UPDATED: Sept. 21, 2019 at 5:18 p.m.

Student Association President Mackenzie Mertikas raised concerns about next year’s commencement ceremony in a Friday meeting with university officials.

Syracuse University officially announced on Thursday that the ceremony will take place on the Quad instead of the Carrier Dome. Mertikas brought up her concerns about the new location at a Friday meeting with the Campus Facilities Advisory Board. Pete Sala, chief facilities officer, is co-chair of that committee.

“(SU’s announcement) raised more questions than it answered,” Mertikas told The Daily Orange before the meeting. “There’s still a lot of questions that students need answered, and that’s going to be our main focus.”

Mertikas cited several concerns that she would bring to SU, including safety, accessibility, parking, space availability and contingency plans for bad weather. She is also concerned that parents might not be able to see their children graduate across the stage or that sign language interpreters won’t be visible. 

SU’s Commencement 2020 website states that the Quad is large enough for the ceremony and students can have unlimited guests. The website also mentions that there is a “detailed weather plan in place,” but nowhere is that detailed. SU will provide a live stream from auditoriums for guests who don’t want to be outside, according to the website. 

Mertikas, a senior political science and public relations dual major, said the website fails to address information students need to help their families prepare for the event. Her own parents may have to re-book their hotel rooms due to the date change for the convocations of individual schools and colleges. 

Convocations for the College of Arts and Sciences and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications will be held on Friday, May 8. Both Arts and Sciences and Newhouse have held their convocations on Saturday in the past seven years. 

“It’s the job of the university to inform the students about all of (these details), and to include them in all its communications,” Mertikas said. “With an event this large, these details should have already been figured out.”

The Commencement 2020 website also mentions “an opportunity for the graduates to bid an appropriate farewell to The Dome,” taking place at some point before it officially closes for construction in March. Mertikas noted that she wants the university to clarify the nature of this event.

Mertikas said SA believes the university is capable of organizing a successful commencement ceremony in the Quad. However, she wants students to have the information necessary to make graduation enjoyable for their friends, family and themselves.

“We’re confident that (SU) is going to plan an amazing ceremony, especially with it being the 150th anniversary of Syracuse University,” she said. “But right now there are a lot of questions that students need answered.”

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, the details of the meeting between Student Association and the university were misstated. The meeting was on Friday between Mackenzie Mertikas and the Campus Facilities Advisory board. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on September 20, 2019 at 6:18 pm

Contact Chris: cjhippen@syr.edu