The votes are in and the decision has been made to hold Spring Commencement on the Diag.
Graduating students were asked to declare their preferred location, the Diag or Elbel Field, in a poll that went out early last week. Of the 3,002 who responded, 66 percent favored the Diag, Provost Teresa Sullivan and Vice President for Student Affairs E. Royster Harper announced Friday in a letter to students. Shortly after the votes were tallied, the president and executive officers endorsed the location.
The decision follows a month-long dialogue between students and administrators on the best location for the ceremony. Construction on Michigan Stadium forced University leaders to look for alternatives, which included an initial plan to move the event to Eastern Michigan University.
After receiving considerable e-mail and other messages, and taking a poll in which students agreed to sacrifice tickets to keep the event on campus, leaders began to re-examine other sites. They also took one more look at the Big House, but after considerable analysis ruled it out due to the number and magnitude of risks, uncertainties, safety and cost concerns.
In last week’s communication about the new location Sullivan and Harper asked students to help make the ceremony something to be remembered.
“As a next step, we would like to encourage graduating students to share their ideas on how we can make this event at the heart of our campus special for all,” they wrote.
A campus forum to seek input is scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 13 in Angell Hall Auditorium B. The events planning team also is taking suggestions until Feb. 15 via the Commencement Web site, www.umich.edu/~gradinfo/spring/comment.html.
