The school released a list of safety precautions it is taking for the ceremony. Among them, graduates and other assistants will be screened for Covid-19 symptoms, required to wear masks, and sit 6 feet apart from each other.
But Ryan Jarvi, press secretary for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office said, “The law prohibits organized gatherings of more than 100 people in that part of the state, and such events clearly show a lack of consideration for the dangerous threat of this virus gifts. “
Emily Stack Davis, a spokeswoman for the university, did not confirm how many people should attend. MLive reported that the ceremony is expected to draw 2,600 people to the city of 8,000 residents.
Jarvi said: “Should this event continue, we are confident that local law enforcement agencies will exercise their authority and discretion in their enforcement efforts.
“We sympathize with those who want to celebrate the success of college graduates, but the unfortunate circumstances surrounding this pandemic have made it difficult for many, and we encourage alternatives to large assemblies that could jeopardize the health of many people.”
Hillsdale College said it had communicated its plans to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office more than a month before the events. The university also said it “continued to work with local police and health officials; the state attorney general’s office also suggested that this was the appropriate and necessary step.”
The university, in a press release, said: “The start of Hillsdale College is an ‘expressive activity’ protected by the First Amendment.” Until now, the university still intends to organize the ceremony.
“The beginning is the most important event in the life of a university,” said Arnn. “As old as the first universities, this milestone represents the completion of the university’s work and also inaugurates an even greater undertaking: each graduate begins to live a good life. And a happy life according to the highest principles, a life for the one that has spent four years preparing. “
