Under the direction of the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s public university system, USF has postponed its graduation “until further notice” and extended remote classes through the end of the spring semester.
Courtesy of U.S. Department of State
By Emily Wunderlich
Seniors across the University of South Florida system will not have a spring graduation ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead, university officials say they are “working diligently with student leaders to develop creative alternative solutions to give our graduates the recognition they have rightly earned,” including possibly expanding August ceremonies to include spring graduates.
“Commencement is a vital element of our university community and an important milestone in the lives of our students and their families,” the university said in its latest advisory. “Per Board of Governors direction, the spring 2020 commencement scheduled for May is postponed until further notice. We understand this is very disappointing to our graduates and their families.”
The announcement comes hours after the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s public university system, announced that “traditional on-campus commencement ceremonies will not be held in May.”
The board also extended remote classes for all public Florida universities through the end of the spring semester, following a recommendation from Governor Ron DeSantis.
“This means that, if able, students should make plans to remain off campus until at least May 7,” the university said in its advisory. “Residential students will receive separate guidance shortly.”
The Florida Board of Governors is also encouraging universities to “consider using remote instruction for the early summer terms,” though it is not yet required.
All university employees who can work remotely are being encouraged to do so until at least April 6.
All USF campuses remain open at this time, with limited services available to students. Student Health Services and USF Health clinical operations will continue as usual, unless otherwise noted.
DeSantis said Tuesday that four University of Florida students tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
So far, no cases have been reported among the USF community.
As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, Florida had 216 positive cases of the disease, with 195 of them being state residents, according to the Florida Department of Health.
So far, seven people in Florida have died of the virus.
The governor called for other sweeping measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
Starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, he said, all bars and nightclubs will close for the next 30 days.
Restaurants should operate at half capacity, with all customers separated by a distance of at least six feet. Restaurants should also screen their employees before allowing them to work.
The state is also recommending no groups larger than 10 people be allowed at Florida beaches, with each group separated by a significant distance.
The health department’s latest report shows seven positive cases of COVID-19 in Hillsborough County and four in Pinellas.
This is a developing story. Stay with crowsneststpete.com for updates.
This story was last updated at 6:19 p.m. on March 17 to include the Florida Health Department’s latest numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths.
