Catholic University Delays Commencement Due to COVID-19 Outbreak

By Jared Prenda

On the morning of April 2, many members of Catholic University’s graduating class of 2020 woke up to heartbreak as President John Garvey announced the postponement of the 2020 Commencement ceremony scheduled for May 16. The announcement was made in a school-wide email that stated both the undergraduate Commencement and the Law School Commencement ceremonies scheduled for May 22 were unable to be held in person on their scheduled dates due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The decision came due to the uncertainty surrounding this unprecedented event and the tentative dates associated with social distancing protocols. In the DMV area, there have been 11,750 cases of the virus, including almost 1,500 in Washington, D.C. alone. All three regions have declared a state of emergency. Virginia has extended its stay at home order to June 10, while Washington has ordered nonessential personnel to work at home until April 27 at the earliest. 

Some students had their hearts set on the May date, but understood the decision made by the administration. “The reality of a delayed commencement is very disappointing for all seniors who anticipated a celebration of their success in May,” said senior marketing major Nora Caliban. “It’s upsetting, but the health of ourselves and our loved ones must come first.”

The school declared that it was not canceling the event, but rather postponing it to an unspecified date. This was decided after the graduating class indicated a strong preference to still hold an in-person commencement in a survey conducted by the school. Nearly 700 of the total of 758 members of the class of 2020 responded to the survey. 

One student shared her initial disappointment following the news of the postponement and the cancellation of Program Board’s Senior Week. After a few weeks of reflection, she has changed her view about the current circumstances that seniors are facing.

“It was a dream for all of us to walk across the stage and receive a diploma for all the hard work we’ve done,” said senior history major Paige Spera. “I still have so many memories at Catholic and, honestly, having our senior year cut short makes those memories even sweeter.” 

In his letter to the school, Garvey said he understood the ensuing frustration for many students with the uncertainty of no set date and that the ceremony would hopefully take place sometime over the summer. This is due to the fact there is no certain timeframe of when social distancing will end, nor when it will be safe for large groups to gather again to celebrate the class’s achievement. 

“I know this is disappointing. And I understand that the uncertainty makes it difficult to plan ahead,” Garvey said. “Since the overwhelming preference is for an in-person Commencement, I ask that you wait until the end of April for us to set a date. Our hope is to hold Commencement during the summer.”

This news, though heartbreaking, did not come as a surprise to many students of Catholic University. Over spring break, the school announced that classes would be conducted online for the remainder of March. This order was extended on March 18 to be carried out for the remainder of the spring semester. Summer courses will also be conducted remotely in preparation for the extension of social distancing protocol. 

“I’m so grateful that the university has promised an in-person graduation at a later date. It may not be exactly what we pictured for college graduation, but it’s as close to the normal thing as we can get,” Spera said. “I’m looking forward to sharing this special day with my friends and family.”

A large portion of the student body feared that the university would follow suit with Tufts University in Massachusetts and nearby Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and have a virtual commencement.

“Commencement is a traditional aspect of the senior year. It’s the moment you work your ass off for all throughout your collegiate career,” said senior biomedical engineering major Daniel Ennis. “The idea of a virtual commencement frustrates me since I have been looking forward to hearing my name called, prompting me to walk across the stage and receive my degree in front of all my peers and family and friends.”

Other graduating seniors shared Ennis’ sentiment on the desire to have an in-person commencement, even when delayed to the summer. Senior marketing major James Carroll is willing to take a delay over a cancellation or virtual ceremony.

“I’m willing for [the university] to delay it as long as they need to so that it’s not online’” Carroll said.

Another member of the Class of 2020, finance major Jack Vispoli, echoed this statement.

“I think it’s great that it’s being postponed. I would come back for it later on in the year; as long as it’s on the weekend,” Vispoli said. 

Garvey gave no set date for commencement but notified students in his letter to expect further updates on the matter by the end of April. The school is also yet to announce the commencement speaker or if there will be one at this year’s ceremony. There was no statement made on the events surrounding commencement, such as the Baccalaureate Mass in the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, or if they will be conducted at the same time as the commencement.