The University announced in an email Friday that they will be holding an in-person graduation ceremony for senior graduating in the Fall, along with graduates from the past Spring and Summer semesters.
The ceremony will take place Friday, Dec. 18 outside, “rain or shine,” in Tiger Stadium.
The decision comes in response to “overwhelming feedback” from the student body after they announced on Oct. 23 that no ceremony would take place due to COVID-19.
Graduates will not be able to walk across the stage; instead, they will have their names called and displayed on the video screen in Tiger Stadium.
Each graduate will be allocated four tickets, one for them and three for guests that will sit with them during the ceremony. All attendees are required to wear masks at all times.
The University asks Spring, Summer and Fall 2020 graduates to let the University know if they will be attending in-person by Nov. 20. Graduates can click hear to notify the school of their attendance. Students are not required to attend the in-person ceremony if they are not comfortable.
The University will also be holding a virtual graduation ceremony, students will have the opportunity to attend in-person commencement ceremonies in the future. Students may also attend a second in-person commencement ceremony in the future in order to walk across the stage if they so choose.
They also noted that this Fall commencement ceremony may be subject to cancellation depending on COVID-19 surges and government regulation in the state of Louisiana.
Professional photographers will be available to take photos on campus from Nov. 12-13 and Nov. 16-17.