There was once something sacred about commencement ceremonies in America.

I have a small confession to make. I did not make it to my college graduation ceremony. I just could not see myself in a cap and gown, walking down the aisle and then listening to some inspiring words from a keynote speaker who was just bestowed an honorary doctorate. Do I regret it today? Not in the slightest.

However, I understand how sacred this moment is for thousands of graduates and their families. Not sacred in the religious sense, but sacred in the civic sense, a rare moment where families come together with the common cause of celebrating sacrifice, perseverance, and hope.

A commencement is supposed to belong to the students: the first-generation immigrant whose parents worked double shifts to pay tuition, the young woman who survived cancer while finishing her degree, the son or daughter of refugees who crossed oceans for this exact moment.

Increasingly across America, this space is disappearing.

At universities like City University of New York, the........

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