BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana State University is now planning to hold an in-person graduation ceremony this fall after announcing earlier that it would only hold a virtual ceremony due to coronavirus concerns.
In a statement Friday the university announced that the ceremony would be held Dec. 18 in Tiger Stadium. The ceremony will be open to those who graduated last spring, over the summer and in the fall. The university made the change after soliciting feedback from students.
“In light of the overwhelming feedback we have received in support of an in-person December commencement ceremony, we are pleased to announce that we will offer an in-person ceremony after all, for those who choose to participate,” the university said in a statement.
According to local media, the university had earlier said it would only hold a virtual graduation ceremony. According to The Advocate school officials made the decision on the advice of health officials and as a way to limit any post-Thanksgiving resurgence of the disease.
But WAFB reported that many students and families were upset that there wasn’t a ceremony and questioned why people could attend the school’s football games but not a graduation ceremony.
Students who do not feel comfortable attending the in-person graduation ceremony will be able to attend an online ceremony. Graduates in the in-person ceremony won’t walk across the stage but instead will have their names read aloud and displayed on a screen.
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