The ceremony continues

Valley college graduates will still be able to finish the year with a celebration.

By Aimee Martinez, Multimedia editor

The 2020 graduation commencement will continue, according to Chancellor Rodriquez’s announcement on the LACCD website.

The statement, issued April 2, brings clarity following much uncertainty over whether or not there would be a graduation. No plans for either a virtual or rescheduled celebration have been finalized, but they will be seeking student input.

“Graduating Students – your achievements are very important to us and we want you to have the best commencement possible,” the statement said. “Under the current health and safety conditions, we all know that a traditional commencement with large crowds is not possible, but a celebration is in the works because you deserve the recognition!”

Students will still need to file a graduation petition. With the campus closed, students will no longer be able to visit their counselors to file for graduation. However, students will be able to arrange meetings online through Cranium Cafe, a meeting and collaboration platform for student support. 

This can be accessed through the LACCD portal, where they will be able to meet with a counselor and check that all class requirements have been met. Students can click on the “Online Counseling and Live Chat” tile, choose a department, the counselor and click the “Knock on the Door” tab. The staff member will then be alerted and the student notified whether the staff member is online or offline. Students can also leave emails through the counseling page of the college website.

The Career/Transfer Center is also helping students fill out their forms and submit them to admissions and records as a second option. Students can talk with a representative from the Career/Transfer Center through the student portal or by going to their page on the Valley website and using one of the online service help desks. The page will show whether the help desk is online or offline. 

“Of course, in these times we are unable to bring everyone together as we would normally do, but we have a committee that we are joining as part of the district wide effort to make some really interesting and fun interactive virtual graduation,” said President Barry Gribbons at the April 6 student town hall.

The deadline to file the graduation petition is April 15. Students can email the Career/Transfer Center or call (818) 538-9117 for further assistance.