University of Texas System Chancellor James Milliken sent a letter to the presidents of the eight academic UT institutions Tuesday stating changes to spring commencement ceremonies due to COVID-19.
“In light of the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) guidance prohibiting gatherings, all spring commencement ceremonies shall be postponed,” the letter posted on the UT System’s website states. “Graduating students will receive their degrees as scheduled, but the ceremonies we all look forward to will be held at a later date, most likely in the fall.”
Asked when the UTRGV commencement will be held, President Guy Bailey said in an interview Wednesday the university has to wait and see the progress of COVID-19 before making a decision.
“So, what we’re trying to do right now is just wait and carefully monitor and act in a timely manner, but not act so quickly that we have to go in and revise things,” Bailey said.
Rehabilitation services senior Abby Davila, who is graduating this semester, said it is for the better of everyone’s health.
“When I found out, I right away told my family about it,” Davila said. “So, knowing that there are precautions for the coronavirus, I think it’s better just to be safe, and it’s better that the ceremony got postponed because you never know what could happen if everyone’s there together.”
Bailey said the campus community will be notified about new dates for the commencement ceremonies via email, social media, text messages and newspaper.
Asked what message Davila has for graduating seniors, she replied, “I would like to say that, we would still be graduating. We’ll still be walking. I mean, we are still receiving our diploma. That wasn’t taken away from us. Yes, it might have gotten moved to a later date, but we worked really hard all these years. And if it got moved, it’s for a good reason, for keeping us healthy and just for us to stay safe.”
As reported by The Rider on Feb. 3, “[COVID-19] was first detected [on] Dec. 31, 2019, in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.”
COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that can be transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, according to the CDC’s website.
There are more than 81,000 confirmed cases in China and more than 7,000 cases in the U.S. as of today, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) website.
The CDC website reported that as of today there were 10,442 confirmed and presumptive positive cases in the U.S., with a total of 150 deaths.
Proactive measures
UTRGV extended Spring Break by an extra week from March 16-20 as a proactive measure to mitigate the outbreak of COVID-19. Classes will resume via online Monday.
“Please note that our decision to move all academic offerings online (beginning Monday, March 23) was made to follow social distancing recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),” according to an email sent to the campus community from the Office of the President last Friday.
Bailey said the university extended Spring Break by a week to give faculty time to prepare and move everything online.
“Many of them already know how to do this and so those who don’t are getting help from our teaching and learning center and, you know, we have experts in instructional technology who can help them when they need it,” Bailey said. “So, it’s something that many people already know, though.”
Students, faculty and staff may still access UTRGV’s resources such as employee and student Health Services, student support services, libraries on both the Brownsville and Edinburg campuses, food and transportation services.
“The campus services like the library and computer labs, these things are still available for students,” Bailey said. “The [recreation centers are] not, but things … like the essential campus services are still available to students. So, we just tried to practice the social distancing we need to ensure your health and safety.”
Asked what social distancing is, he replied “social distancing simply means that you need to keep about six feet between yourself and other people.”
Bailey recommends visiting the CDC’s website for more information.
Health Services will operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday.
The Student Union on both campuses will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.
El Comedor on the Brownsville campus will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Dining Hall in Edinburg will operate from Monday through Sunday with alternate times. Monday through Thursday breakfast will be from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., lunch from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 6:45 p.m. Friday through Sunday brunch will be from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
The Vaquero Express Campus Connector will have a limited schedule with departures from both campuses at 6:15 a.m., 7:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.
UREC on the Edinburg campus will be closed until further notice.
The Texas Southmost College Recreation Center in Brownsville is closed for Spring Break, which has been extended through March 27, according to a letter from TSC President Jesus Roberto Rodriguez on the TSC website. The college anticipates classes will resume on March 30, the letter states.
Asked what message he has for the campus community, Bailey replied, “Well, first of all, follow the CDC guidelines. Practice social distancing. Don’t get in large gatherings of 10 or more. I would keep my gatherings very small. If you feel like you have any symptoms, go, immediately, to the [Health Services Clinic]. … We have a huge resource here that helps us understand this virus. So, I would just encourage you to be vigilant but don’t panic.”
For COVID-19 updates, visit https://www.utrgv.edu/emergencypreparedness/resources/covid-19/.
