The upcoming July graduation ceremony has been cancelled, with no online alternative to the event.
In an email sent this morning to upcoming graduates, acting Vice-Chancellor Grady Venville cited “uncertain times in our region” as a result of Coronavirus outbreaks around Australia. She emphasised that “[t]his is not a decision [the University has] taken lightly but [the University] must prioritise the community’s safety”.
When asked the rationale behind the cancellation, an ANU spokesperson told Woroni that “[o]ne of the key considerations was the health risk posed by the highly contagious Delta strain of COVID-19”.
They highlighted the issue that “many of our graduands who are currently interstate are affected by stay at home orders or can’t travel back to Canberra due to mandated government travel restrictions”.
Furthermore, the spokesperson stated that the “state border closures affecting travel to and from the ACT … adds another level of complexity for many of our students who are currently interstate”.
Upcoming graduates affected by the cancellation will be notified of any future celebrations.
We acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which Woroni, Woroni Radio and Woroni TV are created, edited, published, printed and distributed. We pay our respects to Elders past and present. We acknowledge that the name Woroni was taken from the Wadi Wadi Nation without permission, and we are striving to do better for future reconciliation.