University of Michigan cancels all commencement ceremonies and encourages students to go home
You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.
Does the "one last call for alcohol" mean they're running out of hand sanitizer?
Do students get a pro rated refund of their tuition and room and board?
I’m guessing the answer is no.
anecdotal - with regards to room and board, i once had to leave the dorm mid-semester and was reimbursed for a prorated rate.
ya, but they might get their sheepskin without completing the work.
As an out of state senior, I'm at a loss for words and thoughts right now. I and many others have no idea what to do in this situation. I worked for 4 years only to have my senior year cut short with no senior festivities, no graduation, no commencement speaker, and receive an email from Schlissel telling us to scram. If I had to guess, my 2020 class will receive our diplomas in the mail and that will be end of it. Really didn't ever think my time at Michigan would end like this. Sorry for the rant, but needed to get that off my chest
Edit: Appreciate the support from everyone. Still trying to figure out if, how, and when I'm going to go home. Still in denial a bit about what's happening and can't bring myself to make a final decision about what to do and leave Ann Arbor
If you have a Michigan diploma, it will never end.
Go Blue! And Congratulations!
Feel bad for ya, but if I were you, I'd take it and run... your life is JUST getting started, don't think that M is the end of your journey... it's just the beginning.
I was fortunate after the complete exhaustion of my college career, to settle in Las Vegas! That's when the fun began, and so did a lot of success in the business world. There was a good 5 - 10 years I didn't watch a single Michigan game... too much fun being had out & about.
Go out there and enjoy yourself!
This sucks, hopefully the universities can put something together next year that recognizes this. We’ll probably see a lot football games that somehow celebrate the 2020 grads.
it sucks, and I do feel for you. Graduation week was an amazing time for my family, friends, and me.
I encourage you to try and plan something creative as a substitute with a small close group of friends and family. Sometimes hardships can create opportunities for shared positive experiences which will lead to even stronger and fonder memories than if it all went according to plan. I’d also encourage seniors to petition the school to have a “redo” ceremony when this all gets better. While not quite the same, it can also serve as a reunion of sorts for folks who have gone on to start their post college lives.
I don't remember a single thing special about the end of senior year except the naked mile which is of course gone. Graduation ceremonies are ridiculously dull and lame. Lets all sit around while hundreds of people get their name called out and handed a piece of paper, exciting. You're not missing anything imo.
I couldn’t disagree more. The value it had for my mom, grandma, and extended family to see me walk across that stage after all the sacrifice they made for me to get to that point is impossible to describe. Add to that the week of festivities, the good byes, the closure and culmination of your youth... man, I’m getting misty eyed just thinking about it. Going to go watch Old School now.
This, 1000x this. Absolutely no recognition for those who so richly deserve it? For students who are now indebted to the University to the tune of $200k, I would think the University could facilitate some sort of graduation ceremony for them and their families who sacrificed to make it happen.
While I appreciate some people downplaying the significance to soften the blow for this soon-to-be-grad, this isn't like going to Chili's for dinner. It's a once in a lifetime experience that these kids *paid for*. I think it's bullshit and a gross overreaction to just say *fuck it* and just not do anything. Despite all the histrionics people are going through right now because a more-contagious-than-usual flu strain is going around, they could simply *delay* the ceremonies until June by which time this will have mostly blown over.
I genuinely feel bad for all these seniors, they are getting galactically screwed.
Same. We all filed into The Big House for about an hour and then sat through some guy I don't remember speaking.
My family all hanging out in Ann Arbor and partying with my friends is what I remember most about graduation week.
March 13th, 2020 at 10:12 PM ^
I can't think of any classmate I know who drew anything memorable from the official graduation day events. I don't think it's that big a deal, especially given the stakes here, and while it would be nice for current grads to enjoy the day and have time to say goodbye to friends, it's just nothing in the scheme of things and a little whiney to bitch about it.
First, congratulations on your soon to be bestowed degree (even if only by mail). Twenty seven years after graduating, a U of M degree is something that continues to be a great networking tool and I’ve still maintained friendships even though all of my closest friends from U of M live in different states.
The experiences I had, the friendships I made and the things I learned are all more important to me than a graduation ceremony. But, I would be shocked if the University didn’t work hard to give you a more fitting graduation (I’d like to say it will be for purely altruistic reasons, but it will probably largely be driven by the fact that having you leave happy will result in more alumni donations in the future).
With regards to Schissel telling you to scram, it sounds like many other schools are treating their students much worse. University of Dayton only gave students 24 hours to leave campus. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/briannasacks/college-students-coronavirus-dorms-closing
had this happened to me back in 1998 I could have avoided falling down buck naked several times while running the naked mile, then singing the Victors at the cube while covered in my own puke and blood.
sorry you don’t get that opportunity.
On a serious note this does really suck for you and seniors across the country. Sorry and I wish you luck.
The Michigan Difference.
You can act like a man.
Can you not be like that
God forbid I want what every other Michigan grad before me has gotten...
Honestly, graduation for me (both undergrad and grad) was really nothing of note. Someone mentioned walking across the stage but you don’t do that as an undergrad here, you just sit in the stadium and listen to a few speeches. On my list of memorable undergrad experiences it’s pretty well down there.
For grad school, our term didn’t actually end until June, so “commencement“ in April was extremely anticlimactic. I wore a cap and gown for a couple hours and then went back to finishing a paper.
you shouldn't say that with all this virus stuff going around
My son is also an out-of-state senior, and I think he, too, is at a bit of a loss. He's also in ROTC and doesn't know if there will be a commissioning ceremony or it's out along with the rest of the commencement-related celebrations.
But, as others have said, your (very understandable) disappointment and frustration with this will fade over time, especially as you get on to bigger and better things (they're out there, I promise!). Congratulations in advance on your graduation, and good luck in whatever comes next. You'll always be a Wolverine.
If it makes you feel better everybody gets their actual degree through the mail.
But in all seriousness this absolutely sucks and I'm sorry. To not have a chance to celebrate these last few months with your friends, have your family celebrate your accomplishments, etc. is a real downer.
I feel for you. The last few weeks of Senior year were an incredibly special time for me. I will say though, what made them special had nothing to do with the diplomas or ceremonies. It was just a very nostalgic time. In many ways, you've already had the experiences that a lot of us did during our last few weeks. You just didn't have them while feeling nostalgia in the present moment, if that makes sense.
Also, gives you one hell of an excuse to get the gang together for a football saturday this fall.
I am so sorry. This is a terrible loss for you and your class.
The Michigan experience never really ends man. Ann Arbor will be there like a warm hug for the rest of your life. That, said. Sorry this happened for all of you guys.
so do they just give you a 4.0 for the semester and you graduate?
March 14th, 2020 at 12:10 AM ^
Time in college is amazing. It goes by so fast... this only made it go by faster. Bummer but chin up. You got a full life ahead of you. Success
"If I had to guess, my 2020 class will receive our diplomas in the mail and that will be end of it."
Everyone receives their diploma in the mail... and they charge you for it.
At commencement you don't actually get your diploma.
You have my support and sympathy on this. I just hope this corona thing does not become a precedent for some other virus in the future.
Glad this never happened in my day.
If you know a student who can't get home easily or can't get their stuff home, might want to let them know about this.
https://www.uhaul.com/Articles/About/20625/College-Students-U-Haul-Offers-30-Days-Free-Self-Storage-amid-Coronavirus-Outbreak/?utm_campaign=uhaulsm&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=pr&utm_content=20200312-uhaulisoffering30
Very cool post... someone might want to sticky this.
I know everyone is kind of just scrambling here to make decisions, And decisions right now are difficult, but I’m really questioning the way UM has handled this, specifically timing...
First cancel classes, but leave students on campus to exchange germs in dorms, coffeeshops, etc. then at the apparent height of acceleration of the virus have the human petri dish that is a confined college-aged population disperse to various parts of the state and country. Who does this benefit?
The students? Not sure how, they’re low risk population and would likely get this eventually anyway. Also see above on the feelings of an actual senior student. Also certainly hurts education objectives.
The broader Michigan or US community? Not sure how... see above and general conventional wisdom around massive movement of humans between communities right now spreading the virus. Also they’re probably going home to parents (older) and maybe grandparents (too old)
the U in limiting liability and removing any future difficult decisions on this topic. Probably.
very happy to hear disagreements or learn new facts or theories on this. I’m just ranting on my personal opinion about this specific decision. I have not been impressed by Schillel overall.
If I lived in the dorms I would voluntarily leave. Once a case shows up in any dormitory it's going to be locked down for at least two weeks. Could you imagine being in South Quad for 2 weeks and unable to leave?
Fair. I guess I’m operating under the assumption that it’s already spreading through the dorms, which we really don’t know. If OH is estimating that 100k people have it, id imagine it’s in the dorms 1 state away.
From all the responses from pretty learned-seeming epidemiologists that I've seen, that Ohio number is pretty dubious. Like it's possible that there's some sizeable number of mild/asymptomatic cases out there, but 100k seems like a huge stretch that was based on an off-hand, non-serious extrapolation.
Damnit Ohio... I’m ashamed to have believed anything from the worst state.
At least South Quad has a dining hall.
That’s because South Quad sucks ...freshman year for me in East Quad is still probably the best year of my life. Note: the drinking age that year was still 18 and we beat ND and OSU.
East Quad represent!!
4th Anderson
Maybe spare a thought for the people who would be needed to work for a low wage to clean and maintain those buildings?
Unless you were going to volunteer to go in and scrub toilets and wash dishes. Then, by all means, go off king.
I’m kind of confused by your comment, and why you’re so angry and mean in the way you responded.
Is your point that the cleaning staff (that is certainly already there and getting paid to do their job - indirectly paid by the students I might add) might be at higher risk in the dorms now? If so, that’s a good point, and an oversight in my post. How to weigh that against the health of the broader communities that students are returning to is a tough choice.
It’s simply part of social distancing. The fewer people you interact with, the less the virus spreads. It’s better to be in close contact with 3-5 people at your house than 50-1000 (who knows what the upper bound is) in college.
I agree, but shouldn’t they have done that as soon as they canceled in-person class?
From what I can see, Michigan seems to be handling this better tan many other schools. Many schools have required students to leave, in some cases with as little as 24 hours notice. Michigan has provided them the option to stay. Many Michigan students live close enough that it makes lots of sense to leave. For others, it may be more challenging. Unlike many other schools, Michigan provided an option.
They also indicated that they are looking for alternative graduation plans. Finally they announced an additional 80 hours of paid time off for employees directly impacted by Covid-19 (illness to self or family member or quarantine.
From what I can see, Michigan seems to be handling this better tan many other schools. Many schools have required students to leave, in some cases with as little as 24 hours notice. Michigan has provided them the option to stay. Many Michigan students live close enough that it makes lots of sense to leave. For others, it may be more challenging. Unlike many other schools, Michigan provided an option.
They also indicated that they are looking for alternative graduation plans. Finally they announced an additional 80 hours of paid time off for employees directly impacted by Covid-19 (illness to self or family member or quarantine.
I find it very hard to criticize decisions made by anyone in power in times like this. The situation is unprecedented and every decision has list of pros and cons on both sides. Every action is going to have a negative impact on some group, so the hope is just that the net benefit to society is greater than zero. It's basically impossible to find the perfect combination of actions that will end up as optimal in hindsight. It's a lot like being a football coach - there are a lot of different priorities, issues, and constraints that apply, and not every action is going to be the "right" call.
The best I think we should expect is that a) the decisions are made giving proper consideration to the impact on all stakeholders, including the people with a second and third degree indirect impact; b) be transparent about your process, and honest about the negative impacts; c) flexible and humble to change as new information requires it; and d) timely without rushing out unreliable information.
Zero percent chance I go home.
Quit Drinking and Go Home