Penn will hold in-person commencement for seniors living locally, but family will have to watch a livestream

A little piece of normal is returning to the University of Pennsylvania.

Penn said Tuesday it will hold an in-person commencement this spring for seniors living locally and participating in the school’s COVID-19 testing and protocols and who have not had their campus access revoked because of a behavior violation.

But family and others will have to watch a livestream of the May 17 event at Franklin Field.

“This plan is contingent upon there being no major interim change for the worse in the course of the pandemic,” Penn leaders said in a message to the campus community.

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Penn is the latest local college to announce its commencement plans. Around the region, colleges are planning a variety of approaches to the traditional right of passage that most schools held virtually last spring because of the pandemic. Rutgers University announced last month that it would hold only virtual ceremonies, noting that even if the vaccine rollout speeds up, it won’t be safe to gather in large crowds, even outdoors, until mid- to late summer.

Temple last week said it was planning for smaller, in-person “school and college-based graduation ceremonies” over several days in early May. The university said whether guests can attend will depend on state and city regulations at that time.

“We want to make sure each graduating student can hear their name called, cross the stage and be recognized, if they choose to participate,” the university said.

Lehigh University in Bethlehem announced last week that it would hold three separate in-person ceremonies for undergraduates in the Class of 2020, undergraduates in the Class of 2021, and graduate students in the Classes of 2020 and 2021. Each graduate will be allowed to have two guests.

Widener University will give graduates of its main campus in Chester the choice of a “mini ceremony” with no more than 100 students under a tent at Memorial Field or a drive-through in front of the Old Main administration building. The university will offer several versions of both options over multiple days to accommodate graduates, the school announced last month. Virtual options also will be offered for those who don’t want to travel to campus.

At Penn, seniors who want to attend commencement will have to wear a mask and test negative for COVID-19 in advance, the university said. Graduate and professional students will not be permitted to attend the in-person event, but their schools will offer virtual ceremonies.