YSU postpones spring graduation ceremony

Graduating Youngstown State University students will have to wait to walk across the stage this year. Tuesday morning President Jim Tressel notified students and staff the spring commencement ceremony originally scheduled for May 9 would be postponed due to the coronavirus.

In the emailed statement, Tressel said:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now recommending against group events of 50 or more people at least for the next two months. YSU's Spring Commencement regularly attracts in excess of 5,000 family members and friends. In light of the CDC's recommendations and the continued uncertainty of our current situation, it is in everyone's best interest that we postpone the Spring Commencement ceremony. Our hopes are that we can hold the ceremony later in the summer. We will keep you informed of those plans. In any case, graduates will still have their degrees conferred on May 9, and diplomas will be mailed a short time after.

All in-person YSU classes for the spring semester were suspended for in-person instruction on March 13. Classes will resume with a fully remote mode of instruction starting March 23.

Are you a graduating YSU senior or a parent of one? How have these changes affected your plans? Let us know your story at news@mahoningmatters.com.

This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 10:04 AM with the headline "YSU postpones spring graduation ceremony."