A graduation dancing party—a music festival—ever held in Tamkang University (TKU) for many years was cancelled due to SARS. Lai Wei-chu, a senior, and concurrently the President of Graduation Organizing Committee, said that the committee has made a difficult and painful decision. However, the good wishes festival will remain unchanged. The funds saved from the cancelled graduation dancing party will be donated to charity groups on behalf of all graduates.

The graduation dancing party scheduled for last Saturday was originally planned to move to outdoor Skating Ground. But according to regulations for outdoor activities promulgated by school authorities, participants should all wear masks, which will make the party difficult to maintain cheerful atmosphere, Lai said, adding that even though a few students were interested in attending the party under such a circumstance. However, she stressed that the decision to cancel the graduation dancing party was chiefly for the sake of the health of schoolmates. All in all, the life is more important than a party, Lai said.

The fund for the ceased graduation dancing party will be donated to charity organizations under the name of all the 24th TKU Graduates after deducting the basic cost.

A good- wishes festival on May 12 will extend to one week longer till May 30 because it’s quite popular among students. More than 4,000 blessing cards had been sent out as of May 17. Students can get the blessing cards at the stands in front of Business and Management Building so as to give good wishes to the graduates. Lai hoped that schoolmates should give more blessing to graduates and graduates would mutually give blessing to each other to remedy the sadness of lacking graduation atmosphere.

In related news, the graduation examination ended last week. But the cancellation of graduation ceremony did affect Tamkang Campus. The picture of graduates wearing bachelor gowns posing for photos around the campus was scarcely seen this year.

More than 6,000 students will be graduated this year. But only 2,000 graduates rented caps and gowns and fewer graduates wearing gowns took pictures on campus. Only more than 1,000 graduates bought graduation commemorative yearbooks and even three senior classes didn’t participate in producing graduation commemorative yearbook. The graduation atmosphere has been affected due to SARS.

In addition, for the sake of safety, many departments have cancelled teacher-thanking party. Departments of Management, Architecture and Building Technology, and Construction have cancelled teachers thanking party. “We will present gifts and greeting cards to express our thanks to teachers, “ said Yeh Fang-yu, who was in charge of organizing teacher thanking party for Department of Management. Department of Chemical Engineering (DCE) had planned to hold teacher-thanking party at Westing Hotel Taipei but postponed it until the epidemic SARS situation relaxed.

Still many departments’ teacher-thanking party remained unchanged. Department of Electrical Engineering held a teacher-thanking party last Thursday. Department of Mass Communication (DMC) held a teacher-thanking party last week. Lee Mei-hua, Chair of DMC, said: “It is really a pity that you met Sept. 21 killer earthquake when you entered Tamkang and met SARS when you are about to graduate.”