COVID-19 brings changes to in-person college graduations around Hudson Valley

The small band played "Pomp and Circumstance," but the students were already in their seats.

No student procession was just one of the things that was different about graduation at SUNY New Paltz this year.

Another was that this graduation ceremony, at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Old Main Quad, was just one of 14 that will take place on campus between this past weekend and next weekend.

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Donald Christian, president of SUNY New Paltz, stood before about a dozen rows of blue-gowned students and spoke about the difficult year they have just been through.

"We applaud your ability to overcome adversity," Christian said.

As for the lack of some in-person experiences and other things that normally go with a college education but had to be sacrificed in 2020-21, Christian encouraged this year's graduates to see that in a positive light.

"You could see that as a loss," Christian said. "But I also encourage you to see it as a struggle you have overcome, and one of those life experiences that will strengthen you for the experiences that lie ahead."

This past Friday, Saturday and Sunday, SUNY New Paltz held a series of graduations for its December 2020, and January and May 2021 graduates, as well as those who will complete their requirements by August 2021.

Next Saturday and Sunday, the university's December 2019 and January, May and August 2020 graduates will get their turn in the spotlight.

After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of graduation ceremonies last spring, in-person commencements are making a big comeback on college campuses this year.

Many other colleges in the region and beyond are following a blueprint similar to SUNY New Paltz.

Because COVID-19 is still a real health threat, those going the in-person route have been forced to break up graduates into multiple ceremonies with small groups. The difference from campus to campus is the way each school is approaching it.

For those 2020 graduates who never got the chance to walk across the stage and accept their diploma last year, some of their alma maters are going the same route as SUNY New Paltz, trying to make that up to them by including them this year, or holding separate ceremonies for them.

For example, at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, which is well known for its nursing program, it's planning one ceremony Friday morning for its nursing graduates, including those who graduated last year. That will be followed by two ceremonies for all other graduates: the class of 2021 on Saturday, and the class of 2020 on Sunday.

At its graduation ceremonies on the last weekend of the month, Marist College in Poughkeepsie is dividing its undergraduate and graduate students among two ceremonies, depending on which school they were enrolled in.

Communication and the Arts, Computer Science and Mathematics, and Science go on Saturday, while Liberal Arts, Management, Professional Programs, and Social and Behavioral Sciences go on Sunday. With limits on attendance this year, few family members will be in the audience. In some cases, there will be no audience at all.

At Marist and Mount Saint Mary, each student can have up to two guests present at the ceremony. However, at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, attendance at its graduation on May 29 is limited to graduating students only. The ceremony will be livestreamed for family and friends, and it is closed to the public, according to the announcement on the college's website.

When there is an in-person ceremony, students and their guests also must meet one of three health standards set by the state. They will be required to show proof that they either have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19; have recently tested negative for COVID-19 (within the last 72 hours); or have fully recovered from a lab-confirmed case of COVID-19 in the past 90 days, in order to be admitted to the ceremony.

New York state also is requiring all ceremonies to be short this year.

Some colleges are meeting that requirement by dispensing with traditions such as the guest speaker. Many colleges were warning graduates and families in advance that all of these plans are subject to any new local, regional, state or federal health mandates, and could change based on the local health situation on the day of the ceremony.

Colleges in the area also had to consider whether they had enough space to plan in-person, socially distanced events. St. Thomas Aquinas College took advantage of Palisades Credit Union Park in Pomona, a minor league baseball stadium about 12 miles away from the college's Sparkill campus.

St. Thomas Aquinas College scheduled one in-person ceremony on Wednesday for all of its graduates, including up to four guests per graduate.

"From the outset, STAC’s goal was to hold its 2021 Commencement in-person, no matter what," the college said on its website.

Other schools were not as fortunate with outdoor space. Purchase College, a SUNY institution in Westchester County, said on its website that it could not organize an in-person ceremony "due to ongoing safety concerns, and the lack of an event space that meets CDC capacity requirement guidelines."

Purchase planned a virtual ceremony for Friday, but also offered graduates an opportunity to enjoy a final moment on campus before the commencement. Graduates have the chance to schedule time to "walk across" the upper lobby of the school's Performing Arts Center on Wednesday or Thursday to have their photos taken with President Milagros Peña.

"We are striving to create a festive setting for the occasion, with college banners as the backdrop and the opportunity to capture your achievement in a photograph and connect with classmates," the college said on its website.

Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry is among those who decided it was just too soon to return to in-person graduation. It's having a virtual ceremony Wednesday morning.

"With the unpredictability of COVID-19 and the ever-changing safety guidelines, we felt this was the best decision to ensure we could celebrate our graduates," college President Tim Hall wrote in a recent letter to the class of 2021.

He did note that Mercy is holding some other in-person ceremonies and gatherings leading up to the big day.

Of course, with a live, in-person ceremony, there is always the possibility of an unexpected, unscripted moment. As the New Paltz 11 a.m. ceremony was nearing its end Saturday, one apparently late student came running down to the Quad just in time to get in line for her diploma.

A trumpeter in the band acknowledged the moment in a not-so-subtle way, by playing a few notes similar to those that precede a horse race.

Matt Spillane contributed to this report.