UCLA's 2020 Commencement Ceremony Will Be Held Virtually Because of the Novel Coronavirus

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The commencement ceremony for students in the class of 2020 at the University of California, Los Angeles, will look a little different than the traditional pomp and circumstance.

UCLA announced on Wednesday that this year’s commencement ceremonies will be done virtually in order to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

“As we all work to limit the spread of COVID-19, it has become increasingly clear that we will not be able to gather in person for spring 2020 commencement ceremonies, so the College commencement, doctoral hooding ceremony and all campus graduation ceremonies will be adapted to be virtual events,” the school’s Chancellor, Gene D. Block, said in a press release.

The university had already announced that all classes were transitioned to remote learning for the rest of the spring quarter, which ends in June.

The virtual ceremony for the UCLA College will be held on June 12, and will still feature a keynote speaker that has yet to be announced.

UCLA’s College commencement and all campus graduation ceremonies will be virtual this year, as we work to limit the spread of #COVIDー19 and protect our family and friends who would have joined us.
Please remember: the day does not define the journey.https://t.co/sXLi3JVafZ

— UCLA (@UCLA) March 19, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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“The College will offer new opportunities to connect our graduates in a variety of ways that further enhance the virtual event,” the press release said.

“Please remember that, even for an event as momentous as commencement, the day does not define the journey,” the press release concluded. “We will work diligently to make graduation as special as possible for all of our students and all of your loved ones. Even when we are apart, we remain deeply connected as Bruins, and I look forward to celebrating your accomplishments this spring.”

A Change.org petition, however, called for the university to postpone its commencement ceremonies instead of hold them on a virtual platform.

“We are a brilliant class of first-gens, transfer students, future doctors, lawyers, politicians, teachers, scientists, and more,” wrote the petition’s organizer, Tara Ostad.

“We did not work this hard to have an online graduation. Please sign this petition to have UCLA move to postpone it instead so that we can have our graduation, the thing we’ve been looking forward to for the last 2-4 years, on a day where we can all gather together versus an online ceremony that will not honor all our achievements. I know this sucks, but we can wait.”

The petition had 4,465 signatures Wednesday evening. Its goal is 5,000.

The move to hold the commencement ceremonies virtually comes as sporting events and concerts have been postponed, Hollywood productions have been stalled, and schools across the country have shuttered their doors amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In Los Angeles, groups of 50 or more have been prohibited through the end of the month by the county’s health department. And on Monday, Donald Trump issued new recommendations to stall the spread of COVID-19, asking Americans to avoid gathering in groups of 10 or more.

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Additional guidelines included opting for drive-thru, delivery or take-out options instead of going in person to bars, restaurants and other eateries, to “avoid discretionary travel” and to avoid facilities for the elderly and critically ill, who are already at increased risk from the virus.

There are now at least 5,881 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of Wednesday morning, with at least 107 of those people dying from a COVID-19 related illness.

The mysterious respiratory disease began in Wuhan, China, in late December, since spreading worldwide. The virus’ rapid spread prompted the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency — the first time the WHO has done so since 2016 zika epidemic.