Following Binghamton University’s Commencement 2021 update, the class of 2020 is wondering when they will get their in-person ceremony.

On March 1, the University’s Instagram account made a post about the Commencement 2021 announcement, which came out on Feb. 26. The 2021 ceremony will feature both virtual and in-person elements, including an opportunity for graduates to complete their “grad walk” across the stage in the Events Center.

Several 2020 graduates expressed their criticisms of the lack of an in-person ceremony for their class in the comment section of the post. Several alumni mentioned the amount of time and money they put into their education at BU and pointed out there were repeated promises of an in-person ceremony. Valerie Jimenez, ’20, commented on the post and later elaborated on her disappointment about not getting an in-person commencement.

“The way I see it, class of 2020 didn’t go to [BU] for free,” Jimenez wrote. “We deserve to get our money’s worth and deserve to have an in-person commencement. There are numerous students that bought their cap and gowns and didn’t get a chance to wear them proudly. We should be given that chance.”

The plan for Commencement 2020 evolved as the pandemic progressed — initially being postponed last March. The 2020 graduating class was then surveyed to pick dates for a possible rescheduling. In April, the results of the survey were announced indicating a preference to reschedule for early August. Around the time commencement would have been held in mid-May, the University held a virtual champagne toast and BU President Harvey Stenger sent out a congratulatory email on May 16, in which he insinuated an in-person ceremony would be held in 2020.

After pushing the dates in August to a weekend in early Nov., the University finally announced on Sept. 4 there would be no in-person ceremony in 2020. The email which announced this decision provided graduates with a digital version of the commencement program, which included their names, honors and awards and written versions of commencement speeches. The email also announced BU was shooting for May 8 and 9, 2021, to hold the in-person ceremony for the class of 2020.

The University then announced in late October that there would be virtual commencement ceremonies, which were released on YouTube in December. This announcement did not explicitly say the in-person plan for May was abandoned, but Sarah Koral, director of Commencement and special events, explained that the ceremonies on YouTube were in fact the replacement for the in-person ceremony.

“The University held virtual commencement ceremonies in hopes of providing some closure for the class of 2020,” Koral wrote in an email. “Given the circumstances and restrictions in place in New York state last year, that was one of the only options that we could carry out to accommodate all students. We had every intention of trying to bring our students back to campus, but it simply was not allowed, and, therefore, we had to pivot to the virtual commencement that we presented in [December].”

According to Koral, because of the regulations surrounding COVID-19, there is not enough capacity to involve 2020 graduates in the 2021 Commencement ceremony.

Victoria Frusci, ’20, discussed what she felt after hearing the Commencement 2021 decision and no update on Commencement 2020.

“Disappointment, especially after being told many times that there would be an in-person ceremony,” Frisci wrote in an email. “I understand that these are not traditional times, however, telling us that there would be a May 2021 ceremony and canceling it, while at the same time holding the Class of 2021’s ceremony seems like a double standard.”

Zuzanna Krawczyk, ’20, shared a similar sentiment to Frusci.

“The University gave us hope that they were trying to work toward an in-person celebration for the 2020 students, but COVID-19 circumstances kept beating all of us to it,” Krawczyk wrote. “Our hopes are still crushed to this day — when we heard last week that the 2021 students were getting an in-person graduation, it almost seemed like all of us 2020 graduates were brushed to the side and are no longer standing hope for any in-person ceremony.”

Koral said the University sympathizes with the class of 2020 and shares in their displeasure with the situation.

“We too, share the disappointment with the effects the pandemic had on our 2020 graduates,” Koral wrote. “No one wanted this to play out the way it did. The pandemic’s effect on everything during 2020 was devastating, from the total loss of life to the social and economic disruptions. The pandemic’s impact spared no one. We are just as disappointed in the situation as everyone else.”

However, Hunter Andrasko, ’20, said he felt the only way to remedy the situation is to reschedule an in-person commencement.

“The class of 2020 does not care if we get an in-person commencement this May, this summer, this fall or next winter,” Andrasko wrote. “We just want one. It’s not a closed book, [BU] still has time to fix this and make it right for all of us.”