On May 15, Saint Anselm College will hold a commencement ceremony for the graduating class of 2021. The ceremony takes place one day after the last day of final exams. Senior week also had to be canceled due to Covid; however, the commencement ceremony will be in person, for seniors at least.

Senior and SGA member, Connor O’Brien, said, “I think that the commencement ceremony being held the day after finals is a smart move. I am glad that we will be able to graduate in person with our class.”

Based on the college’s plan as of last week, family members were not allowed to attend the ceremony.

Brother Isaac Murphy, Vice President for Academic Affairs and the head of this year’s Commencement Committee said, “The current plan is for only the senior class, on the quad. We hope we will be able to expand it to include some family.”

However, on Thursday, March 18 seniors were told they were allowed to bring two family members.

O’Brien said, “It will be challenging that not all of our family will be able to be present, but at least there can be some cheering us on.”

Faculty and staff will also only be allowed to attend in a limited capacity. When asked if any changes would be made if the CDC relaxed restrictions for travel and gatherings, Br. Isaac said, “Too early to tell. We will try to be flexible, but that will be harder to do closer to the date of the event.”

Lastly, there is no update yet on who the honorary degree speaker will be yet. Br. Isaac said, “We are working to finalize the arrangements, and once we have we will then make an announcement.”