CBC cancels 2020 graduation ceremony. All fall classes pushed online

Columbia Basin College students won’t be heading back to campus this fall.

College officials want to take a “slow and measured approach” to returning to classes, including making sure they’re following social distancing guidelines, college President Rebekah Woods said in an email to students this week.

Classrooms on the Pasco and Richland campuses don’t have the space to hold its 7,000 students and keep them 6 feet apart, and they want to limit the chance someone could have the coronavirus but not have symptoms.

“Until there is a COVID-19 vaccine available, experts say that such measures are the only way to prevent a resurgence,” she wrote. “I recognize that for some of you, this may be a disappointment, and we understand your frustrations.”

It was important to get the information to students, faculty and staff as soon as possible so they could make decisions and plan, Woods said.

Some of the first classes that could return to campus would require laboratory work.

The college also canceled its graduation ceremony scheduled for June 19. Instead, they will host a virtual ceremony.

Graduates can participate in the 2021 ceremony if they want.

If they do, they’ll get a graduation package that includes their tassel, diploma cover, a graduation gift and a letter from the president.

“Canceling in-person commencement was not an easy decision for us to make,” Woods said. “This is one of my favorite days of the year. ... We feel compelled to prioritize the health and safety of our students and staff, their loved ones and our entire campus community.”

Washington State University officials have not decided what they will do for fall semester.

So far, WSU Tri-Cities has pushed back its in-person graduation ceremony to Aug. 15.