Oregon State University could be holding some in-person graduation events this year.
OSU Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Dan Larson, said Friday that the main commencement ceremony will still be virtual due to the pandemic. But he said the school is evaluating whether it will be safe enough by mid-June to hold some smaller events.
"If we had to make the decision today on today’s current public health conditions, probably not," he told the OSU Board of Trustees. "But as we think about and we watch to see how the conditions improve, we’re working to think of what that could look like in terms of celebrations, obviously outdoors and with other measures in place.”
Like most Oregon colleges and universities, OSU has not held in-person graduation celebrations since before the pandemic.
"Again, we're just evaluating it, and we may determine that we just don't have enough knowledge yet about what it's going to look like in June to make any changes," said Larson. "But it's important to take a look at it, and recognize that some sort of in-person celebration is important."
Larson said plans for a return to mostly in-person classes this fall are still on track.