Duke is currently hoping to host an in-person commencement ceremony, according to a Tuesday announcement from President Vincent Price, but families will have to watch remotely as of now.
The event will be held on Sunday, May 2 from 9 to 11 a.m. in Wallace Wade Stadium with mask wearing and social distancing “strictly enforced,” per a tentative plan in Price’s message. Members of the Class of 2021 who have been “regular participants” in COVID-19 surveillance testing would be invited to attend.
The message stated that only students would be allowed to attend the event and that the ceremony would be broadcasted for family members and friends to view.
If pandemic conditions improve, Price noted that Duke will “consider expanding the scope” of the event, but the University may resort to a virtual commencement ceremony if conditions worsen.
Due to travel restrictions, Price wrote that Duke is “exploring possibilities” to hold commencement for the Class of 2020 “sometime after the spring.” Graduate programs will receive “guidance and support” to host their own events, he wrote, and some programs may offer limited in-person events.
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Leah Boyd is a Pratt senior and a social chair of The Chronicle's 118th volume. She was previously editor-in-chief for Volume 117.