Hello Spring 2021 graduates!! We present to you an idea that will hopefully change the GCU graduation guidelines. This past year has been one of the toughest, scariest years of anyone’s life. COVID-19 has impacted all of us in numerous ways and has brought about some of the toughest challenges we may ever face. Graduating college is a HUGE milestone, that all of us have been extremely blessed to have achieved. We feel like only walking for graduation, with no audience, is an easy option… but who likes easy? This plan STRICTLY outlines how we can safely have an audience by social distancing and enforcing masks, while allowing students to walk for their parents or others.

Typically, GCU graduates are allotted 6 tickets per 1 student graduating. We would like to propose a safe, fair and realistic option. We feel strongly that each student should be allotted 2 tickets for whomever they chose to attend the graduation ceremony. This would allow parents, grandparents, guardians, or others to attend this ceremony. With this being said, those two people would sit together and be safely, socially distanced throughout the GCU arena.

To help maximize the space, we are proposing graduates are socially distanced OUTSIDE on the arena lawn. Graduates would watch the opening ceremony from outside, while parents and others are inside. Once announcement of the names begins, graduates will safely line up (six feet apart) and start to walk into the arena to obtain their diploma. They will enter in one tunnel, head to the stage, get their diploma, and exit out the other tunnel. This will allow for more room inside the GCU arena, safely distancing attendees. We are hoping to utilize the floor of the arena, lower level, and upper level to seat parents/others. By doing this, parents/others can congratulate their kids and cheer them on as they walk on one of the most exciting days of their lives. Then, graduates will walk back out to the arena lawn and find their seat for the remainder of the ceremony.

As the student body, we want to and should advocate for ourselves during these challenging, uncertain times. This experience has been well earned and should be celebrated. Of course, we want to be mindful of COVID and all of the outcomes that could arise from being careless, but this strategy should yield us 100% COVID safety. Masks are MANDATORY, and social distancing is a must. GCU has given us all of the tools to be successful in life after college, and we want to celebrate this accomplishment alongside those who got us there. We encourage all to sign this petition and send to your families to sign as well. We also encourage you all to send this to your peers, and others who you know are being impacted by this. This petition is being created to propose our idea to those at GCU who deeply care for the students, and truly want what is best. Please remember to stay kind, respectful, and remember to trust the process-- we are hopeful for a changed outcome! GO CLASS OF 2021. GO GCU & GO LOPES!