Ceremonial duties

At the University of Portsmouth, where I lecture, all graduands receive two free graduation tickets and pay just £10 for extra tickets. But when our younger son graduated from his university recently, we had to pay £70 for a pair of tickets. Graduation ticket prices have risen for each of our three children at different universities (Bristol, Bath Spa and the University of the West of England).

When our older son graduated, the ceremony was in a swelteringly hot tent, grandly called the Pavilion. Although Mary Berry was being awarded an honorary degree, we did not get so much as a cup of tea afterwards, never mind a cake. Add to that we had to watch the ceremony on a monitor from a distant seat, because we had left our binoculars at home.

I wonder if Times Higher Education should start printing a league table of ticket prices for graduation ceremonies.

Michael McCabe
Principal lecturer, department of mathematics
University of Portsmouth