Spread out on one side of the football stadium and wearing masks under overcast skies, about 450 Southern University Baton Rouge students Friday received their degrees at an outdoor, in-person college commencement ceremony.
There were no handshakes with President Chancellor Ray Belton. But after queuing six feet apart, the Fall 2020 graduates received their diplomas off to one side, then climbed the stage and crossed to applause of parents and friends, some pausing for a photo next to, sort of, Belton.
SU Graduate Justin Smothers, from New Orleans, gives a slight wave after receiving his diploma, on Friday, during Southern Universityâs Fall 2020 commencement in A.W. Mumford stadium.