With the end of the 2020-2021 academic year quickly approaching, more questions have arisen regarding the spring commencement ceremony set to take place Saturday, May 15.

Members of the Drury University administration, with guidance from the Student Health and Public Safety (SHPS) Committee, collaborated to make the best possible decisions regarding individuals’ safety. Salia Manis who works within the University Registrar is one of said individuals working to accommodate all student concerns and needs for graduation.

In an interview, Manis expanded on her thoughts of why she, and others among Drury’s staff, felt as if the attendance of in-person graduation could be feasible. “Drury administration, faculty, and staff have been dedicated to providing students with as much in-person activity as can be done safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Commencement is such an important milestone in a student’s life that we’ve tried very hard to make it a meaningful and special in-person experience for the student and their family/friends, even during the pandemic.”

Another aspect of some student’s dismay is Drury’s ruling of only providing three tickets per senior for the commencement ceremony. However, Manis explains that by following social distancing guidelines set forth by the CDC and the City of Springfield, O’Reilly Family Center is only able to have 50% of its normal capacity. And according to Manis, the spring 2021 class is larger than those in the past, which is why the three-ticket ruling must be set in place to ensure all attendant’s safety.

Emily Schulze, a senior majoring in biology and chemistry  with a minor in Psychology.  She is a first-generation college student and has been looking forward to this moment for the past four years.

Schulze confessed, “I am rather sad about the 3-ticket ruling for graduation; I would love to have all my loved ones in-person to help celebrate my achievement, but I definitely understand and ultimately respect the decision to cap at 3 tickets per graduate. I understand it must have been a tough decision on administrations’ part, but safety and social distancing have to come first in order to ensure we can have more in-person events in the future.”

In response to any students who may be upset or potentially angry with the three-ticket ruling, Manis responded by stating, “We will live stream the event for those who cannot attend. We will also have an outdoor overflow seating area (indoors if weather is bad) with 150 seats available on a first-come, first-served basis, as well as plenty of standing room. Guests in the overflow area will have a live view of the lining up and processional of students down Drury Lane, then switch to viewing the remainder of the ceremony on a large video board.”

The live stream for the graduation will begin Saturday, May 15th at 11 am at this Youtube link.

“A live stream is obviously a nice option,” said Schulze, “especially during our current climate where travel is more difficult and our more at-risk communities are staying home and still able to be included. But it just isn’t the same. I still had to tell loved ones like my step-parents that they would be unable to attend the ceremony or that they would have to wait in the car and watch from their phones. It is bittersweet to have in-person graduation where I have to prioritize my loved ones and their attendance, but again, I understand and am grateful for their final decision on the 3 ticket ruling.”

In a final comment, Manis stated what she, and the university, would like to see for the December 2021 commencement ceremony, “Our hope is that COVID restrictions will ease by then and we’ll be able to return to a more ‘normal’ ceremony. Regardless of what happens, our goal is to provide some type of in-person experience for our graduates.”

Article by Gabriella Wuller