Adding the extra hit to graduation, Lakeland University encourages students to attend convocations; 24 to be exact, to receive their diploma.  

Since COVID-19 is here, and not allowing guests on campus, all of the convocations are online this semester. This is hard for those who graduate in the winter because they would need those convocation credits. 

David Gallianetti explained to Lakeland that anyone who graduates in the winter will have their convocations waived so they do not need to finish them in order to graduate.  

The question everyone might be asking is, what about spring semester?  

According to Gallianetti, Lakeland is unsure of what they will be doing for convocations for the students who graduate in the spring. They have not decided.  

This is a huge understatement for some students who have a lot of convocation credits to go, especially when the convocation credits are online, and students do not actually get any credit for them this semester.  

The hardest part for the spring semester students is that the next semester will be ran just like this fall semester, but Gallianetti and others do not know what they will do about the convocations even though they were quick to dismiss the winter graduates’ credits. 

Talking with Gallianetti, traditional students will have three convocations waived off the total of 24, so it should be 21 when all is said and done. There are seven more convocations left for this semester, so seniors do not need more than that, but they will not be able to get those credits because they are online convocations.  

For spring students, hopefully the answers will be made shortly so there is time to plan for these events if the students have to go to them.   

For the convocations that are happening now, Lakeland has a few happening this week. One begins at 6:30 p.m. on October 19 and it is about race in 2020.  Anyone who would like to watch and take part can tune in then. 

For those who are wondering what they should do about convocation credits, Gallianetti went on to say, “we will figure it out shortly and let everyone know our decision once we agree on something.” Hopefully they will figure it out before the end of our fall semester here at Lakeland.