CSU GRADUATES MEET VIRTUAL COMMENCEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT WITH CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM

(Originally published May 2020 for the Cleveland Stater student newspaper)

The graduating class of 2020, whether from high school or college, has had nothing short of a tumultuous ride over the past few months as they have had to face the physical and emotional challenges of completing their education virtually due to stay-at-home orders across the country.

For many, having a full course load of online classes was a first. For Cleveland State spring graduates, they are about to experience yet another new undertaking – a virtual commencement ceremony.

Following the university’s announcement of its first virtual commencement to be held on May 30 at 1p.m., graduates found themselves with something to look forward to, since an in-person commencement had been previously postponed until university officials are safely able to organize one.

Cleveland State senior Katie Turocy will be finishing her double major in psychology and health sciences on the pre-occupational therapy track, and she said that while she wishes commencement could be held as normal, she understands that a virtual ceremony is in the best interest for everyone.

“I am disappointed that the current circumstances led to commencement being online. However, I think it is the best-case scenario,” she said. “I would not want to risk my family, friends, or my own health by having a ceremony. I think the online commencement could be put together really well.”

Turocy plans to continue at Cleveland State for graduate school, and said she feels blessed that she will at least be able to experience another commencement ceremony down the line. As far as this year’s ceremony goes, she said that if the school is able to organize an in-person commencement exclusively for spring graduates she would certainly attend, but if her class is combined with future fall graduates she would not feel obligated.

For some, the validation of being able to eventually walk the stage is still essential. Crystal Beaulieu, graduating from the journalism program, said she is both excited and curious to see what the virtual commencement has in store – but not quite sure what to expect. She has eagerly anticipated the chance to ‘walk’ for a long time, not just for the thunderous applause, but for the deep symbolism it holds for herself and her family.

“It's very important for me to walk the stage. As a non-traditional college student and first-generation college graduate, it has taken me over 15 years to earn my bachelor's degree. Now in my mid-30s, I realize the importance of this accomplishment and the grit it took for me to actually graduate,” she said. “My children have watched me struggle and work hard to earn this, and they themselves have had to sacrifice time with their mom as I worked through my courses. Walking the stage would give me the gratification of all my hard work and would give my family the pride of knowing the support they've given me was just what I needed.”

Justin Rosenbaum, 23, graduated from Cleveland State last May under much more normal circumstances, however, he said thinks the idea of a virtual ceremony is a commendable effort upon the part of the university to still honor graduates during unprecedented circumstances.

“As far as pulling it off effectively, I think the school can figure out an appropriate format for families to tune in and students to feel some sort of closure with their graduation,” Rosenbaum said.

He said he wanted to encourage this year’s graduates to focus on their achievements, despite how challenging the conditions around them may be.

“I would tell them the important part is that they were able to graduate. It could have been a situation that was so bad that they couldn’t even finish school,” Rosenbaum said. “So as bad as it may sound in the moment, the important thing is that they graduated and received their degree.”

CSU’S GLOBAL SPACE LAW CENTER BOLDLY GOES WHERE NO LAWS HAVE GONE BEFORE

Photo by Sheena Holland

From left to right: Mark Sundahl, Justine Kasznica, Dennis O'Brien, Michelle Hanlon, Christopher Johnson, Steven Mirmina, and Jessy Kate Schlinger participated in the “Returning to the Moon: Legal Challenges as Humanity Begins to Settle the Solar System.”

By: Sheena Holland

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Living in outer space has been the subject of fascination among both science fiction enthusiasts and scientists alike for decades, but one question has perhaps been mostly overlooked in the public eye – how do we live long, prosper and establish governance and jurisdiction on the moon?

The Global Space Law Center, part of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, presented its 2020 symposium on March 6 when host panelists discussed ideas for what standards could be set as mankind continues to explore outer space and eventually establish a permanent presence on the lunar surface.

Professor Mark Sundahl, director of the Global Space Law Center, served as main moderator for “Returning to the Moon: Legal Challenges as Humanity Begins to Settle the Solar System.”

Sundahl said he thought the first steps toward a moon village involve asking big questions and setting up the legal precedents to make it successful. The Outer Space Treaty signed in 1967 laid the groundwork, but he said that existing laws may not be quite enough to govern a lunar society, which would eventually be accessible to many industries.

“Maybe someone goes up there to open up a therapy practice because it can be lonely being up on the moon,” Sundahl said. “Really, a restaurant, a movie theater -- everything we have here on earth, eventually migrated to another celestial body.”

“Imagine that we have public governmental facilities, and we have private facilities, and they are all in the same vicinity with similar needs—a need for everything that sustains life and power,” he continued. “And imagine that this settlement grows relatively large. It starts out with just a handful of astronauts, and over the years, we have maybe 50 people living there. 24-7, 365. This is the idea of a moon village.”

The laws of outer space and a future moon village may seem like a notion out of science fiction to many who are not familiar with them, but the symposium’s timing was relevant. According to NASA’s website, the first phase of the new Artemis space program, planned to take place in 2020, will ultimately lead to NASA sending two astronauts to the lunar surface in 2024.

Panelists from quite a few disciplines and regions, such as Steven Mirmina, an attorney at NASA in the International Law division, and Michelle Hanlon, an associate director for the National Center for Air and Space Law in Mississippi, joined Sundahl to explore various aspects of the issue.

Different panels covered areas such as producing aerospace technology, regulation of public and private companies’ space activities, and to how to potentially enforce jurisdiction for a moon village.

During the panel where speakers discussed what a moon village might look like, Sundahl welcomed Dr. Giuseppe Reibaldi, founder of the Moon Village Association, who joined the symposium via video chat from Rome.

The Moon Village Association is a non-governmental group with a goal to achieve cooperation and understanding between any entities, be they government or private actors, who plan to explore or eventually establish a presence on the moon.

Officials of the Moon Village Association had been working toward finalizing a draft of principles for human occupation on the moon – essentially, a set of best practices for a lunar colony. Reibaldi announced that the principles are now available for public commentary as of that day at moonvillageassociation.org.

Another panel covered the topic of lunar land rights, resource allocation, and preservation of important cultural sites on the moon’s surface. Michelle Hanlon, along with her position at National Center for Air and Space Law, is the president of the nonprofit organization For All Moonkind, Inc.

Hanlon’s organization advocates for the protection of culturally significant sites in outer space. Hanlon said she does not believe every site of human interaction on the moon need to be protected, “but we do need to manage what we protect,” she said.

As an example, Hanlon used the site of the very first moon landing. She said that no law now exists to protect the astronauts’ boot print marks at the site from potential destruction by other entities who land near them.

“We need to make the boot prints on the moon as an important site as footprints fossilized from Tanzania,” Hanlon said.

“Returning to the Moon” offered legal professionals continuing legal education (CLE) credit hours, and the general public could attend for free.

Kristina Schiavone, a member of the Global Space Law Center Research Council, helped organize the symposium, and said she was pleased with the turnout. Schiavone said she believes it is becoming increasingly important for the public to learn more about outer space law.

“Innovation is surpassing law, and in more than just space law,” she said. “Just think about cybersecurity. I think it needs to be discussed, it needs to be talked about. Government is involved with it, as [seen] today. I think the public is ready to hear about it, and they need to hear about it.”