Three things for April 7
1. Lee’s spring commencement officially postponed
On Monday, Dr. Paul Conn announced over livestream Lee’s spring 2020 commencement will combine ceremonies with the summer 2020 graduating class, postponing spring commencement until the weekend of July 30.
“With the progress of this virus and way it’s spreading and growing, we hoped by now things would back off a little, but that’s not happening,” Conn said. “The idea that we could come in here and have a big crowd and have a big celebration on the first week of May just doesn’t make sense and just doesn’t work.”
According to Conn, a majority of student feedback was not in favor of a virtual commencement ceremony. Now, spring commencement will combine with summer commencement on the weekend of July 30 through August 1.
After Conn announced the news via livestream, an email went out to all spring 2020 graduation candidates concerning the updated dates and deadlines of graduation. Those who are cleared to graduate will still obtain degrees and become official Lee University graduates as of May 11, but the celebration ceremonies are postponed.
Conn finished the video with an uplifting message for students.
“Our faculty and staff, everybody, is really working hard to get this place ready to welcome you back and to take care of you when you do come back,” Conn said.
2. John Krasinski unites the cast of ‘Hamilton’ on ‘Some Good News’
Aubrey Bauman, a 9-year-old “Hamilton” enthusiast, became the latest recipient of goodness in John Krasinski’s viral YouTube show “Some Good News.”
Bauman’s mother tweeted Lin-Manuel Miranda, the playwright of the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton,” about how their family canceled Bauman’s birthday plans to see the show in Jacksonville due to COVID-19.
Krasinski said he took note of this and saw an opportunity to make the young girl’s day.
After inviting Bauman to join the show via Zoom, Krasinski and wife Emily Blunt surprised her with tickets to see the show in New York. Aubrey was then “Zoom surprised” by the entire cast coming together to sing her favorite song from the musical.
“It shows we are going to get through corona, and things won't be exactly the same, but they'll be close to the same,” Bauman said during the video.
3. ‘Super Pink Moon’ to appear this week
According to NASA, April’s “Super Pink Moon” is set to appear tonight.
Noah Petro of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland said he hopes all are able to view this phenomenon but urged that safety is of the utmost importance.
Petro told AP News, “If you can’t get out safely … then fine. Go out next month or whenever it’s safe again. Use the full moon as an excuse to get out and start looking at the moon.”
The supermoon will be the closest to Earth on Tuesday night, which is prime time for moon-gazing, according to NASA. The next supermoon is set to occur on May 7.
