500 signatures reached
To: Neeli Bendapudi, UofL Commencement Staff, UofL Covid Coordinating Committee, UofL Leadership Team
Reconsideration of the UofL Class of 2020 Commencement Ceremony
An in person graduation ceremony is feasible for the fall 2020 commencement. The University of Louisville is currently allowing attendance to athletic events and allowing in person classes on campus. There are several modifications that can be made by UofL to accommodate a semi-normal graduation experience for students and their families.
1) Utilizing the KFC YUM! center, Broadbend Arena, and Freedom Hall for time allotted ceremonies (Ex: Nursing and Dental Hygiene @9am, Medical and Dental @12pm, Arts and Sciences @2pm, etc.) These venues are all large enough to accommodate large groups of people, while still abiding by state regulations regarding social distancing and mandatory face coverings.
2) Have a temperature check and COVID-19 questionnaire upon arrival for all attendees. This will allow a record of each person in admittance to ensure public safety.
3) Limit the amount of family and friends allowed to attend the ceremony. This will ensure that 50% capacity of venue is not surpassed.
Why is this important?
This is important because every student deserves the opportunity to celebrate their dedication to furthering their education with an in-person ceremony. Many students are first generation college graduates, many have made vast financial expenditures to attend such a prestigious and diverse university, and ALL have worked tirelessly to attain a desired level of education. As stated above, there are several modifications that can be made to safely and effectively execute an in-person ceremony. The Kentucky Governor, Andy Beshear, approved a plan to allow fans at the home football games inside of Cardinal Stadium for this season. The seating capacity was set at 20%. That allows about 12,000 fans inside of the 60,800-seat stadium. If the governor was able to allow this for an athletic event, the university should be able to continue with a traditional in person graduation ceremony with reduced seating capacity for college graduates. This is a very important milestone in each students life, and though it will not proceed as a pre-COVID-19 normal, there is still room to solidify the memory that each student has longed for since beginning their college career.