Still, that hasn’t stopped institutions from hosting large commencement ceremonies over the past few weeks, even in areas where COVID is spiking, utilizing outdoor venues to hold them as safely as they can, even in sweltering conditions. Tulane University successfully had its big ceremony outdoors with speaker Ken Jeong this weekend even while Louisiana’s numbers are up 138%. Eastern Kentucky University held its commencement on Friday (132% rise statewide in cases), with reports of a few students and guests requiring treatment because of the heat.

Most universities are forging on, even with COVID in the air, and they are planning to do the same in June, July and part of August, with fewer protocols in place.

Like Syracuse, North Carolina State University is abandoning its COVID dashboard, stating that because of the amount of home testing being done and a lack of reporting, “data tracking no longer provides a comprehensive look at COVID-19’s impact on campus.”
Officials at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have lifted masking requirements for face-to-face classes while limiting on-campus testing to one location, though they note that fall strategies have not been determined. They said they will not be offering regular weekly updates on campus COVID status during the summer. Western Illinois University has ended virtually all masking requirements except for those who are symptomatic and stopped daily email self-checks.
Missouri State University is also eliminating the majority of its COVID policies, including halting its COVID dashboard, masking, testing and athletics re-entry, according to President Clif Smart. On June 30, employees also will no longer be able to take emergency paid leave for COVID-19, which gave full- and part-time workers eight additional days if they tested positive since early January. “Vaccines are readily available, hospitalization rates are much lower, and the medical community has more research and new tools at its disposal to manage COVID-19,” Smart said.

Not every institution is ready to give up on COVID safety strategies. Both the University of Hawaii system and the Contra Costa County Community College District in California say they will maintain their masking requirements through the summer. Hawaii’s decision came after meetings with public health officials, who noted the surge in cases on the islands, now a nearly 70% increase over the past 14 days. California’s state numbers, which can vary widely depending on location, are up 83% overall. In Contra Costa, they are up 114%.

Instant Insights /

The new COVID policies at 6 big universities, 1 community college this summer

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