A lot of us have graduated college. For the graduation ceremony we probably purchased from our school a a cardboard square with some fabric over it plus a threadbare black sheet with a hole in the middle. This traditional cap and gown is goofy enough, but have you ever seen what the professors wear during these ceremonies? When I went to see a friend’s commencement I thought the professors had all graduated from clown college. They were introduced at the start of the ceremony and came out in an array of blistering colors and poofy hats, none of which matched or fit together in any way. I’m sure there’s some thousand year old tradition as to why these clothes look the way they do, but do the traditions really matter at this point? Personally I’d be a lot happier to wear my normal clothes, maybe a formal jacket and shirt, but never something as awful as that. When I’m a faculty member presiding over graduations, you can be sure I’ll tell the provost what I feel about the gowns.