implies that the only celebration will be the traditional pinning ceremony, where the nursing graduate receive their nursing pins.

"Graduating from college is a significant milestone in every student's life, an achievement that deserves to be celebrated to its fullest extent," Maddy Brown, who anticipates graduating in May 2026, wrote on her petition. Nursing students at OCC would be "excluded from the main commencement ceremony and instead have our achievements combined within a smaller pinning ceremony. While the pinning ceremony holds cultural significance in the field of nursing, it does not replace the experience of participating in a full commencement with the rest of the graduating class."

"Our request is simple and fair: include nursing students in the commencement ceremony alongside all other graduates," she wrote. "This change not only honors the monumental effort nursing students have put into their education but also aligns with the inclusivity and equality that higher education institutions strive to uphold."

The petition had received more than 1,500 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.

Monaco, in a telephone interview Thursday, said the petition is missing information and facts about what is under consideration for graduation, which is still more than six months away.

Commencement exercises at the college have typically been held outside on the campus. That puts commencement at risk if there is rain.

"For the last two years, commencement was rained out," Monaco said, and the college had to move the exercises indoors. In May, there were 1,495 students who received their degrees. Rain forced cancellation of the outdoor ceremony and \commencement was divided into three ceremonies in the OCC gymnasium as a result.

Changing the dates and times of commencement creates problems for both students and their family members, because so many students and their families work, she said.

"Many of them have to take off work to attend commencement," Monaco said. "Some of them don't have the luxury of saying 'Oh, I'll just take off at this time,' " when it is rescheduled at the last minute.

To avoid those issues, the college is planning to move its commencement exercises indoors from the start and hold them at the RWJ Barnabas Health Arena on the campus of Toms River High School North. The graduating class will be divided into two groups of students, and ceremonies held at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on graduation day, Monaco said.

Splitting the graduates into two groups will allow students to have multiple guests attend the commencement exercises at the arena, which has a 3,200-seat capacity.

The arena would be used for the nursing students as well, Monaco said, with the pinning ceremony followed by their commencement exercises. That would allow the students to invite more family members to both ceremonies.

Currently, the pinning ceremony is limited to just two attendees per student, Brown said in her petition. It has been held in the auditorium at the Grunin Center for the Performing Arts.

Monaco said the finer details of the nursing pinning and commencement were yet to be worked out, but the goal is to make sure the students do feel celebrated with an appropriate commencement ceremony. There are 113 nursing students expected to graduate in May, she said.

If Ocean County College were to combine the nursing students with the other commencement ceremonies, it would mean squeezing in their attendees, Monaco said, and could lead to restrictions on invitations for everyone.

It is not uncommon for colleges and universities to have multiple, smaller commencement ceremonies designated for specific departments or colleges within a larger university community, to fully accommodate the graduates and their families.

Monaco said the nursing students — along with community members and former OCC students — have spoken out on social media about the change and as a result several have contacted her directly by email. She has explained the plans and decision-making to those who have emailed, she said.

"They have not heard directly from me (about spring commencement) because it's October," Monaco said, but the reaction on social media has been frustrating.

Monaco said she would like to instead sit down with several students and the dean of the school of nursing and health sciences to work out the details of how the pinning ceremony and commencement would work, because she understands the importance of both elements.

Students who are interested in participating in that discussion are invited to email her.

"This is all about you, the students," Monaco said.