NDSU Bookstore ordered the wrong commencement gowns

The NDSU Bookstore announced the biannual Grad Fair, where graduation cap and gowns are available to be purchased and students who do so the day of will be entered to win prizes. The event was scheduled to take place April 3 and 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but is now cancelled.

Unfortunately, the event will have to be postponed due to a mix-up and may be cancelled all together. The graduation cap and gowns were sent to the NDSU Bookstore on March 25, but the employee who orders the clothing mixed up the Pantone numbers. The employee would like to remain anonymous to avoid hateful comments from angry graduating students and family members.

Instead of ordering the regular yellow Pantone #123, they switched to #165, and the green Pantone was ordered as #347 instead of #343. This may not sound like a huge problem, but it turns out these Pantones match NDSU’s rival, the University of North Dakota.

In previous years, undergraduate students wore completely black gowns, but this year NDSU President Dean Bresciani announced to employees a new turn for graduation commencement in hopes to surprise graduating seniors. He wanted to boost school spirit by adding NDSU school colors to the gowns.

This new revelation has become a hassle now that NDSU graduates may have to sport the hideous green and orange colors while receiving their degrees. Although the coloring is small and in the upper-right corner, it will be noticeable within photos, and any student will find it hard to miss.

After realizing the mix-up, the employee called the clothing company, but because the order was finalized and commencement is so close, making completely new gowns will be nearly impossible. Commencement is May 11, the gowns are already in stores and many have already been ordered by students, so NDSU students will be stuck with UND colors at graduation.

Graduation is ruined for students now that they will have to represent their rival instead of the university they have attended for years.

The NDSU Bookstore is issuing a public apology about the cancellation of the Grad Fair and the unfortunate mishap, so students will not be surprised when they see the ugly uniforms in windows.

Many faculty and staff have predicted that after the announcement, students will withdraw from commencement and this will be the lowest attendance for the ceremony in the history of NDSU.