By Kurt Martone, Staff Writer
Graduation will be held in person this year, according to a release sent out by St. Bonaventure University on March 22.
Graduation will take place on Saturday, May 15. Seven small ceremonies will be conducted over the course of the day, divided into graduating schools. The schools of arts, sciences, business, education, communication, health professions and graduate will each have a predetermined time slot.
All graduation sessions will take place in the Richter Center. Each graduating student will be allowed to bring two guests with them to the ceremonies.
Tom Missel, the chief communications officer for the university, is on the commencement committee.
“If cases become a concern but the state doesn’t force us to shut down, then we could still end up restricting guests for graduation,” Missel said.
Like most years before, every student who attends will be able to walk the stage.
“We recognize that crossing the stage to receive your degree is the most important element of commencement day for graduates,” said Missel.
The university is still waiting to hear from the state as to whether or not attendees will be required to test negative.
“We’re hoping that by April 15 we will have more feedback from New York state on what will be required of colleges to conduct commencement ceremonies. The size of those individual ceremonies may dictate if testing or proof of vaccination is required,” said Missel.
According to SBU-TV, faculty and staff of each school will be able to attend, but will only be able to watch from the indoor track that overlooks the gym floor.
Unlike most years, there is no plan this year to bring in a guest speaker.
According to Missel, Joseph Zimmer, acting university president, will speak briefly at each ceremony and the student speaker will be pre-recorded and available to watch on commencement day.
Ceremonies that traditionally take place in the days leading up to graduation, like the candlelight ceremony, will take place at some point in the weeks leading up to commencement.
Baccalaureate Mass will still be held the day before graduation, although it will be on May 14. People will be able to attend in person but attendance in the chapel is limited, so a virtual option will be available.
“The plan is to still conduct a Baccalaureate Mass on Friday, although with limited seating in the chapel due to COVID, it will be a virtual event for almost everyone,” said Missel.
If students are sent home early like the fall, the planned ceremony will be conducted virtually.
“Graduation could certainly be impacted by a rise in cases, and it might not even be our decision. If cases get to the point where we pass the state-mandated threshold of 100 active cases, then they could make us revert to online instruction only, or perhaps even send everyone home,” said Missel.
The university is still planning to make up for the class of 2020’s virtual commencement. They hope to conduct an in-person ceremony in the summer of 2022, according to the email release.
“Our focus right now is to figure out the best way possible to celebrate the Class of 2021,” said Missel. “We will meet shortly after graduation to discuss ways to honor them in person.”
martonkd18@bonaventure.edu
