State university looking into incident of graduating student allegedly barred from going on stage over her shoes
The West Visayas State University is investigating a viral incident from its commencement ceremony, where a graduating student was allegedly prevented from going on stage to receive her diploma for supposedly wearing inappropriate shoes.
The university issued a statement on Facebook, acknowledging the graduate's concerns.
"We deeply value our students' voices and are currently looking into the matter," it said, adding that it would review its policies "with compassion and fairness in mind."
The statement came after Cybelle Rio Jhane Hembra aired her dismay on Facebook over almost missing her graduation because of the shoes she wore.
Hembra recounted buying Parisian closed black shoes on sale, a significant purchase for her as she used money she earned from various part-time jobs during college.
"Excited ako kasi ngayon lang ako nagkaroon ng shoes na branded pero kaya kong bilhin," she recalled.
She added that the general footwear requirement for their graduation attire was black closed shoes. However, the students were reportedly not shown what kind was not allowed. "Walang picture o basis na pinadala," she wrote.
On graduation day, Hembra was surprised when a faculty member called her attention because her shoes should have been plain and without straps.
In her post, she shared a picture of her footwear, closed-toe shoes with heels and a thin strap around the ankle.
Despite immediately attempting to remove the straps, Hembra was still blocked from entering the venue over her shoes. She was also told it was her fault because announcements about supposed appropriate attire were made.
Later on, Hembra was eventually allowed inside the venue, while her mother was allegedly stopped for being a latecomer.
This wouldn't be the end of her troubles, as while lining up to go on stage, Hembra was approached by a faculty member, who told her to borrow shoes from a classmate.
"Nawawalan na ako ng pag-asa dahil alam kong papalapit nang tawagin ang aking pangalan. Kahit mangiyak-ngiyak na ako tumakbo ako papuntang stage umakyat nang may mapaklang ngiti," she recalled.
"Hindi ko naman alam na 'yung dapat ay masaya kong graduation ay masisira pala ng sapatos na pinaghirapan ko," she lamented.
Several users offered comforting messages in the comments section of Hembra's post.
"A graduation ceremony is a once-in-a-lifetime celebration for a student. Every student deserves to be celebrated and happy on that day, yet that precious moment was stolen from you. You didn’t deserve their insensitive and inconsiderate actions," one user wrote.
"Shoes do not define your years of hard work, nor should they be a reason to stop you from receiving your long-awaited recognition," another added.
Some argued that the dress code should be followed.
"For a State U, it would be disorderly for it to not be able to enforce its rules," one said.
Another also claimed that a graduation orientation was held where visuals were shown about the appropriate attire.
The West Visayas State University has yet to issue another statement as of writing.
