Kennesaw State released a statement Wednesday, March 18, on its website stating that the Spring 2020 commencement ceremonies Tuesday, May 5, and Wednesday, May 6, would be postponed to a later date.
The ceremony will be scheduled later when the university can ensure the safety of the graduates from the COVID-19 virus. KSU has not detailed any specific date for the event to take place in its most recent update.
The rescheduling of the ceremony will not deny graduates of their degrees, according to KSU’s commencement website, as students will still receive their degree after the completion of their final courses online.
KSU is not the only Georgia institution altering its commencement ceremony date.
Georgia State University canceled its commencement ceremony and said it will still plan on sending paper diplomas to those who will graduate, according to GSU’s commencement page. GSU said that the outbreak of COVID-19 would make it not feasible to conduct a ceremony in which large groups of people would be present.
“We fully anticipate sending diplomas to graduating students at the end of the semester, as is normal practice,” GSU President David Becker said. “Graduating students will continue to receive information on the process of degree conferral from the University Registrar, and once all degree requirements are completed, transcripts will still show students have been awarded their degrees.
The Georgia Institute of Technology has also canceled spring commencement and will be delivering diplomas to graduates following USG guidelines as well, according to an announcement made by Georgia Tech’s president.
“I realize how disappointing this is for those of you scheduled to graduate,” Georgia Tech President Angel Cabrera said. “Our commencement ceremonies are cherished traditions that go back well over a century and are symbolic of all that we stand for at Georgia Tech. These are, however, unprecedented times requiring unprecedented actions.”
The University of Georgia, Emory University and Georgia Southern University will also be canceling this year’s commencement while Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College are postponing their ceremonies, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
The commencement ceremony is held for graduating students to formally acquire their diplomas after finishing their degree requirements. It is described as an “ancient, dignified, and highly symbolic ritual of conclusion and emergence, a rite of passage into a new life,” according to KSU’s commencement page.
As of Wednesday, March 18, KSU classes are now fully online for the remainder of the semester. Additionally, students in dorms have been directed to move off-campus, according to the Sentinel.
The university is giving timeslots to on-campus residents to remove their belongings from their dorms. Only students who cannot find housing elsewhere or are unable to return home will be considered for staying in KSU dorms, according to the Sentinel.
As of Thursday, March 12, KSU’s Department of Athletics has suspended all of its sporting events indefinitely, according to the Sentinel. KSU’s announcement came after the Atlantic Sun Conference announced they were suspending its athletic competitions through at least Sunday, April 5.
No reported COVID-19 cases have been confirmed on either KSU campus as of Thursday, March 19.
For more information regarding COVID-19, visit the World Health Organization’s website.
