May graduation will be held outside rain or shine this year. For the first time ever the May graduation will be held on the Dallas Hall Lawn.
The main stage will be located at the front of Dallas Hall with chairs going back to the end of the grass, with seating on the sides into the trees. As in Moody Coliseum, there will be giant screens strategically placed for easier viewing of the ceremony for visitors located in the back.
As with any graduation that is held outside, there is a chance for rain. The rain plan for graduation will be handing out rain ponchos to all attendees since umbrellas can impede the view of other visitors.
“In the past 12 years, it has only rained on that morning once and it was two-tenths of an inch,” said Provost Ludden.
Senior John Angle thinks the graduation will be a great opportunity for the university to try something new and could be a beautiful tradition but “I am, however, a little worried about rain or heat.”
The graduation will not be held in its traditional location, Moody Coliseum, because it will be closed in May while it receives its $40 million face-lift. The arena will be reopened by the start of the 2014 basketball season in time for SMU’s first Big East season.
According to Provost Ludden, who has been working with other campus administrators to find the alternative ceremony location, the university started looking for alternatives when the renovations of Moody were first announced. The administrators looked at dozen of sites near campus but due to a variety of reasons each venue did not work out.
“For example, American Airlines Center. It is big enough, indoors, has parking but because they do not know what their playoff schedule might be they are unwilling to schedule that until about a month in advance,” said Provost Ludden.
Last May graduation had about 2,000 students graduate at the commencement, which the planning committee has taken into account. There will be seats for all graduates and about 7,000 seats for visitors.
Stephanie DuPaul, associate vice president for enrollment management, says the area will be adorned with festive decorations as guest walk up to the ceremony from the flagpole and the side areas.
The planning committee is planning to have water stations and hand out paper fans for guests to ensure everyone stays hydrated and cool as possible. The committee is also looking at moving up the start time for the commencement to 9 a.m. to allow for cooler weather. There will also be live streaming of the ceremony set up in buildings across campus including the Hughes-Trigg Theater for guests who would rather not sit outside.
Preparation for the event will begin the Friday before graduation but will not interfere with the Baccalaureate service that night and the tradition of walking through Dallas Hall.
This unique setup will be used twice during graduation day, with the Business School graduation using the same setup for its ceremony later in the day.
In a survey of 175 seniors, about 61 percent said they liked the idea of having the graduation on the Dallas hall lawn. When asked about their opinion on the rain plan about 52 percent said they did not feel it was adequate. Many of the seniors were unaware of the change of location for their graduation when asked about for their opinion on the move.
“This is the centennial era. This will be a once in a century event that will kind of add to the memories of this. The students who graduate outside in front of Dallas Hall will remember that as a unique and special day in their undergraduate and graduate experiences,” said Provost Ludden.
The ceremony will go down in the SMU history books and has the potential to be beautiful event with the landmark of SMU serving as the backdrop for this year’s graduation.
