Lewis U. Answers Questions About Rescheduled Commencement

ROMEOVILLE, IL — Students graduating from Lewis University this December won't get to participate in a commencement ceremony until May, officials announced last week. Two confirmed cases of mumps and another ten probable cases have been reported on the university's campus in recent weeks, according to the Will County Health Department, throwing a wrench in many students' end-of-year plans.

Mumps is a highly-contagious viral infection of the salivary glands near the ears, according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms include swelling of the face, pain while chewing or swallowing, fever, headache and fatigue.

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Officials said December graduates will still receive their diplomas and have access to transcripts, but due to health concerns all commencement ceremonies and related activities have been moved to the weekend of May 17 to 19.

This has been a challenging week for everyone," Lewis University President David J. Livingston told students in an email. "You have shown great resiliency and demonstrated your care and concern for others. I am proud to be a part of this community."

Nevertheless, while officials say they did not make the decision lightly, some students are upset. The university published a series of frequently-asked questions this week on its website to address some of their concerns.

Are the December Commencement ceremonies really cancelled?
The December 2018 Commencement ceremonies are rescheduled for the weekend of May 17-19, 2019. This decision was not taken lightly and we understand that this will create hardships for our graduates and their loved ones. This decision is consistent with our cancellation or rescheduling of all public events occurring on campus before December 28, 2018, a decision designed to mitigate the further transmission of the mumps.

Why are classes and exams still being held while we reschedule Commencement?
The University has a responsibility to provide students the opportunity to earn credit for the classes they are enrolled in, and maintaining the academic schedule is the best way to provide that educational opportunity. Even though Commencement is a very important ceremony and academic tradition, it is not required to earn academic credit. Through required vaccinations and our own record keeping, our classrooms are controlled environments, and we can exclude individuals and support students who are not vaccinated. We cannot control on short notice information about all of the people who attend public events, including commencement.

Why can't we just have Commencement in January?
There’s still the potential risk that we would have to postpone the Ceremonies again if any newly declared cases came forward because of the lengthy average mumps incubation period (25 days).

Why can't we move Commencement off-site?
While that certainly was a consideration, the fact remains that there is still a risk to those loved ones -particularly babies, the elderly, those with compromised immune systems, and those who are not vaccinated - who would be in attendance, regardless of where the ceremony is held. For public health concerns and to mitigate the risk to our students and their loved ones, it was in the best interest of all involved to reschedule Commencement.

Further, graduation fees will not be refunded, university officials said, because those fees cover paperwork, the posting of transcripts, diploma ordering and mailing and other costs for all students, whether or not they attend the graduation ceremony.

Students do not need to reapply for graduation, just be on the lookout for instructions from the registrar's office about plans for the May ceremony. Graduation tickets will be reissued sometime in the coming months. Current tickets are no longer valid, though students are advised to keep their cap and gown safe until May.

While commencement has been postponed, classes and exams are still on the schedule, and the university has extended a pop-up clinic for booster shots until Dec. 14.

"The MMR vaccine booster can serve as a boost to each individual's immune system and is meant to limit further spread of the mumps virus on the Lewis University Campus," officials said.

The pop-up clinic will be held in the University Dining Room from 8 a.m. to noon on Dec. 10 and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Friday. Any employees that have not submitted immunization records or gotten a booster shot by Dec. 10 are restricted from campus until at least Dec. 28.

Officials warned that while the vaccine is the best prevention, it is not 100 percent effective, so if you feel ill or experience any of the symptoms listed above, contact your health care provider immediately.

Find more information here.

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