Students from the class of 2020 voted on a potential date for commencement ceremonies in the town hall Zoom meeting today.
Commencement ceremonies originally scheduled for May 9 were postponed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19).
University officials hosted the meeting with students from the class of 2020 to answer questions and conduct a poll with the possible dates. President Martha Burger and Interim Provost George Sims led the meeting.
Victorial Mayhall, political science/Spanish senior, and Jay Williams, religion senior, were two of four undergraduate students chosen to be on the Commencement Working Group, organized by university officials. Mayhall and Williams presented the potential dates: Sept. 5, Oct. 31 and Dec. 19. Williams said the Sept. 5 date was chosen because it is during labor day weekend, the Oct. 31 date was chosen because it is during Homecoming weekend, and the Dec. 19 date was chosen because it is the end of the fall term.
In a poll conducted during the Zoom meeting, the Sept. 5 date was voted the top choice by 71% of participating students. The Oct. 31 date was voted the second choice and the Dec. 19 date was voted the third choice.
Officials will host an additional Zoom townhall meeting at 1 p.m. on April 9 at to answer questions and run the poll again.
The poll also had questions about how likely it would be that students would return to campus for a commencement ceremony. 77% responded “Highly likely.” When asked if students would be interested in a virtual commencement ceremony in addition to a physical ceremony, 55% responded “Yes.” When asked if students would return to campus for additional commencement activities the Friday before commencement, 91% responded “Yes.”
In addition to the ceremony, the class of 2020 will have the option to participate in a new tradition for graduating seniors. Megan Hornbeck Allen, director of alumni engagement, said OCU is starting a new event of signing the Goldstar Memorial Building.
“Legend has it that students have been sneaking upstairs to sign the Goldstar building for decades tracing back to the 1960s,” she said.
Hornbeck Allen said the new tradition will allow graduating seniors permission and access during the commencement weekend to the upper floors of the Goldstar Memorial Building to sign their name.
“The implementation of this new event, “Sign the Goldstar,” has the potential to be even more significant and meaningful given the unprecedented pandemic that is impacting our campus and the class of 2020,” she said.
Sims said once a date for commencement is chosen, the different colleges will plan their own recognition ceremonies during the weekend.
Regardless of the date of the ceremony, Sims said OCU will confer all degrees as soon as seniors complete the degree requirements.
During the meeting, a student asked if the COVID-19 pandemic continues longer than expected and commencement ceremonies are cancelled again, if there will still be a ceremony at a later date.
Burger said officials will reschedule the commencement ceremony’s date to a later time.
“As long as this graduating class wants to have a ceremony, we will make that happen,” Burger said.
Mayhall said she appreciates that officials are ensuring seniors’ voices are heard about planning commencement.
“I am happy that campus administration is working to make sure the class of 2020’s achievements and accomplishments are still recognized and celebrated,” she said.
Sims said OCU is committed to celebrating the class of 2020.
“While this isn’t going to be the traditional time, it’s going to be one to remember for the class that graduated during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Sims said.
Leave a Reply