After a year of chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Southeastern Oklahoma State University has planned to hold in-person commencement ceremonies.

The ceremonies will take place May 7 through May 9 and will be held outdoors at Paul Laird Field on the Durant campus. There will be three ceremonies to celebrate the commencement of 2020 and 2021 graduates, each beginning at 9 a.m.

Anyone attending will be required to wear a face mask and maintain social distancing. In the event of bad weather, ceremonies will either be postponed to a later time or a future date.

An online-only ceremony will also be available to graduates unable to physically attend one of the events.

A graduation interest form was sent via email to all students expected to participate. Completion of the form will not reserve a ceremony date or tickets, however, on April 15, graduates will receive an email explaining how to reserve a graduation date and claim guest tickets.

The number of guests each student will be allowed to invite has yet to be determined.

According to Assistant Registrar Rachel Musgrove, after all the graduation applications have been processed and there is a set number of how many students will participate, the number of guests will be announced.

Each ceremony will be live-streamed for friends and family members unable to attend.

Students participating in a ceremony will need to be at the Bloomer Sullivan Gymnasium at 8 a.m. on their graduation date to begin checking in.

Anyone needing to stay updated on the ceremonies should check their school email for notifications from the Registrar’s Office or visit se.edu/registrar/graduation/.

For many students, commencement is a once in a lifetime experience and will forever be remembered. These in-person ceremonies will allow students to feel fully celebrated for their years of hard work and dedication.