There were still masks and social distancing, but there were also caps and gowns as Slippery Rock University held outside commencement ceremonies Saturday .

There were still masks and social distancing, but there were also caps and gowns as Slippery Rock University held outside commencement ceremonies Saturday for the first time since 2008.

Unlike last year, when SRU was unable to conduct its spring commencement ceremonies due to the coronavirus pandemic and instead created two congratulatory videos, there were four separate ceremonies in real life at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.

This is an excerpt from a story that appears in Monday's Butler Eagle.