University butchers students names at graduation

[Imzadi]

Now THIS should be a reason students stand outside of a university protesting. They go to a college for 4 years. Their family spends hundreds of dollars to fly in, stay at a hotel, just to watch that moment when the graduate walks across the stage - only to have the announcer flub their names.

We aren't talking long ethnic names. But names like Sarah, Molly Elizabeth, Allison, Jessica.

And the last name in the video, pronounced "Tah Moo May" is the same name as the university: Thomas Jefferson University in Pennsylvania. The school is probably changing their name over as you read this, to Tah Moo May Jefferson University.

This went on for about 6 minutes before they changed the announcer out. Supposedly she was reading the phonetic pronunciation of the names.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Perhaps she was in this guy's class when she was in school?

 

[lovesmurfs]

LOL. DD just graduated. They had cards that they handed to someone who gave them to the announcer with their name pronunciation. I can only wonder whether it was something similar and the individuals with common names decided on a prank?

 

[Brian Noble]

I've been a name reader for our graduation. Our students submit name cards that have an optional phonetic pronunciation. If that's there, I used it unless it was obviously a prank ("Seymore Butts"). It's not my job to tell some student how to pronounce their name, even if I think what they wrote on the card was "wrong". That said, our graduations were known for going over time, so we were encouraged to read "with speed rather than accuracy." Once you get into a flow state, you'll read pretty much anything they put on the card.

But the names are not the hard part. For PhDs, we also read the titles of their dissertations. The Chemical Engineers, in particular, have very complex titles!

 

[tvguy]

The student providing a pronunciation has been the norm at every Graduation I have ever been to.
I did the PA announcing for Little League tournaments for years and I always went over pronunciations with the parents in the stands as soon as I got the lineup cards.
My favorite was the year I had two players with the last name Garcia on opposing teams. Easy, right? First kid's parents confirm the pronunciation GAR-SEE-AH. Go to the other side and I say GAR-SEE-AH and find out that child pronounced it GAR-SHA. I commented that I was glad I asked, mentioned there was a Garcia on the other team with a different pronunciation. His parents said "yeah, they are cousins.......their dad's are brothers but for some reason pronounce their last name differently"

 

[MIGrandma]

I saw that on the news. Ridiculous.

 

[mjkacmom]

I think a lot of colleges are switching to AI name announcements.

 

[Boopuff]

This is pathetic. You work at a university, but can't pronounce "Thomas"? Either that person was totally trying to goof things up or the kids were doing a prank.

 

[tony67]

Yeah its a bit much but if the phonetic is provided it should probably be used - Ralph Fiennes for example...

That one may be valid - but there are so many ridiculous ones these days you cant win - everyone want to be unique and special - get over yourself.

 

[soccerdad72]

LOL. DD just graduated. They had cards that they handed to someone who gave them to the announcer with their name pronunciation. I can only wonder whether it was something similar and the individuals with common names decided on a prank?

Same here. I was impressed with the professors doing the names at our son’s ceremony. Being an engineering school, there was a lot of foreign names and I know I would have struggled with many of them.

I did have to laugh at one point. The electrical engineering professor they chose (each major had a different person) had such a thick European accent that even the Michael’s in the graduation class sounded like a foreign name.

 

[Disneychick75]

At uni, professors would mispronounce my last name in the building named for my relative with the same last name!

 

[Babs Johnson]

Yeah, even way back in 1980 the person reciting graduates’ names at my university mispronounced mine. It starts with a C and uses the hard K pronunciation, but the woman used the soft S sound despite me making a note of the proper way.

 

[Donalddidwhat…?!]

Yeah its a bit much but if the phonetic is provided it should probably be used - Ralph Fiennes for example...

That one may be valid - but there are so many ridiculous ones these days you cant win - everyone want to be unique and special - get over yourself.

That’s easy…
Ralph Fee-ehh-nay…!!!

 

[Donalddidwhat…?!]

At uni, professors would mispronounce my last name in the building named for my relative with the same last name!

Name-dropper…!!!!!

 

[_19disnA]

Since several names in a row were stated with obvious errors in that video, it doesn't seem like the students were doing that on purpose. It almost seemed like the problem was a spacing/word-wrap issue on how the name appeared of those printed cards they handed to the announcer.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

I live in Philly where this occurred. It wasn't the student's fault. People are pretty upset and understandably so. It was and is embarrassing. It was absolutely ridiculous and there is speculation it was done intentionally because it was so egregious and how do you not realize what you are "reading" makes absolutely no sense. The poor guy Thomas didn't even get his last name read (probably for the best).