Three cheers and you're out

Commencement should be a joyous time of year. Witnessing students receive diplomas earned after completing their course of study is a ritual of which any parent can be rightfully proud.

Reports of two incidents, one in South Carolina and another in Ohio, however, raise questions about just how far the celebration should go when children receive their diploma -- and raise even more questions about how strongly an institution should respond to keep over-the-top celebration in check.

The first incident occurred in Florence, S.C. Spectators were told they would be removed from the Florence Civic Center if they cheered for students as they received their diplomas from South Florence High School. Shannon Cooper cheered for her graduating daughter nonetheless and was escorted from the building by police into a van outside the building. She told reporters that she was then taken to the Florence County Detention Center and held until she posted a $225 bond. She subsequently pleaded not guilty to disorderly conduct and requested a trial by jury, which is scheduled for September.

The second incident occurred in Cincinnati, at Mt. Healthy High School's commencement ceremony. After graduating senior Anthony Cornist's family was deemed to have engaged in excessive cheering, he was informed that his diploma was being withheld -- and told he must complete 20 hours of community service before receiving it.

Having attended commencement ceremonies over the years, I'm familiar with the regular incantations from the administrators to withhold all applause until after all graduates have received their diplomas. I'm also familiar with the fact that rarely if ever does an audience of family members and loved ones comply with these requests.

That everyone ignores the pleas for restraint doesn't make things right. But it does raise the question of what's an appropriate response to cheering that's deemed to be "excessive."

If the attendees at South Florence High School's commencement ceremony were clearly warned that excessive cheerers would be removed from the ceremony, it seems fair to expect that it would not be an idle threat. But removing someone from the hall is one thing. Arresting the excessive cheerer as well seems a bit overboard. If attendees were warned that they would not only be removed but charged with disorderly conduct, however, then at least those breaking the rule were the ones being punished.

That doesn't seem to be the case in Cincinnati. There, the students were held responsible for the behavior of the spectators cheering them on. It hardly seems fair to punish a graduating senior because his family and friends can't contain their enthusiasm. It would seem akin to punishing a high school athlete because his loved ones got into a brawl during a game.

The right thing is to make the rules clear, but to make sure the rules hold the violators directly responsible for their own actions. Punishing graduating seniors who presumably were well behaved themselves throughout the ceremony sends a warped message about fairness and accountability.

Rules are rules and if they're made clear people can be expected to abide by them or risk facing consequences. But it would also serve school administrators well to examine whether the rules they set for a celebratory occasion are out of whack to begin with and some re-education is needed to not cast a pall on an otherwise joyous occasion. 

Jeffrey L. Seglin, author of The Right Thing: Conscience, Profit and Personal Responsibility in Today's Business and The Good, the Bad, and Your Business: Choosing Right When Ethical Dilemmas Pull You Apart, is a lecturer in public policy and director of the communications program at Harvard's Kennedy School. Follow him on Twitter: @jseglin 

Do you have ethical questions that you need answered? Send them to rightthing@comcast.net. 

(c) 2012 JEFFREY L. SEGLIN. Distributed by Tribune MediaServices, Inc.