Graduate students at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth were surprised when a multi-millionaire speaker presented them with $1,000 at their graduation in May, but not all graduates were so lucky.
Emma Yell and her classmate James Ristaino were two of the 1,200 graduates who missed the May 16 ceremony and therefore did not receive the money their classmates received. according to the New York Times.
The couple said they wanted to attend graduation and receive their diplomas after years of combining their studies with caring for their daughter Elena, now eight years old.
But the stormy conditions meant Elena, who uses a tracheotomy and feeding tubes, would be exposed to the elements.
In his absence, Rob Hale, a local telecommunications billionaire, handed out two envelopes totaling $1,000 to each graduate who took the stage.
He only asked that graduates give one of the envelopes containing $500 to “someone in need or a charity or cause close to them.”
However, the 20 percent of Dartmouth’s graduating class who were unable to attend graduation did not receive a single cent.
“You have to show up,” Hale, who is worth about $5.4 billion, later said. he explained to People magazine.
Emma Yell and her classmate James Ristaino were forced to miss their graduation from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on May 16 due to stormy weather, which would have meant their daughter, who uses a tracheostomy and feeding tubes, would be exposed to the items
In his absence, Rob Hale, a local telecommunications billionaire, handed out two envelopes totaling $1,000 to each graduate who crossed the stage.
Under Hale’s agreement with Dartmouth, the $1,000 was only for students who participated in the May 16 ceremony, said Ryan C Merrill, a school spokesman.
All of the cash in the unclaimed envelopes went toward scholarships donated in Hale and his wife’s names.
“That said, the university remains committed to Mr. Hale’s philanthropic distribution should that change,” Merrill said as those who missed graduation argue they could have used the money.
They detailed many reasons why they couldn’t attend the rainy ceremony.
One graduate, for example, said she missed the ceremony because her postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome flared up that day.
Another said he had elderly parents who wouldn’t have been able to withstand the stormy weather and he didn’t want to leave them at home.
Paige Santos also said she has cerebral palsy and uses an electric scooter that wouldn’t have worked well in the rain.
She said that if she had been given money, she would have donated her $500 to the Special Olympics, where she once competed as a javelin thrower.
And Yell said she and her partner would have donated their share to organizations that support children with special needs.
Yell and Ristaino said they would have used the money to support organizations that help children with special needs.
Hale asked that graduates give one of the envelopes containing $500 to “someone in need or a charity or cause close to them.”
Still, Hale said he always wanted to give back.
He told the Times how an Easter Seals basketball marathon in high school sparked his giving spirit, when he raised more than $1,500 by making layups on a basketball court within an allotted time period.
“I felt a kind of inner glow,” Hale said.
Then, after college, he volunteered as an older brother to a boy who would eventually be in his wedding party.
And as his new company, Granite Telecommunications, grew, so did the amount of money he would donate to charities.
In 2022, he and his wife donated $1 million each week, according to the Times.
This year, they also donated $26.2 million to a variety of groups as part of Hale’s desire to finish the Boston Marathon.
Now he has defended his decision not to give a single cent to graduating seniors who couldn’t attend the rainy Dartmouth ceremony.
However, Hale has continued to defend his refusal to give any money to graduating seniors who couldn’t attend Dartmouth’s rainy ceremony.
“Part of life is showing up,” he said. ‘The message I want to convey to those who don’t attend by choice is: “Hey, this is a celebration of four years of hard work and you have to show up.”‘
After learning of the graduate’s medical problems, Hale appeared to consider making “accommodations.”
But he apparently changed his mind ten days later.
“While he certainly feels sorry for the people who couldn’t attend, for whatever reason, there were still more than 1,000 graduates who were there with him in the pouring rain for graduation,” Katie Sheridan, his executive assistant, told the Times. .
“You would like to maintain the original feeling that you needed to be there to receive the envelopes.”
For Yell, that announcement brought new disappointment.
“I just want people like me, or like us, to be seen,” he said.
“I constantly feel isolated in every way and the graduation ceremony was like the cherry on top of everything.”
DailyMail.com has contacted Dartmouth for comment.