Barnard’s graduation is going international.
After much contention, Barnard seniors will graduate in Ancel Plaza outside the International Affairs Building, Barnard President Debora Spar confirmed in an e-mail. Traditionally, the ceremony has taken place on Lehman Lawn, but due to a lack of space during construction of the Diana Center, Barnard Commencement took place on Columbia’s South Lawn over the last few years and the location was uncertain for the class of 2010.
The Barnard Student Government Association announced via e-mail on Wednesday that the ceremony will take place on May 17 in “the afternoon.” Spar clarified that it would be held at 2 p.m. The graduation will still be held on the same day as Columbia College’s Class Day, but the timing of the ceremonies will likely not overlap.
Students will be allowed three tickets per person and the event will be simulcast for additional guests in several locations which have not yet been determined. One space being considered is 202 Altschul.
“We have to figure out tickets—we’re trying to get a precise number of chairs for IAB,” Spar said in an interview two weeks ago. She estimated that there will be about 3,000 guests, and there “will probably be three chairs and then a lottery for extras.” Barnard administrators announced earlier this semester that Barnard’s Commencement would take place inside Dodge’s Levien Gym. Despite pronouncements that the decision was final, some Barnard seniors vocally protested the move, and Spar eventually brought location negotiations back to the table. SGA sent out a class-wide survey to gauge students’ opinions about possible alternative spots.
“The most important objective was finding a good spot. We pulled out all the stops,” Spar said in an interview.
In the survey, Spar noted, students were overwhelmingly against graduating in a gym. According to SGA president Katie Palillo, BC ’10, Spar and Barnard Dean Dorothy Denburg asked the senior class council and SGA executive board to discuss alternative options with the senior class.
Spar considered a variety of locations in New York City, while also taking into account students’ concerns of ticket availability and location. “Students stressed the importance of having more than two tickets, being outdoors, and proximity to campus … IAB plaza emerged as an option that encompassed many of these considerations,” Palillo said.
“That struck people as the best option,” Spar added. “IAB is nice—it’s very sheltered, it’s very quiet, it’s dramatic.”
SGA significantly delayed the new location announcement, which students expected two weeks ago. It was postponed while the Jewish Theological Seminary was renegotiating its own graduation date. Barnard wanted to make sure the six seniors in the dual degree program could graduate with the rest of their class, said Rebecca Tuchman, BC/JTS ’10 and Vice President of Internal Affairs for the List College Student Council.
“It was very important for the double degree students to be able to attend both ceremonies,” Tuchman said. “For us, it was great just to hear that we would be able to go to both and that Barnard had been very accommodating.”
If it rains, there is a strong possibility the Barnard graduation will overlap with the CC ceremony. “We are looking into the possibility of tenting the plaza,” Spar noted. “We may be at the same time as them … There will be a complicated dual procession.”
Student reactions to the new location have been largely positive. “While I never thought of that location before, I think it is great that Barnard found a location outdoors that is on campus and seems like it will work well for a graduation ceremony,” said Marci Leveillee, BC ’10 and SGA representative for Student Services, though she noted that she was speaking for herself and not the council.
“I like the new location better,” added Irene Soto, BC ’10. “It is more of a venue for a college graduation. A graduation in the gym would seem more like a high school graduation.”
Joy Resmovits contributed reporting to this article.
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