UPDATE: William Woods University student tests positive for COVID-19
Kimberly Olimpio drove 500 miles to stand outside while her daughter Emily Landenberger graduated from college.
Landenberger, who earned her degree in special education, was one of the graduating seniors honored at a series of small, closed commencement ceremonies held Thursday at William Woods University. The university canceled its traditional commencement ceremony, originally scheduled for April 25, as a part of its response to COVID-19.
Instead, Landenberger and her fellow seniors were escorted into Dulany Auditorium in groups of 10, as the university attempted to follow health guidelines while still giving graduates an experience somewhat similar to the typical college graduation.
The ceremonies were closed - graduates decked out in caps and gowns bumped elbows with William Woods President Jahnae H. Barnett and received a diploma cover in front of an empty auditorium while loved ones watched from an online livestream.
"It definitely hit you how empty it was," Landenberger said. "This is it. We've come this far, and no one is here."
Landenberger had friends who were also graduating, but they were put in a different group.
"We'll still be together even if we couldn't sit together," she said.
Olimpio, who came from Columbus, Ohio, was one of the few family members waiting in-person outside. As more groups of graduates filed in to the auditorium, Olimpio and Landenberger made plans to celebrate with champagne and the "nicest carry-out we can find."
Landenberger said it hit hardest when she first received the email announcing the cancellation of the original commencement ceremony - friends were in tears and everybody was talking about it.
As Barnett told graduates, at least the William Woods Class of 2020 has had a graduation they won't forget soon.
The commencement ceremony was just one of many changes William Woods has made to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. This week, the university moved to online classes, and campus events came to a halt.
At the dining hall, students carried out meals in reusable containers, trekking back across campus to eat.
On their way to return used dishes and pick up lunch Thursday, twins Claire and Katherine McDonald, both juniors from Jefferson City, said online classes were going pretty well.
"I'm taking it one week at a time," Claire McDonald said.
Also canceled was the Theatre Department's production of "The Dixie Swim Club."
"As artists, the credo 'the show must go on' is a part of our creative spirit," artistic director Joe Potter wrote in a message forwarded to the Fulton Sun by William Woods spokesperson John Fougere. "To cancel a show and 'go dark' seems to cut across the very nature of who we are. Believe me when I say it was a tough, painful decision to cancel the rest of the season, but it is the right decision considering the serious circumstances we currently face."
As of Wednesday, there were still 391 students on campus. On Thursday, the university asked students to begin making arrangements to leave campus housing, citing increases in positive COVID-19 tests in Mid-Missouri. According to a frequently asked questions page online, the university will make accommodations for students who can't leave.
"This is an unprecedented situation," Fougere said Thursday morning, noting the university is constantly communicating with students. "There's just a myriad of challenges that have come up."
University officials announced Friday that a student had tested positive for COVID-19.
Westminster College has also moved to online classes for the remainder of the spring semester. Westminster has not made any announcements regarding its commencement ceremony, currently scheduled for May 9.
This article was updated at 11 a.m. March 20, 2020, with information that a WWU student had tested positive for COVID-19.