In a campus-wide email, CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison announced that commencement and honors convocation ceremonies have been postponed until late fall 2020.
“Regrettably, this is happening throughout the CSU and necessary because of the statewide prohibition against large gatherings,” Harrison said.
Further graduation updates will be provided on the Office of Student Involvement and Development’s website. In the coming weeks, graduating students will receive a message from the Commencement Office with details and information regarding refunds and order cancellations.
Professors and lecturers are expected to inform students of the new curriculum model by Wednesday, March 25, according to the email update. The university is asking students to email their respective deans if instructors don’t contact them by Friday, March 27.
“You are at the very center of our existence as a university, and we deeply feel the sense of uncertainty and anxiety about the future that many of our students and their families are feeling,” Harrison said in the email.
The email also stated that the university is discussing changes to the course grading system. Though a petition to change grading to a “pass/fail” system for the semester has surfaced on social media and has garnered over 2,000 signatures, the email outlined the complexities of shifting to that kind of system.
In a statement given to The Sundial from Marketing and Communications, the spokesperson said that “passing all students, regardless of performance, raises quality and accreditation issues, leading to serious and long-lasting consequences for our students.”
According to Harrison’s email, the Oviatt Library will be closed indefinitely with the exception of one computer lab. Computer Lab C will be open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students can reserve a workstation in advance through the computer reservation form.
Another computer lab in the University Student Union will also remain open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to the email.
Harrison also warned recipients of fraudulent emails and texts from cyber criminals trying to obtain personal information by offering false coronavirus-related opportunities. Harrison directed the campus to report such messages to abuse@csun.edu.