Indiana University announced earlier this semester that upcoming IU graduates will be able to attend an in-person commencement ceremony this weekend after showing proof of receiving two negative COVID-19 mitigation tests.

The in-person graduate commencement ceremony will be held on May 7th and the undergraduate ceremony will be held May 8th. While the in-person ceremony is only open to graduating IU students, family and friends are invited to join the ceremony virtually. Both ceremonies will be held at Memorial Stadium at 10 a.m.

IU students who plan on attending the ceremony must take their first COVID test between May 2nd and 5th. Graduating students can take their first test at any testing site. Then, they must take their second test between May 6th and 7th. They must take the second test at the designated location at Cramer Marching Hall. Students must receive a negative result on both tests.

However, students who can show proof they are fully vaccinated do not need to go through the two mitigation tests prior to attending the ceremony.

“If you’ve been fully vaccinated and you got the second dose by [April 24th], make sure you go to one.iu.edu or the covid.iu.edu page and turn in the paperwork, the online form, and let IU know you have been fully vaccinated,”said IU Director of Media Relations Chuck Carney.

IU has also invited students who graduated in 2020 to walk as well, since their in-person ceremony was converted to a virtual ceremony last year due to the pandemic.

Carney mentioned that it will be more difficult to ensure 2020 graduates have access to the two required mitigation tests before attending the commencement ceremony as they are no longer on the IU campus.

Some of the soon-to-be graduates expressed their relief that IU students will have to show proof of being negative for COVID.

“In reality with so many parents coming that weekend,” said IU senior Owen Flaherty. “You don’t want to get exposed while at graduation. So I think it’s a good thing.”

Carney expressed hope for the upcoming IU school year and gratitude for the work IU students have put in this year to keep the pandemic at bay.

“Everybody wore the masks, everybody did the testing,” said Carney. “They did the things that were really a pain, to make sure that we could keep everybody healthy,”

Carney said there has been no decision made yet in regard to requiring next year’s returning IU students to be vaccinated, some colleges and universities have already made the vaccination mandatory.