Online Commencement In Times Of Coronavirus


Tuesday, May 19, 2020

When all the top colleges in the US closed their campuses and transitioned to online college and virtual classrooms as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic that has resulted in Stay At Home Orders and social distancing measures, it was clear that 2020 graduation commencement ceremonies were either going to be cancelled or postponed.



College seniors have lost their final weeks on their college campuses and have had to face big changes in what 2020 graduation commencement ceremonies look like. The current coronavirus pandemic has, after all, forced many top colleges and best universities to close their college campuses and transition to online learning.

Some colleges and universities originally held out hope that the virus outbreak might subside enough to hold spring commencement this month. It appears that most, if not all, colleges have to hold ceremonies virtually or outright cancel them for the class of 2020.

Initially, when colleges began to announce changes to commencement plans, petitions and open letters popped up almost immediately online. College students acknowledged that graduation ceremonies held in May would not be safe but argued that their hard work should still be acknowledged through an in-person ceremony at some point.

An open letter at Georgetown University, for example, gathered as many as 1,200 signatures as it asked for university administrators to simply postpone the 2020 commencement rather than cancel it or hold it virtually.

Seniors around the country can definitely expect to experience college graduation virtually, as college administrators seek to acknowledge student achievements while respecting Stay At Home orders and social distancing measures. Northeastern University in Boston, for example, announced it would hold commencement virtually. Baylor University in Texas announced that it would postpone its ceremonies but could not say, with certainty, when rescheduled in-person events could take place.

Many colleges have cancelled graduations. Others, such as Harvard, have scheduled virtual ceremonies. Students have taken things into their own hands and crafted their own ceremonies—on a digitally reconstructed campus—through Minecraft.

Other schools, such as Trinity Washington University, a small private school in Washington, D.C., has said it hopes to lock down a date in June for an in-person ceremony.

“If we can’t do it in June, we are very committed to doing a commencement ceremony, full regalia, full pomp and circumstance. When we get to do it, it’s going to be the biggest darn party we’ve ever had,” says Patricia McGuire.

Many students have felt heartbroken, as they have been waiting for this day. For many students, graduating from college wasn’t always a sure thing. Many students and their families have had to go through a lot in order to get through an entire college degree—from figuring out how to finance college tuition to overcoming trying circumstances in order to graduate.

Families also spend months planning to visit campuses and attend graduation ceremonies. Many times, celebrating graduation is not just about the accomplishments of the individual student. It is about celebrating the work that all have put in for this grand achievement. The families of first-generation college students, for instance, are celebrating what it means to have a member of the family earn a degree.

For now, while the COVID-19 pandemic continues, it seems that online, virtual graduation ceremonies are the way to go. Social distancing measures and Stay At Home Orders continue so celebrations will need to continue online.




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