2020 Commencement Postponed
With unprecedented disasters come the inconvenient yet necessary protocols that follow. Unfortunately, McMurry University counts itself as one of the many institutions affected by the spread of COVID-19. Classes have moved online, buildings have been closed, and the majority of its students have retreated to the safety of their homes.
One very regrettable casualty is the commencement ceremony intended for the month of May. The highly anticipated graduation ceremony is meant as a celebration honoring the efforts of McMurry University’s senior students, and many students’ families were planning to attend from distances near and far. With the current health situation, however, these plans have been postponed.
On March 26th, McMurry University released a statement saying that the commencement ceremony would not take place in May as scheduled but later in the year on Saturday, August 8th. The statement also made sure to clarify that this postponement would not delay the conferring of degrees and that all McMurry students expecting to graduate in May would be considered McMurry graduates if they met all of their degree requirements.
Agustin Rios, a graduating senior, commented, “I’m not upset by it. Postponement of some kind was necessary with everything going on. That being said, unless something big comes up, I don’t see why I shouldn’t be there.”
While it is unfortunate, McMurry University seeks to ensure the health and safety of its students, staff, and faculty. Therefore, even if certain events must be set aside for the time being, it is done for the sake of the people and the community.
Hopefully, despite the unexpected events that led to this decision, students and family members alike will still be able to gather in order to commemorate their years of dedication. I think we all look forward to such a momentous occasion, not only as a graduation ceremony, but as a celebration of unity and perseverance through the tribulations of yesterday. Even in times of uncertainty, we gather to cheer for the hope of the new generations, the bright minds now unleashed into the world, and to await for what great things are to come from them.