USC reschedules in-person graduation ceremony for August — conditionally
An in-person graduation ceremony is back on the schedule for the University of South Carolina — tentatively, and with restrictions.
A month after announcing it would host a virtual commencement instead of a physical one due to the coronavirus pandemic, USC changed course and sent a letter to spring and summer graduates Thursday, announcing it would offer an in-person ceremony after all, at 9 a.m on Aug. 8, in Williams-Brice Stadium.
The event, however, is conditional, depending on if the community experiences a significant increase in coronavirus infection levels in July and August, university president Bob Caslen said in the letter.
If the ceremony does take place, graduates will only be allowed two guests, with whom they’ll have to sit. Graduates and guests will also have to arrive an hour early and wear face coverings. Degrees will be conferred by school/college, instead of having individual graduates walk across the stage.
A virtual commencement ceremony will be offered alongside the in-person one, and it will feature “a slide deck that enables all students to see and hear their recorded names,” according to the letter.
The decision to tentatively offer an in-person ceremony comes after the university sent a survey to graduates last week. The feedback from that survey was “an important part” of the decision to reschedule graduation. The Aug. 8 date was one university officials had previously targeted for a graduation ceremony before initially canceling it.
USC’s letter came on the same day South Carolina reported a record number of 987 daily new COVID-19 cases, bringing the state’s total to 21,533. The state has experienced a sharp increase in virus activity over the past several weeks, with an increased total number of cases and percentage of positive tests. The Department of Health and Environmental Control is projecting the state will have recorded more than 31,000 cases by July 4.
This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 7:29 PM.
