By Karen E. Graulich
Daily Bruin Contributor
[email protected]
UCLA’s commencement weekend is going to have a facelift
that university officials hope will lead to a more enjoyable event
for graduates and their families and friends.
This year the College of Letters & Sciences commencement
will be held in Pauley Pavilion with Chancellor Albert Carnesale
presiding over the ceremony.
Today is the last day to pick up reserved tickets. Extra tickets
for those on the waitlist “will be dealt with in a reasonable
manner,” said the L&S vice provost John Sandbrook.
Unlike last year, this year all four divisions of the college
““ humanities, social sciences, physical sciences, and
biological sciences ““ will have a combined ceremony, said
Suzanne Reed, L&S commencement coordinator.
For the 2001 commencement, a total of 20,000 tickets were
available for the L&S ceremony; 3,200 complimentary tickets
were given out, yet only 1,800 people actually participated.
This year tickets for the L&S commencement were available
through the My.UCLA Web site May 1 through the 15th. Graduates were
allowed to reserve a maximum of four tickets. For additional
tickets, they had to sign up on a waiting list.
According to Sandbrook, many of the departmental ceremonies are
popular because they give the students more personal
recognition.
Students were allowed to request more tickets for their
departmental ceremonies. Some gave out as many as 15 tickets per
person.
Last year a graduate reserved 50 tickets for her entire church
congregation, Sandbrook said. He felt that graduates should be
considerate of others by reserving just enough seats for their
family.
More than 50,000 people are expected to come to the UCLA campus
between June 14 and 16 for commencement ceremonies.
Sandbrook recalled his own commencement ceremony: “When I
graduated in 1973, Drake Stadium has 1,100 seats, there were more
than 25,000 people. They were hanging from the trees.”
“We want an organized, structured event,” Sandbrook
said. “We want to make it a pleasant experience for families
and a joyous experience for the graduates.”