In a letter to the campus community, MU’s chancellor announced the university plans on hosting in-person commencements for the Classes of 2020 and 2021.
The announcement from the university said that each student is allowed up to six in-person guests that will be required to wear masks and grouped in “pods” that are socially distanced from others. While MU hasn’t finalized all the details, university spokesperson, Christian Basi, explained that multiple departments in the university have been working on this plan for months.
“The plan has been scrutinized very closely with individuals who have expertise in public health and individuals who have been at the forefront of this pandemic since the very beginning,” Basi said.
He also highlighted the importance of guest cooperation with university guidelines.
“When you’re on campus, we do expect you to wear a face-covering if you’re with others or you’re inside a building,” Basi said. “We do expect you to be aware and properly social distance. And, if we want to be able to continue to have these types of in-person ceremonies, we need everyone cooperating with those guidelines.”
Ceremonies for May and August 2021 graduates will be held over the weekends of May 7 to May 9 and May 14 to May 16. 2020 graduates will be celebrated from April 23 to April 25.