QuickTake:

In a campuswide email, Karl Scholz said “I am sorry” for graduates not having the experience they had planned on as scorching temperatures affected Monday’s ceremonies.

University of Oregon President Karl Scholz apologized on Wednesday, June 17, for the “challenges” posed by extreme heat at graduation ceremonies two days before.

In an afternoon universitywide email, Scholz expressed his gratitude for the “overwhelming understanding, goodwill and adaptability” demonstrated by those who attended ceremonies Monday, when temperatures exceeded 90 degrees. 

But university officials recognize that “some graduates may not have had the experience they expected and that we would have wanted for them” due to the record-breaking temperatures, he said.

“For this, I am sorry,” he said. “As with all events, health and safety are our priority. We will identify lessons and improvements that can make future commencements as safe and enjoyable as possible.”

Monday’s heat caused at least five people at outdoor events to faint, and the university to relocate and reschedule two outdoor ceremonies. 

Scholz’s email was UO’s first public acknowledgement of the blowback the university has received for its handling of Monday’s outdoor events in the heat. 

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Grace Chinowsky graduated from The George Washington University with a degree in journalism. She served as editor-in-chief of the university’s independent student newspaper, The GW Hatchet, and interned at CNN and MSNBC. Grace covers Eugene’s city government and the University of Oregon.