As one of the females who won the Dean's List award this year, I was not offended in any way by their behavior (hey, I got to hug Dean!) If I had wanted a handshake, I would have offered my hand. At States I shook hands with all of the judges except my mentor (who was a judge), who I hugged. Becoming a Finalist was a big deal and my mentor has helped me so much. It was an emotional time and maybe I'm just a hug kind of person.
At Worlds, winning was a complete surprise and there was a lot of emotion. Upon arriving at the stage I did not extend my hand for a handshake, and Dean gave me a big hug. This award is a big accomplishment and meeting Dean, Don, and Woodie was a first. While I can't speak for the other Dean's List Winners, I do look up to them a lot so I was completely ok with hugging them, actually I wanted to. Hugging is sometimes seen as a gesture of friendship.
Point is, there is a lot of emotion when they announce your name, whether I received a hug or a handshake was not on my mind. I just didn't want to fall on the stairs in front of all those people
