Chapman officially postpones 2020 commencement

Chapman’s 2020 commencement and graduation ceremonies have been officially postponed, according to an email sent by President Daniele Struppa March 30. The postponement comes as a response to the growing concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

“We are targeting a date in late summer but will have to monitor the progress of coronavirus before a final decision is made,” the email read. “We believe Commencement is more important than ever and are committed to providing this milestone event for our graduating students and their families.”

Graduating students received a survey link from Dean of Student Jerry Price March 26 that collected information from them regarding their summer and fall schedules, as well as the likelihood of them returning to campus for a graduation ceremony at a later date. More than 1,000 graduating students and over 60 parents contributed to the decision process, according to Struppa’s March 30 statement.

“In addition to honoring our graduating students and their families who have supported them throughout their journeys, this Commencement will be a celebration of unity,” Struppa’s email read. “We are a strong community and I’ve never seen it as clearly as I do today.”

Chapman joins a now long list of universities across the country and in Southern California to either postpone their commencements or move them to a virtual space.

University of California, Los Angeles originally moved their commencement ceremony to online, but ultimately walked back the decision after outrage from students and the surge of an online petition.

“We made a decision about this year’s commencement ceremonies without first consulting our students fully,” read a March 19 statement from UCLA’s chancellor, Gene Block. “We will do better to include these important voices going forward.”

Similarly, University of Southern California moved their commencement ceremony to online, but has guaranteed an in-person ceremony at a later date as well, the result of an online petition similar to the case at UCLA. Other Southern California universities, including California State University Los Angeles and California State University Long Beach have all postponed their graduation ceremonies.

For Chapman students who finished their degree programs in the fall of 2019, the wait to walk will be particularly long. All students, including those wrapping up their degree programs this coming May, will have to wait until the late summer to celebrate their achievement.

As of publication, Chapman has not announced when the rescheduled commencement and graduations will take place. Follow The Panther as we continue to bring you the news from campus.