SUNY Oswego President Deborah Stanley announced to graduating seniors that they would be allowed two guests at graduation in an email sent on April 14.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo updated guidelines on Monday, April 12, saying that universities may hold ceremonies up to 100 people or with two attendees per student, as long as the number of total people attending does not exceed 50% of the venue’s capacity. While the university could not originally host guests, the administration planned on making quick changes to the commencement ceremonies based on given state restrictions.
“We have always wanted to provide a typical commencement for our graduates and their families,” Chief Communication Officer Wayne Westervelt said. “This was something that throughout the pandemic … we have been planning for an in-person commencement based on guidelines and the guidelines loosen up a little, and we took advantage of that.”
While the end result of the plan was seven different graduation ceremonies, the university “discussed everything” as Westervelt said, including a potential outdoor event. He added that the campus center was the best option for a variety of reasons, including how accessible it is for live streaming the event to those who cannot attend.
The original plan without guests called for seven ceremonies, hosting 150 students or 1,050 students combined. While this seems like a low number, it was determined based on previous graduation attendance.
“We did a lot of research with the numbers, we looked at roughly how many candidates for graduation were there. We looked at over the years, roughly 1,100 have chosen to participate and walk … So that’s how we got an estimate number of [participants],” said Westervelt. “If the demand is greater and those seven ceremonies sell out, we will pivot accordingly.”
The school administration held to this promise, adding an eighth ceremony planned for Saturday, May 15 from 7-8 p.m. Part of the need stems from decreasing the number of graduates at each ceremony from 150 to 125 in order to bring in 250 guests. With eight ceremonies and only an hour to clean after each one, the custodial and facilities staff at SUNY Oswego will be tested. According to Mitch Fields, the associate vice president of facilities services, his department will be up to the task.
“From a workload standpoint, it is going to be difficult. But we are going to be working with our staff. Most of these people will be on overtime, and since the pandemic set in, we have been on really strong fiscal constraints,” Fields said. “We have not been allowed to [offer] our staff many overtimes, so this is a welcome opportunity to get some ground with respect to their finances. They count on this overtime.”
Fields added that this will not be the work of custodians alone, citing his appreciation for the plumbing, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and other teams in his department. The cleaning process can be completed within that hour timeframe as well, according to Fields.
On Thursday, April 15, graduating seniors had to reserve their graduation time using the SUNY Oswego tickets website. The website crashed when the tickets opened up at 3 p.m., and it took roughly 40 minutes for students to get into the website to reserve seats after entering a waiting room. The process for many, including Ashley Rodriguez, was hectic and a bit troubling.
“It was a bit stressful. I didn’t know what to expect,” Rodriguez said. “With the crash, I wasn’t allowed to get the spot I wanted, but I am just happy I am graduating in general and have the opportunity for my parents to see me walk across the stage.”
While there were issues, Rodriguez did not hold them against the school, as she said “there is only so much” SUNY Oswego could do given COVID-19 guidelines.
SUNY Oswego is one of the few schools able to offer a more “normal” graduation. Across the SUNY system, many schools have selected a virtual graduation. SUNY Oneonta will do just that but will also offer a walk-through graduation, where seniors may accept their diploma and walk across the stage. No guests will be allowed. At SUNY Cortland, students will experience virtually the same ceremonies as SUNY Oneonta. SUNY New Paltz is offering several in-person graduations that will last roughly 30 minutes, according to the school’s website. It will be outside and no guests will be allowed. While these universities share the “SUNY” name, they are all in different positions, as Westervelt said.
“They have different needs, and it’s ultimately each institution’s call on what they feel they can deliver [based on] the situation of their campus,” Westervelt said. “At the end of the day for us, as an institution, Oswego feels that this is the right thing for us. It’s the right thing for us to deliver for our students.”
A lot of the onus falls on the SUNY Oswego students for the ability to have an in-person graduation. Despite a small spike in COVID-19 cases in the fall, SUNY Oswego has not seen a rise in new COVID-19 cases per day greater than 12 since Feb. 2. Westervelt also gave a nod to Stanley, who has been aggressive and determined to offer students an in-person graduation.
In terms of how each hour-long ceremony will go, the final schedule will be worked out in the upcoming weeks. According to Westervelt, Stanley and a student speaker will present a speech, but the largest emphasis will be placed on reading every student’s name.
“Provost [Scott] Furlong will present the degree candidate, and President Stanley will confer your degree,” Westervelt said. “But the focus on the ceremony will be reading names and having our graduates cross the stage.”
Graphic by Patrick Higgins | The Oswegonian
