Students at graduation rehearsal May 9 were outraged when they were told that graduation had been moved from Eagle Stadium to the Fox Theatre in Oakland.
Although commencement ceremonies have now been changed back to Eagle stadium, the half-filled Odell Johnson Theatre, which was the rehearsal site for May 24 graduation ceremonies, broke out in a flurry of questions as graduation organizers opened up the floor to inquiries.
Students primarily wanted to know why the event venue had been changed. “We have a somewhat controversial speaker,” an organizer said, referencing commencement speaker Janet Napolitano, “and we have your safety in mind.” Many students were not content with this answer and continued to ask questions despite the graduation committee’s continued pleas to continue on with rehearsal.
At one point, one student became so disruptive that she was asked to leave; campus security had arrived but the student left of her own accord at what appeared to be the urging of someone outside the theater.
Rehearsal continued haphazardly, with interruptions by students, and pleas by others to just keep going. Organizers, looking haggard, finally ended the afternoon’s event and said they would answer questions outside.
Before rehearsal ended, however, students drew up a petition to change the venue back to Eagle stadium. Before organizers even got out the door, at least a dozen students had signed. After graduation organizers retreated outside, students swarmed with a bevy of unanswered questions, many displeased with the afternoon’s outcome and commencement’s present venue.
However, later in the evening, graduating students received an email saying that the venue had once again been moved — this time back to Eagle Stadium. At the Stadium, there would be no ticket limits for guests of graduates, one of the major sources of discontent for attendees of the May 9 rehearsal. The email also contained a survey asking students if they felt Janet Napolitano is an appropriate speaker for this year’s commencement ceremonies.