Pictured Above: The university announced on Thursday that fall graduates would join spring and summer graduates in the wait to in-person commencement.
Courtesy of Cassidy Schuck
By Sophie Ojdanic
Graduates who hoped they’d be able to walk across the stage this December still have more to wait for.
USF St. Petersburg announced that in-person commencement has been pushed back once more due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is the third in-person commencement turned virtual since spring semester. The university has said that any graduate who misses the traditional walk will be welcome to participate once in-person graduation ceremonies resume.
The State University System of Florida has directed all state universities to “develop alternate commencement ceremonies for the fall semester,” according to an announcement Thursday.
“We are disappointed that we will not be able to provide yet another semester’s graduates with a traditional in-person celebration, but the safety of our students and their loved ones, as well as our faculty and staff, must always come first,” the announcement said.
Spring graduate William Trippett called the decision “an overreaction to a virus that has a miniscule death rate.”
“At some point we will need to start living our lives. We can’t let the cure become more harmful than the actual disease,” Trippett said. “As for graduation, I am going to walk when they decide to conduct the ceremony. I worked too hard to forego this milestone.”
Kamryn Elliott, a mass communications senior graduating December, said the university “played it safe” with its decision, citing the uncertainty of COVID-19.
“I personally wasn’t surprised by the decision and I’m okay with it,” Elliott said. “My viewpoint is that as long as I have my degree I don’t mind not walking across a stage.
“I paid to receive an education; the extras are just bonus features.”
Catherine Hicks contributed to this report.
