Syracuse University’s 2020 Commencement will be held at the Manley Field House in case of severe weather.

The university officially announced on Sept. 19 that Commencement will be held on the Quad to accommodate for renovations to the Carrier Dome. If the ceremony is required to move indoors due to weather, transportation will be provided from Main Campus to Manley, a multi-purpose arena near SU’s South Campus.

Commencement 2020 would be split into two separate ceremonies if moved to Manley, one with five schools at 9:30 a.m. and the second with seven schools at 1 p.m on Sunday, May 10.

“The ceremonies would be identical with the exception of only recognizing those schools and colleges in attendance,” according to SU’s Commencement 2020 website.

Seating on the Quad will hold the same number of people as Dome seating did. Tiered and floor seating will be available on the Quad. Both Communication Access Real-time Translation and American Sign Language interpretation services will be provided.

The ceremony’s start time may also be changed in response to weather conditions. Commencement could begin as early as 8:30 a.m. or as late as 2 p.m. as part of the severe weather plan.

Commencement is traditionally held in the Dome, but the building will close temporarily beginning in March 2020 for renovations. The Dome is currently undergoing renovations to its roof as part of a $118 million renovation plan. SU also plans to install a vertically-hung scoreboard before the 2020 football season and a new sound and lighting system.

The Dome opened in 1980, and Commencement has been held there every year since 1981. In recent months, some SU parents have expressed their concerns over having Commencement on the Quad on social media.

Chancellor Kent Syverud said at a University Senate meeting on Sept. 18 that he had heard from “a lot of people” about graduation since April. In September, an administrator of a Facebook group for Class of 2020 parents shared a letter online saying that students and families were “dismayed” that the ceremony was not being held in the Dome. The letter was addressed to Syverud and Board of Trustees Chair Kathleen Walters.

Additional information on the ceremonies SU’s individual schools and colleges will be provided in the months to come. Graduating students will also have an opportunity to “bid an appropriate farewell” to the Dome before it closes for renovations.

In the case of severe weather, the schools and colleges participating in the ceremony from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. are:

• College of Arts and Sciences
• S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
• Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• Martin J. Whitman School of Management
• University College

These schools and colleges would be in the 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ceremony:

• School of Architecture
• College of Engineering and Computer Science
• School of Education
• David B. Falk College of Sports and Human Dynamics
• School of Information Studies
• College of Law
• College of Visual and Performing Arts

Published on October 1, 2019 at 10:38 pm

Contact India: irmiragl@syr.edu