K-State cancels graduation, goes online till end of semester amid coronavirus fears
With the nation’s health officials calling for the cancellation of events where more than 50 would gather, Kansas State University on Monday canceled its May graduation.
“The CDC recommends events of any size should only be continued if they can be carried out with adherence to guidelines for protecting vulnerable populations, hand hygiene and social distancing,” university officials said in a post on the school’s website.
In-person commencement ceremonies scheduled for May 9, 15 and 16 on the Manhattan and Polytechnic campuses are canceled.
“We are reviewing alternate methods to celebrate the academic achievements of our students and will release details later,” the statement said.
It also said residence halls and dining centers will close beginning March 20. Previously, officials had said classes would be offered online only until the end of the semester.
Neither the University of Kansas nor any of the University of Missouri System’s four campuses — Kansas City, Columbia, Rolla and St. Louis — have decided whether to cancel in-person graduation ceremonies.
Last week, while KU students were on spring break, officials canceled in-person classes at the Lawrence and Edwards campuses March 16-22. After March 23, all classes will move online. The University of Missouri system announced Friday all classes would remain online through the end of the semester.
Also last week, university President Richard Myers was concerned about what risks might arise when students returned to campus from break. Classes were canceled March 16-20 and will resume remotely beginning March 23.
“When everyone returns, it could increase the risk of the spread of the novel coronavirus,” Myers said. “The concept of social distancing has been shown to slow a disease outbreak, so reducing the number of times and places that people gather in large numbers or spend extensive time together could help slow the disease.”
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 3:19 PM with the headline "K-State cancels graduation, goes online till end of semester amid coronavirus fears."
