CSC postpones May graduation ceremony

CSC’s springs commencement, originally set for May 9, has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the college said. The announcement was made Wednesday morning in an email to students, staff and faculty from President Randy Rhine.  

A State of Nebraska Directed Health Measure, which will be in effect until May 11, set an enforceable limit of gatherings in effected counties to 10 people or less statewide, causing the spring ceremony to be postponed until a later date.  

“Commencement is an important celebration for our graduates and their families, and we will work to find a date this summer that allows the continuation of this time-honored tradition,” Rhine said. 

Administration has not set a rescheduled date for the ceremony. 

Dawes County was one of 12 who received the Directed Health Measure order on Monday after the first case of COVID-19 was found in the Panhandle. As of Wednesday, four Panhandle residents have been confirmed to have the virus, three in Scotts Bluff County and one in Kimball County, according to the Panhandle COVID-19 Unified Command. 167 tests for the virus have been conducted with 39 tests pending, most being in Scotts Bluff County. Five tests have been completed in Dawes County, which, as of yet, has no positive results.  

CSC is not alone in their decision to postpone commencement. Both other Nebraska State Colleges, Wayne State and Peru State have postponed as well. Peru intends to hold a ceremony in the summer. Tuesday, the University of Nebraska-Kearney announced that it would be combining its May commencement with their summer ceremony in July.  The University of Nebraska-Lincoln also announced that a virtual commencement ceremony would be held in place of the traditional ceremony.  

Like many seniors at CSC who received the news this morning, Tatum Miller, 21, senior of Bridgeport, was not shocked. 

“I assumed this would happen since school got moved online,” Miller said.  “It is a little disappointing because I was very much looking forward to this day with my friends and family.” 

CSC’s Chasidy Horton, 22, senior of Fountain, Colorado, said seeing the postponement was as devastating as it was expected.  

“I’m a fifth-year, so after five long years this is what I have been looking forward to only to practically have it taken away indefinitely,” Horton said. 

For both seniors, the postponement has shifted their plans. Miller said she was unsure if she would be able to attend the ceremony when it is rescheduled, but her senior friends could factor into the decision. “If my friends all come back (for the ceremony) I would be there in a heartbeat,” Miller said.  

Horton, who is a member of CSC’s ROTC, said she would likely be staying in Chadron longer than expected as she waits for her military orders.   

Both agree that the decision to postpone graduation was necessary for the safety of the students and their family members. 

“I definitely think COVID-19 should be taken seriously,” Miller said. “Events can wait, everyone needs to be staying safe at home.”