Ritsumeikan University Undergraduate and Graduate Matriculation Ceremonies for Current First-Year Students (and Soon-to-Be New Second-Year Students) Who Enrolled in AY 2020 (To be Held on April 4, 2021)

Ritsumeikan University will hold matriculation ceremonies on Sunday, April 4, 2021 at each campus for current first-year undergraduate and graduate students who started studying at the university in AY 2020. We welcome you to Ritsumeikan University once again and, with the various hardships of the past six months or one year in mind, would like to make this a milestone in the new academic year.

We sincerely apologize that this event could not be held until this time, six months or one year after your enrollment, and that this notification regarding the event was delayed.

There will also be a livestream of the ceremonies for new students, their families, friends, and current students who cannot attend the event on campus for various reasons. We hope you will watch it. The livestream can be viewed on the day of the matriculation ceremonies on the “Special AY 2020 Matriculation Ceremony Website” accessed via the university’s homepage (and a recording can also be viewed on demand after the conclusion of the day’s events).

In order to prevent the spread of infection, we would like to ask all the new students of AY 2020 attending the matriculation ceremony for their understanding and cooperation regarding the following.

• To avoid the “Three Cs” (i.e., closed spaces, crowded places, close-contact settings) while on campus, only the new students of AY 2020 may attend the matriculation ceremonies. The matriculation ceremonies will be the only event held on the day.
• On the day of the matriculation ceremonies, please check your temperature before coming to campus. If you have a fever of 37.5°C or above, or otherwise do not feel well, please refrain from attending. In addition, your temperature will be checked on arrival at the venue. If you are found to have a fever or other symptoms, you may be asked to watch the ceremony from a different room.
• To avoid the “Three Cs” on campus, please refrain from arriving on campus more than one hour before the start time of the matriculation ceremony.
• Please be sure to wear a mask at all times, including on your way to and from the ceremony and while on campus. When taking photos, please ensure that you keep your mask on.
• The matriculation ceremony is a memorable day, and no doubt there will be some socializing with peers who shared this difficult year with you. However, in order to avoid the “Three Cs” while on campus, we ask that you promptly leave the campus as soon as the ceremony is over (i.e., within 30 minutes).
• Please refrain from social gatherings and other kinds of meetings that involve eating and drinking before and after the matriculation ceremony.
• Even in your daily life, the risk of infection can be significantly reduced by wearing a mask at all times, washing and disinfecting your hands, social distancing, avoiding the “Three Cs,” and refraining from having gatherings that involve eating and drinking. Please ensure that your actions reflect an attitude of “protecting yourself from infection and not infecting others.”

Depending on how the COVID-19 situation changes moving forward, event details may change (i.e., if the BCP (Business Continuity Plan) level set by Ritsumeikan University reaches 4 or higher, the matriculation ceremonies will be canceled). Information regarding whether or not the ceremonies are to be held on campus will be posted on the Ritsumeikan University website, via SNS, etc., so please check for the latest information.