COLOMBIA – The University of South Carolina will hold face-to-face graduation ceremonies at the Williams-Brice Stadium in May – another sign of a return to normalcy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
USC joins the largest colleges in South Carolina in allowing families and friends to attend graduation. This occurs a year after these ceremonies were postponed or canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak. Most schools conduct their ceremonies outdoors, which is seen as a way to reduce the chances of the virus spreading through the crowds.
USC will distribute participants in the football stadium seats for three separate ceremonies on May 7 and 8, the state’s largest college announced. Graduates will be seated in the field.
“Graduates, I am very happy to celebrate with all of you. See you at Willy B!” USC President Bob Caslen tweeted, using a nickname for Williams-Brice Stadium.
The school held virtual openings in 2020.
USC will hold a separate recognition ceremony for 2020 students at Williams-Brice on May 15.
“Although the diplomas have already been awarded in virtual ceremonies, you and some guests are invited to celebrate your achievement alongside your colleagues,” says the school on its website.
Clemson University, the state’s second largest school, will host 12 separate graduation ceremonies over four days at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, May 5-8 in Greenville.
Three graduations will be held each day with the arena being disinfected and sanitized between ceremonies. Clemson held winter graduation events at the arena in December.
The College of Charleston is offering graduates a choice of ceremonies in the spring.
A graduation ceremony where family and friends can attend will be held at Patriots Point Football Stadium on May 6. The events will be broadcast live to satellite locations in the city center.
Coastal Carolina University in Conway is conducting graduation ceremonies at Brooks Stadium, where the football team plays, from 7 to 8 May.
The decision to conduct face-to-face graduations across South Carolina came after Governor Henry McMaster lifted restrictions on mass meetings this month. He cited the drop in the number of coronavirus cases and the increased availability of the COVID-19 vaccine to break the rules.
Still, the state ranked fifth in the country in new cases per 100,000 people in the latest weekly data from the White House.