The upcoming in-person commencement ceremony, originally scheduled to be held Aug. 1 in the Kibbie Dome, has been cancelled, according to an email University of Idaho President C. Scott Green sent to spring and summer 2020 graduates.
Summer graduates will instead receive “Commencement in a Box,” like spring graduates received earlier. A virtual celebration will be held Aug. 1 to make up for the cancelled in-person ceremony. Videos will be sent to graduates’ inboxes at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 1 and celebrations will be held on UI’s social media channels.
Approximately 40% of people who planned to attend the in-person ceremony would have been arriving from areas experiencing spikes in COVID-19, according to another email sent to faculty, staff and students. Since the university would be unable to test every graduate, relative and friend attending the ceremony, the university decided to cancel the in-person ceremony.
“I am profoundly disappointed to not be able to meet in person, but please know these videos are intended to showcase your hard work and dedication to earning your degree at the University of Idaho,” Green stated. “We are proud of you and want to celebrate with you in these unprecedented times. You are invited to join us in a future, in-person commencement when it is safe for us all to gather together again.”
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Lex Miller can be reached at [email protected]