After a petition directed at the university to consider a socially distanced graduation, the university made the decision to have two days for graduation as well as an online option.
“I, like so many others, have worked so hard to be able to graduate and walk across the stage at that graduation. I watched last fall’s graduation and was incredibly disappointed by how it turned out,” Kendra Halder, animal and veterinary science major, said.
“The university has also had a year to figure out how to make things work, and there are so many other universities that are doing their best for their students as well,” Halder said.
Halder signed the petition along with just under 3,000 other students as of March 30.
“I don’t normally sign anything on Change.org but I did this time and I will be graduating in person,” Joe Melia, a general studies major, said. “I’m here and I’m excited for it. Four years flew by really fast.”
Tanner Conley, a communications major with a minor in public relations, said that he signed the petition as well as shared the petition to other students.
“I am really relieved that we are having an in person graduation. It’s what I’ve expected from the four plus years of schooling and it’s really nice to have something normal in this day and age,” Conley said. “Graduation is relieving to be done with school but terrifying knowing that this is my last stop before adulthood.”
The in-person graduation was given adjustments to ensure COVID-19 safety.
“Graduation won’t all be held on one day, it will be spread out between two days,” Halder said.
In addition to graduation taking two days, each graduate is allowed two additional spaces for family members to attend the graduation.
“I feel like it’s a pretty appropriate number for graduation considering COVID-19. COVID-19 wise two is okay,” Melia said.
Conley said he has mixed emotions with the two person limit for guests.
“I go back and forth because I can see it both ways. The fact that they’re giving us any tickets is a miracle. I have grandparents and a sister who wanted to come down to watch it but I‘m not going to complain when it was that we were not getting a graduation ceremony at all,” Conley said.
The in person graduation will be held over May 14 and 15.
