Graduating students: hold onto your caps for just a little bit longer.

Central Connecticut students said they knew postponing this spring’s commencement due to COVID-19 was a possibility. But, now, the day they worked for years to get to will have to wait another eight months.

“I was definitely really devastated when we first found out and didn’t know the future plans yet,” graduating CCSU Senior and former Student Government President Kass Fruin said. “It was supposed to be on my mom’s birthday and it was kind of like a full circle for me after losing her and my dad during my undergraduate career.”

Nearly 3,000 graduates of the spring 2020 class will now celebrate their big day during morning and afternoon ceremonies in December. The decision came just days after President Dr. Zulma Toro originally announced spring graduation would be cancelled altogether.

“Since we host a winter ceremony, we have been given approval from CSCU President Mark Ojakian to combine them in December,” Dr. Toro said in an email sent out to campus last month. “We are working out the details, including the date, and will share specifics with you early next week.”

All other Connecticut colleges and universities have cancelled or postponed spring commencement as well.

“I’m really happy [CCSU] was able to move it, but it’s still not going to be the same,” Fruin said.

Graduation is not the only thing being impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected over 7,500 and claimed 277 lives in Connecticut as of Tuesday.

Earlier this week, Dr. Toro also announced that three residence halls — Sheridan, Gallaudet and Sam May — will become temporary housing for UConn Health Center medical personnel starting Wednesday, April 8.

Dr. Toro assured students who were living in those residence halls that all of their property is in a “secure, safe and clean location.”

The possibilities of utilizing more residence halls and other locations on campus to house medical personnel — though not yet necessary — is not off the table, according to Dr. Toro.

Southern Connecticut State University, just 30 miles south of CCSU, will also act as a field hospital for non-coronavirus patients.

Anyone with any questions or concerns about CCSU and COVID-19 can visit https://www.ccsu.edu/coronavirus/.