By By: Alyssa Foster
Staff Writer
The Student Government Association explained the commencement expectations for the 2020 and 2021 graduating classes and discussed the idea of campus teleconferencing Friday evening.
President Kayla Isenbletter explained that no parents will be permitted at this year’s graduation commencement. Various reasons have caused the decision, but a space concern is a main point.
The ceremony is planned to take place outdoors at IU South Bend in May, and both the 2020 and 2021 graduating classes will be in attendance. With double the number of students and less space this year, the commencement ceremonies are limited to students only.
An additional concern leading to the decision against families is the lack of COVID-19 testing abilities. While all graduating students will be tested for the virus prior to attending the event, it is not a possibility for the school to test all parents and family members prior to their attendance as well.
Family members and friends will be able to watch the ceremony virtually, and a more detailed statement from the executive board will be released soon.
Information regarding potential teleconferencing was discussed by Secretary Daphne Galloway, as she explained the possibility of converting the SGA meetings to a hybrid format. The hybrid mix would consist of eight members of the SGA meeting in person, while others joined through a virtual format.
Depending on how beneficial the teleconferencing opportunity proves to be, it may result in a more use for additional areas of IU South Bend as well.
Changes with mitigation testing have joined the IU South Bend campus as they convert from Vault Health to IU Labs. The change has been impactful so far as the process has proven to move at a faster pace. With the change to IU Labs, students are no longer required to bring a personal device and should instead bring their Crimson Card when getting tested.
Sodexo has also announced a minor change in the way Coca Cola is delivering their products to campus, and a heavy decrease in available Coca Cola products is to be expected.
The next SGA meeting will be held on Friday, March 5 at 5:30 p.m. through Zoom.
