Tuesday, March 19, 2024

AdvertiseDonateSubmit
NewsSportsArtsOpinionThe QuadPhotoVideoIllustrationsCartoonsGraphicsThe StackPRIMEEnterpriseInteractivesPodcastsBruinwalkClassifieds

UCLA reconsiders virtual commencement, Block offers apology

UCLA will confer with the Undergraduate Students Association Council in making its final plans for the 2020 commencement. (Daily Bruin file photo)

By Jintak Han

March 19, 2020 6:45 p.m.

Chancellor Gene Block walked back on the university’s decision to hold its 2020 commencement ceremonies virtually following backlash from students.

Block announced the move to reconsider the ceremonies in an email sent to all students Thursday evening.

The university will be working with the Undergraduate Students Association Council and the Graduate Students Association to plan the celebrations, Block said.

Many students demanded that the ceremonies be delayed instead of being held virtually. USAC demanded postponement in a letter sent to Block and #postponeGrad and #uclaPostpone briefly trended on Twitter. Following the outcry, the university surveyed seniors on how commencement should be held.

Block also apologized on Twitter to students affected by the decision.

 

“We have heard the important voices of our students and their families, and based on those, we will step back and make a decision on commencement in consultation with students and student leaders,” Block wrote in the email.

The university moved to hold the ceremonies virtually the day prior to limit the spread of COVID-19 during the global pandemic. 

Three people in the UCLA community have tested positive for the disease, up from the two confirmed yesterday. The most recent person to test positive was another UCLA staff member who is isolating off-campus, according to a press release.

 

Share this story:FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Jintak Han | Former senior staff photojournalist and news reporter
Jintak Han is a former senior staff photojournalist and news reporter who graduated in 2020. He served as an Assistant Photo editor from 2016 to 2017. Working at the Bruin through his entire undergraduate career since 2014, Han has won national recognition and numerous awards for his photojournalism. He is also known for his investigative reporting for the City & Crime beat. Han currently works as a freelance photojournalist and reporter for multiple news organizations.
Jintak Han is a former senior staff photojournalist and news reporter who graduated in 2020. He served as an Assistant Photo editor from 2016 to 2017. Working at the Bruin through his entire undergraduate career since 2014, Han has won national recognition and numerous awards for his photojournalism. He is also known for his investigative reporting for the City & Crime beat. Han currently works as a freelance photojournalist and reporter for multiple news organizations.
COMMENTS
Featured Classifieds
More classifieds »
Related Posts