Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Each Syracuse University graduate will be allowed to invite up to two guests to attend a 2021 commencement ceremony in the Carrier Dome, according to a campus-wide email.

Students who plan to attend the commencement ceremony in person must register through a commencement participation form on or before April 23 to receive their free digital graduation ticket and an option for two digital guest tickets.

SU is planning to hold three identical commencement ceremonies over two days — Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23. All ceremonies will take place in the Dome with one occurring Saturday afternoon, one Sunday morning and the last on Sunday afternoon.

SU will notify students about the date and time of their ceremony on or before April 30 and will separate students based on school and college affiliation as well as the level of degree that will be conferred.

SU is allowed to have 5,000 guests at each ceremony, including 1,600 students, 3,200 guests and faculty, staff and event personnel, said Steven Bennett, senior vice president for international programs and academic operations and chief of staff for academic affairs, in the email. 

New York state’s more lenient guidelines for graduation events allowed SU to make the change, Bennett said. 

SU also outlined pre-event testing and vaccine requirements for the ceremonies. The state requires that anyone accessing the Dome for commencement must choose one of several options, including submitting documentation of a vaccine series completed 14 days prior to the event, proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR-style test administered within 72 hours or proof of a negative antigen test administered within six hours.

In addition to the testing or vaccination requirements, SU will also follow health precautions during the ceremonies. Attendees will be subject to temperature checks at entrance points and required to wear masks at all times. All students and guests will be assigned a specific gate and time to enter the stadium, and will leave through an assigned gate immediately following the ceremony.

During the ceremonies, students will be seated on the field level of the stadium in three-person pods. Guests will be seated in the audience sections in pods of two. Seating pods will be socially distanced, and seating assignments will be issued prior to the ceremonies.

Due to capacity restrictions, testing requirements and other state guidelines, all school and college convocations will be hosted virtually and livestreamed for students. More information will be released in the coming weeks, the email said. 

Published on April 16, 2021 at 4:00 pm

Contact Richard: rcperrin@syr.edu | @richardperrins2