Virtual grad no more as Southern Leyte State U schedules limited f2f graduation after 2 years

With the easing restrictions and sustained alert level in the province of Southern Leyte, around 2,200 candidates for graduation for Class of 2022 across all the six campuses of Southern Leyte State University are set to march for this year's limited face-to-face commencement exercises.

Aside from the baccalaureate degrees, the ceremonies include the separate Completion Rites for the Laboratory Junior High School department and the Graduation Rites of Senior High School, and that of the Graduate School.

The 2022 graduation ceremonies, the first of a series of scheduled graduation rites in the whole University system, are the first in-person event of its kind since the worldwide lockdown in March 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic.

A letter of request for the conduct of such undertaking was approved by the respective local government units where each of the campus will conduct its limited face-to-face graduation.

Despite the easing restrictions, students who will partake in the ceremonies must observe the one-guardian policy to observe the minimum health protocol implemented by the University and local Inter-Agency Task Force as Southern Leyte province still in Alert Level I. The implementation of such policy means that every graduating student can only bring one parent or any of the family members inside the venue to escort them during the processional of the graduation ceremonies.

University President Dr. Prose Ivy G. Yepes stresses the importance of presenting and checking of vaccination cards upon entry. She further explained that the holding of the face-to-face graduation ceremonies were guided by the University’s internal guidelines, and that of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Department of Health (DOH) Joint Memorandum Circular No. 004-2021 prescribing rules given the new normal.

Here is the schedule of the Commencement Exercises:

• July 14, 2022 | 4:00 P.M. – 35th Commencement Exercises for Southern Leyte State U San Juan Campus
• July 15, 2022 | 8:00 A.M. – 7th Junior High School Completion Rites
• July 15, 2022 | 10:00 A.M. – 5th Senior High School Graduation Ceremonies
• July 15, 2022 | 2:30 P.M. – 35th Commencement Exercises for Tomas Oppus Campus
• July 23, 2022 | 8:30 A.M. – 39th Commencement Exercises for Main Campus (College of Engineering, College of Criminal Justice, Department of Teacher Education, and College of Hospitality and Tourism Management)
• July 23, 2022 | 3:00 P.M. – 39th Commencement Exercises for Main Campus (College of Computer Studies and Information Technology, and College of Technology)
• July 25, 2022 | 2:00 P.M. – 20th Commencement Exercises for Maasin City Campus
• July 27, 2022 | 3:00 P.M. – 52nd Commencement Exercises for Bontoc Campus
• July 28, 2022 | 3:00 P.M – 25th Commencement Exercises for Hinunangan Campus
• July 29, 2022 | 2:00 P.M. – 39th Commencement Exercises for Graduate School (Main Campus and Tomas Oppus Campus)

The Class of 2022 may be considered the lucky batch after prior batches for past two years were deprived from the in-person graduation ceremonies due to COVID-19 scare. Southern Leyte State U, however, conducted virtual graduation rites in 2020 and 2021 to ensure safety of the students while continue honoring their dedication and hard work.