Dear fellow Penguins,
Hope this finds you all well as we move toward the halfway point of the Spring Semester.
There have been lots of questions across campus and the community recently regarding plans for Spring Commencement and the 2021-22 academic year. It also was a topic of discussion during our Board of Trustees meetings this week.
First, I’m happy to announce that, with updated COVID-19 guidelines announced last week by Gov. DeWine, YSU is planning to conduct in-person Spring Commencement on Saturday, May 8, at Stambaugh Stadium, with May 9 as a rain date. Safety is our top priority. Protocols such as face coverings and social distancing will remain in place. We are looking forward to gathering together to recognize the tremendous work of our graduates. More details to come.
And second, as treatments improve, protocols are more closely followed and vaccine distribution expands, we are hopeful that, come August and the start of Fall Semester 2021, YSU will be at a new stage of our COVID-19 pandemic response.
That said, our goal is to return to near normal operations this coming Fall here at Youngstown State University:
- More face-to-face classes.
- More students in residence halls.
- More activities and events on campus.
- More employees working on campus.
- Campus protocols such as masks, social distancing and hand sanitization remain in place.
- More details will be announced throughout the Spring and Summer. For the latest updates, visit the YSU Coronavirus Information page.
It’s important to understand that, while we are planning and preparing for a return to near normal operations, we also know that those plans can be altered at any time. The same goes for our in-person plans for commencement.
You’ve all faced great, unprecedented challenges; your perseverance through it all has been remarkable. And now it finally feels like there may be reason for optimism. If the availability of vaccines continues to expand, and if the disease does not take any more crazy turns, the opportunity to approach a more normal way of “doing college” could be in our grasp again here at YSU.
So, once again, we ask for patience and for your continued diligence. Keep wearing those masks. Keep your distance. Sanitize your hands. And, when the time comes, “roll up your sleeve” and get vaccinated.
Take care, be well and we’ll be in touch.
Go Penguins,
