WCU to hold ceremony for grads who got rained out

Officials at West Chester University said Monday that they would hold a second ceremony Thursday for graduates who could not be cheered at Saturday's outdoor commencement because of a rainstorm.

The makeup ceremony is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Hollinger Field House.

Strong winds and rain swept through the area Saturday before about 355 of the 475 graduates in the College of Business and Public Affairs could walk across the stage, according to the university.

The storm made conditions dangerous, and a tower holding a speaker onstage fell in the wind and grazed a student on the shoulder, said Pamela Sheridan, a university spokeswoman. The student was treated for a scratch.

Parent Kathleen Matteo said she had waited a long time to hear her daughter's name called. Because of medical problems, her daughter graduated after six years.

"The culmination, the pinnacle in all of this, is hearing your child's name called and having the picture of the dean of the college dressed in his attire handing your kid a diploma," Matteo said. "It's very disappointing."

The school said it "regrets that the sudden severe weather on Saturday caused the university to stop the afternoon commencement ceremony before all of the WCU graduates could cross the stage and receive their diplomas."