University of Massachusetts Dartmouth graduates were surprised when a billionaire commencement speaker handed them $1,000 in May – but not everyone in the class was so lucky.
Emma Yell and her partner James Ristaino were forced to miss out on the graduation ceremony on May 16 and therefore did not get the cash gift as their classmates did, according to the New York Times.
The couple said they wanted to attend the commencement and receive their diplomas after years of combining their coursework with care for their now eight-year-old daughter, Elena.
But the stormy conditions meant Elena, who uses a tracheotomy and feeding tubes, would be exposed to the elements.
In their absence, Rob Hale – a local telecommunications billionaire – handed out two envelopes totaling $1,000 to each graduate who crossed the stage.
He only asked that the graduates give one of the envelopes containing $500 to ‘someone in need or a charity or cause close to them.’
Anyone in Dartmouth’s graduating class that was unable to show up for commencement, however, did not receive a single penny.
‘You’ve got to show up,’ Hale, who is worth about $5.4 billion, later explained to People Magazine.
Under his agreement with Dartmouth, the $1,000 was only for students who participated in the ceremony, said Ryan C Merrill, a spokesman for the school.
Any cash in the unclaimed envelopes went into endowed scholarships in Hale and his wife’s names.
‘With that said, the university remains committed to Mr. Hale’s philanthropic distribution should that ever change,’ Merrill said, as those who could not make it to graduation argue they could have used the money.
They detailed many reasons why they were unable to 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 older parents who could not have handled the stormy weather, and he did not want to leave them at home.
Paige Santos also said she has cerebral palsy and uses an electric scooter that would not have done well in the rain.
She claimed that if she were given thee 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 given their portion to organizations that support children with special needs.
Still, Hale said he has always wanted to give back.
He told the Times how a high school Easter Seals hoop-a-thon sparked his generous spirit, when he raised over $1,500 making layups on a basketball court within an allotted period of time.
‘I felt a kind of internal glow,’ Hale recounted.
Then, following college, he volunteered as a Big Brother to a boy who would eventually be in his wedding party.
And as his start-up, Granite Telecommunications, grew, so did the amount of money he would give to charity.
In 2022, he and his wife gave away $1million each week, according to the Times.
This year, they also donated $26.2million to a variety of groups as part of Hale’s desire to finish the Boston Marathon.
Yet Hale has continued to defend his refusal to give graduating seniors that weren’t able to attend Dartmouth’s rainy ceremony some money.
‘Part of life is showing up,’ he said. ‘The message I want to be delivered for those who don’t attend by choice is “Hey, this is a celebration of four years of hard work and you’ve got to show up.”‘
He seemed to briefly consider making ‘accommodations’ after hearing of graduate’s medical problems.
But he apparently changed his mind ten days later.
‘Even though he is certainly sorry for the folks who could not make it, for any reason, there were still over 1,000 graduates that were there with him in the pouring rain for the commencement,’ Katie Sheridan, his executive assistant, told the Times.
‘He would like to stick with the original sentiment that you had to be there in order to receive the envelopes.’
For Yell, that announcement sparked renewed disappointment.
‘I just want people like me – or us – to be seen,’ she said.
‘I feel constantly isolated in every way and the graduation ceremony was just like the cherry on top of everything.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to Dartmouth for comment.