Ocean County College Cancels Graduation Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Ocean County College has canceled its 2020 spring commencement ceremony out of concerns over the outbreak of the new coronavirus, college officials announced Friday.

Students will finish their spring classes remotely, according to the notice posted to the community college's Facebook page shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Friday.

"This was a difficult decision but one OCC believes is necessary to keep students, families, faculty, and staff safe," said Sara Winchester, executive vice president of finance and administration, in a post on the college website.

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Winchester said college officials are working on some alternate ways to celebrate the graduates' accomplishments, and that information will be posted on the OCC website.

Commenters responding on the college's Facebook page urged officials to reconsider and simply postpone the graduation ceremonies.

"I was looking forward to graduate in May," one woman wrote. "Being the first in the family that went to college. Please! Reschedule! I worked hard for that degree."

"Why not reschedule?" another wrote. "Tthis is awful for the students who work hard and now no graduation. My son is the first in my family as well and was so looking forward and proud to see him and his accomplishment on that day."

A petition started on Change.org is urging OCC officials to reconsider the cancellation.

"Many people who go to community college are balancing families, full time jobs, and other hurdles," wrote Rachael Pabon, who created the petition. "There are senior citizens who are earning their degree after spending their entire lives looking after and taking care of others. You have numerous people who are the first to graduate college in their family."

"There are SO many stories of people overcoming so many things life has thrown at them. All of these students have worked tirelessly to get to where they are and earn their diploma. Some have done it in two years, some it has taken many, ALL deserve the right to walk across that stage and feel the pride of being handed their diploma!" she wrote.

"I urge you not to take such a milestone away from all that have earned this. Give them this memory to hold in their hearts — give them a graduation ceremony! Whether it's June, July or August you owe it to the students!"

Some of New Jersey's four-year universities have announced that they will postpone their graduation ceremonies, including Rutgers, Stockton and Rowan.

The college, which has an enrollment of about 8,200 students, will have student support staff available by phone for registration for future semesters. Assistance also will be available online, but the buildings will be closed to the public.

The college donated its perishable food to the B.E.A.T. Center after announcing the semester would resume Monday with online classes.

As of Friday afternoon, there were 890 positive tests for COVID-19 in New Jersey, and 11 people have died from it, according to the state health department. More than 50 percent of those positives are people who are hospitalized, officials said.

There have been 53 positive tests in Ocean County so far, according to the Ocean County Health Department. That includes 26 in Lakewood, five in Jackson, five in Toms River, four in Manchester, two each in Berkeley, Barnegat and Stafford townships, and one each in Brick, Lacey, Little Egg Harbor, Point Pleasant, Seaside Park, Ship Bottom and Surf City.

COVID-19 is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that's a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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