ORANGEBURG, S.C. — South Carolina State University's 2021 graduates will get their rite of passage this spring by walking across the stage at graduation.
"Going back to face-to-face graduation, it was like, okay, we're really about to walk and feel like we accomplished something," said SC State Senior Bradon McKinnedy.
"I'm a little nervous about the stipulations that are going to be put in place because I want to walk the stage," said SC State Senior Kiera Simmons.
The university announced it would have in-person graduation at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium on May 7. The school's president, James E. Clark, says that decision came because of the recent decrease in coronavirus cases, the rollout of vaccines, and the governor easing some restrictions.
"We looked at an extremely limited number of people inside of one of our buildings," said Clark. "We looked at multiple small graduations. Then we looked at going back to the traditional style of graduation."
President Clark says the institution is currently working on protocols to make this graduation safe, like only having one ceremony and limiting the number of guests. He says the seniors were the driving force in bringing back the traditional style of graduation.
"They pushed out a lot of surveys, and our seniors stepped up to the plate," said Simmons. "They did those surveys and sharing them on Instagram. The seniors played a huge role."
SC State canceled in-person ceremonies since the pandemic started last March. Senior education major, Brandon McKinney, thinks other colleges may follow behind if it's done safely.
"This may be a suggestion for other universities that they can't keep saying no to everything," said McKinney. "These are the times we are living in, and these are the norms now. We have to get used to it because it's been a year."