Roosevelt University Graduates Disappointed In Pre-Recorded Virtual Ceremony: 'I Just Think It's Pure Laziness'

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Graduates of Roosevelt University are giving the school a failing grade for Friday's virtual graduation ceremony, and the school is now apologizing.

Expectations for graduation "weren't crazy high," according to graduate Jaida Olvera, but the lowered bar wasn't even met -- not by a long shot.

"I just burst into tears, and me and my sister just cried together because it was overwhelming and upsetting," she said. "And now it's just kind of anger."

When Olvera dressed in her cap and gown with family gather around the laptop there was no live event to tune into.

"It was a series of 18 videos that were prerecorded," she said.

Some videos had music, some had messages, some were blurry and some were off microphone. But no one had a list of names -- no photos, no personal touch. There was no singular standout moment to signify an end of a meaningful road.

"I'm a first gen college student, the first in my family to get a bachelors, so it's a big deal," she said.

In fact, some graduates' names didn't make the graduation website for family to look at and admire.

Roosevelt told the class of 2020, "We apologize for any disappointment this may have caused... We understand that this is a momentous occasion" and that "we thank all of our graduates for their hard work, understanding, compassion and flexibility."

"I just think it's pure laziness," said Olvera. "I was very disappointed in their response."

As they leave behind campus on a sour note, the class of 2020 finds a lesson embedded in the disappointment of college's final chapter.

"If 2020 has taught us anything, it's that you just got to move on and keep going," Olvera said. "Life is going to have these unexpected twists and turns, and you just have to get through it."

Roosevelt is aking anyone whose name did not appear on the website roster of graduates to let them know. The school is also offering any class of 2020 graduates to come back and walk in their next graduation ceremony, which they hope will be next year.