photo by: Mike Yoder/Journal-World

Umbrellas kept KU graduates dry as some still gathered Sunday during storms that cancelled commencement ceremonies. Many students and family gathered on campus to celebrate - some even walking through the Campanile and down the hill in the rain.

Updated at 6:05 p.m. Sunday

The University of Kansas canceled all three of its Sunday commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2021 because of the severe weather forecast.

The ceremonies — which were scheduled at 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. — were canceled one at a time throughout the day, with graduates and their families invited to attend the following ceremony. While the rain let up periodically, the university said in its announcement about the third cancellation that lightning never stopped being a concern. This makes the second year in a row that KU has had to cancel commencement.

The Class of 2020 is scheduled to celebrate commencement next weekend, on May 23.

KU said Sunday evening that it plans to reschedule a commencement ceremony for the Class of 2021 on May 23, and that details are forthcoming.

Despite the canceled ceremonies, KU graduates still made the most of the day. Students and their families congregated on the Hill for photos, and graduates took turns walking through the Campanile. Many graduates celebrated by popping champagne.

photo by: Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo

University of Kansas Kappa Alpha Theta sorority members celebrate as they pass through the Campanile Sunday even after their morning commencement was cancelled due to storms.

PHOTOS: See more photos of impromptu graduation celebrations.

According to KU spokesperson Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, there were about 4,500 registered graduates who had planned to participate in May 16 commencement ceremonies. The Journal-World spoke to graduates on the Hill on Sunday afternoon.

Parmida Novin, a graduate of KU’s School of Medicine, said she and her classmates were disappointed the first two commencement ceremonies were canceled.

“Most of us actually went to KU four years ago so we remembered when the doctors got to spray the champagne…so we were really looking forward to that,” she said. “It’s still nice to walk down the Hill but I don’t think it’s the same when you’re not actually in the stadium with all the schools.”

Novin said she and her classmates were especially disappointed because their hooding and recognition ceremony, which had been scheduled for Saturday, ended up going virtual.

According to an email from the Executive Vice Chancellor of the University of Kansas Medical Center, Saturday’s in-person events were canceled “in an effort to protect the health and safety of our graduates, faculty and staff.”

“So we were all looking forward to today because we didn’t get our big celebration,” Novin said.

Henry Waldenmeyer, a KU undergraduate who majored with a finance and business analytics double major, said he wasn’t surprised the ceremonies were canceled — and he wasn’t too disappointed.

“I’m not really the biggest tradition guy,” he said. “I just want to be around my friends and family.”

photo by: Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo

Crowds of family and friends of KU graduates gathered near the Campanile Sunday despite a storm to watch graduates participate in their own rain-soaked walk down the Hill. Several commencement events were cancelled due to storms.

Waldenmeyer did walk through the Campanile and had been taking photos with friends and family. Like most graduates the Journal-World spoke to, he said he wasn’t planning on attending the 6:30 p.m. ceremony, even if it occurred.

William Bryant, the grandfather of a KU graduate, told the Journal-World that he believed KU should have had an indoor backup plan.

“I think it’s kind of sad because we came out all the way from out of town just to see my grandson graduate, and this is a big event in a person’s life,” he said. Bryant said he traveled from Detroit, Michigan.

photo by: Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo

Family members and friends watch and take photographs of KU graduates as they celebrate Sunday despite cancelled commencement events. Many students and family gathered on campus to celebrate – some even walking through the Campanile and down the hill in the rain.

“COVID set so many things back. And this situation right here, this just adds more frustration to what we’ve had to deal with with COVID,” he said.

For Madison Masilionis, a KU undergraduate who majored in music education, she was just happy graduates could celebrate on campus. She said she expected the ceremonies to be canceled due to the weather, and that she liked the relaxed atmosphere on the Hill Sunday afternoon.

“I feel like with how 2020 went the fact that we are even able to come onto campus at all is a good positive, better than last year,” she said.