COVID scrambling schools’ plans
Capital Region colleges are taking different approaches to safety at their ceremonies
As COVID-19 cases rise and government mandates have ended, Capital Region colleges are taking myriad approaches to address student and family safety during upcoming graduation ceremonies.
College commencements are largely scheduled for this weekend and next, coinciding with upstate New York and much of New England having the largest area of high risk of coronavirus spread nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Wednesday, the Capital Region had the third-highest level of reported COVID-19 infections in New York (behind Long Island and western New York), and hospitalizations are also continuing to trend upward. The region is seeing 55 people per 100,000 test positive daily for coronavirus on a seven-day average — a number that is no doubt lower than actual infections as many people take at-home tests and do not report the results to county health departments. That number of daily positive cases was last seen in early
February when the first omicron surge was waning.
Some Capital Region colleges, as a result, are taking extra precautions for their upcoming commencements. Russell Sage College, for example, is requiring commencement attendees to show either proof of vaccination, proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours or a picture of a negative at-home test that morning, for their Saturday commencement at the MVP Arena in Albany. Unvaccinated attendees must wear a mask. Sage has had these requirements in place and publicly shared since February.
Similarly, Siena College is requiring graduates and guests to show proof of vaccination or wear a mask indoors for their commencement events this weekend.
Other colleges, however, are not enforcing as strict COVID-19 regulations. The College of Saint Rose, for example, is following the protocols of MVP Arena for its Saturday commencement and, therefore, is not requiring masks, proof of vaccination or negative COVID -19 tests to enter. Skidmore College also is not requiring masks for its indoor commencement ceremony at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center next Saturday.
The University at Albany is “encouraging ” mask-wearing and asking individuals who exhibit COVID -19 symptoms to stay home, but it also is not requiring proof of vaccination or negative COVID -19 tests. However, Ualbany’s largest graduation event this weekend will be taking place outdoors on the uptown campus at Entry Plaza Lawn.
“Our student population is overwhelmingly vaccinated and boosted, and the folks who are coming with them are not lingering in one place indoors for any length of time at all,” said Jordan Carleo-evangelist, spokesperson for Ualbany.
The university is also holding “moving graduation” events that were also featured last year, which schedule no more than 20 people during 15-minute time slots for graduates to walk past photos of their time at Ualbany, have their names read and pictures taken before they leave. The moving graduations are taking place in three different locations, and are a good option for COVID-19 safety as well as a more personalized graduation experience, Carleo-evangelist said.
With high school graduations coming in a month, districts will also have to consider what COVID -19 rates are like when coming up with protocols for their ceremonies.
Our student population is overwhelmingly vaccinated and boosted, and the folks who are coming with them are not lingering in one place indoors for any length of time at all.”
Jordan Carleo-evangelist, spokesperson for Ualbany