Central State says grad’s dance on stage will cost him $300

A Central State University graduate said he can’t get a job in his field of study because he did a dance during graduation.

Dwayne Davis said the school fined him $300, and that he can’t get his full transcripts to show potential employers until he pays up.

“I don’t have $300. I just graduated college. I don’t have $300,” he said.

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Davis said he is the oldest of 10 in his family and the first to graduate from college. He was so excited that he was graduating almost three weeks ago that he broke into dance for five seconds on stage during the ceremony.

“This was a big moment for me,” Davis said.

Earlier this year, Davis said the university made students sign a form saying the graduates would not do anything outrageous to disrupt the ceremony. If they did, they would be fined $300. Davis told me he doesn't believe his five-second dance was disruptive.

"If I would have flipped, like I feel that’s outrageous  If I would have flipped or ran across the stage. All I did was right before I (shook) everybody’s hands I went down and went up,” he said.

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“I (shook) everybody’s hand except for the provost. He did not shake my hand. He dismissed me and he told me to hurry up and take the picture with the president,” Davis said.

He said he had seen similar behavior at previous graduation ceremonies but that no one was fined.

Central State University said they had no comment about Davis’ situation nor the form they had students sign.

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