UNT postpones May graduation over coronavirus, will reimburse room and board costs
The University of North Texas announced Friday it is postponing May commencement ceremonies due to concerns over the novel coronavirus’ spread and that students who move out of dorms for the remainder of the semester will be reimbursed for room and board.
In a letter to students, UNT President Neal Smatresk said that the decision to postpone May 7-10 graduation ceremonies “was not made quickly in order to thoroughly consider whether we could begin returning to normal operations in early May.”
However, he noted that families planning to attend needed to know sooner rather than later in order to finalize travel arrangements.
“I know that crossing the stage is a defining moment for our students who have worked so hard to earn their degree(s), so please know that many people across campus are currently reviewing ways to still allow commencement to happen later in the year for any graduate wishing to participate,” Smatresk wrote.
Students will still officially graduate, and will have an opportunity to participate in an in-person ceremony at a later date when options are finalized, Smatresk said.
In a second letter Friday night, Smatresk said that while residence halls will remain open, beginning Monday students who choose to leave university housing will be given a prorated refund based on their move-out date, and any remaining dining credits will be applied to a dining plan of their choice for the 2020-2021 academic year.
“Residence Halls and Dining Services will remain open for those who choose to stay in their residence hall to complete their course work remotely for the remainder of the semester. We understand some of our students have nowhere else to go at this time, and we continue to find ways to increase social distancing and implement additional deep cleaning measures,” Smatresk wrote.
UNT had previously canceled all in-person classes from March 16-22, and is in the process of shifting classes online, although there are limited cases where in-person instruction will continue, according to the university’s frequently asked questions page.
“For those classes that will continue to meet on-campus, there will be specific measures to account for student and faculty safety using social distancing,” UNT’s frequently asked questions page reads.
UNT is also making laptops and mobile hotspots available for checkout for students in need of them.
Students who receive financial aid can still expect to receive the full aid they had anticipated for the semester, “as long as a student’s enrollment status — number of enrolled hours – remains the same and other current eligibility requirements are met,” UNT spokeswoman Kris Muller wrote in an email Friday.
This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 12:52 PM with the headline "UNT postpones May graduation over coronavirus, will reimburse room and board costs."
