Graduation is the culmination of years of hard work for undergrads. Ashley Nelsen, a senior public relations and advertising major, has been dreaming of crossing a stage to receive a diploma ever since she arrived at Chapman. 

“As a freshman, I remember talking with all my friends and saying we can’t wait until we all graduate and get to take pictures and create all those special memories,” Nelsen said. “Also, for your family to be able to see you graduate is a big thing, especially from such a great school.”  

After months hoping COVID-19 wouldn’t curtail their graduation plans, seniors received good news Feb. 8 when Chapman’s commencement team sent an email announcing a modified in-person ceremony would be held the weekends of July 30 and Aug. 6. 

However, there are conditions — due to the pandemic’s impact, a typical graduation with thousands of undergraduates, families and friends is not feasible. Prior to the announcement, Chapman’s commencement team asked students and parents for their input on how the ceremony should be conducted, sending out a Dec. 16 survey to parents and graduating students  asking them to indicate their preference. They were provided with options including a virtual toast and celebration, a drive-thru event on campus in May that includes professional photo opportunities, the chance to cross a commencement stage and other “socially-distanced” activities, or the postponement of traditional commencement to another date later in the year. 

“I feel like college is not easy and I have worked so hard,” said Armond Gray, a senior kinesiology major. “I want to be able to have a real graduation, but I also understand that we are in a pandemic.”

Gray labeled the drive-thru his favorite option, rescheduling his second and the virtual toast being his least favorite. While preferring a slightly different experience, some other students and families agreed with Gray’s in-person preference.

“After receiving the survey results from both graduating classes and their parents, the overwhelming majority of the participants said they preferred an in-person event even if it was at a later date,” wrote Brittany Pacheco, Chapman’s associate director of academic events, in an email to The Panther. 

Thus, the commencement team settled on pushing the date back in order to have an in-person ceremony on Wilson Field. Seniors can order their cap and gown now, allowing five weeks for shipping, and should continue to check their email for updates, Pacheco said.  

However, in order to keep students and families safe, there will be a variety of safety measures implemented. 

“We will require all attendees to wear a mask; we will have socially distanced seating for graduates and guests on Wilson Field and (implement) hand washing and sanitizing stations throughout campus for easy access,” Pacheco wrote. 

Despite the altered format, seniors are simply excited to be having any kind of ceremony at all. Gray, for one, is planning for a few members of his immediate family to travel down to Orange — perhaps renting a house or staying by the beach — to have a small, isolated celebration. Nelsen, meanwhile, is appreciative that she gets a chance to live the dream her freshman self once had four years prior. 

“I initially was shocked to hear the news, but I’m excited and happy to hear that there could be an in person graduation in July,” Nelsen said. “(This past year has) been especially hard with the pandemic. Being able to experience graduating in person, with my friends and family present, will be even more rewarding.”