UC Santa Barbara moves graduation ceremonies back to Commencement Green

ISLA VISTA, Calif. – Seven of UC Santa Barbara's commencement ceremonies, scheduled for Jun. 14-16, have changed their venues back to Commencement Green on campus.

"We appreciate the extensive feedback we have received from our campus community regarding Commencement," stated UC Santa Barbara in a message sent to graduating students on Thursday. "We know that the changes have resulted in some difficult choices for some students and their families, and we deeply apologize for the timing of these changes. Our goal has always been to create a safe and accessible ceremony that provides our students, many of whom were deprived of a high school graduation four years ago, the opportunity to cross the stage and receive the recognition that they have earned."

Guests of graduates will still need a ticket, but each of the six tickets issued to graduating students now allows for two guests per ticket to the specified ceremony the University explained on its Commencement 2024 webpage.

The scheduled times for each ceremony remain the same.

Each pair of guests using a single ticket will need to arrive together to be admitted and all guests are subject to security screening.

The ceremonies for the Bren School and the College of Creative Studies will remain at their original venues and do not require tickets.

Undergraduate ceremony participants can claim their guest tickets directly with MarchingOrder and the Graduate Division will directly contact their participants about MarchingOrder access information.

The University had moved the ceremonies to the fields next to the on-campus Recreation Center and limited guests to half the guests now eligible explaining Thursday, "The initial change in venue was undertaken in order to help ensure the continuity of our ceremonies and to enhance safety procedures. We are returning to the traditional Commencement Green location following additional review and revision of our safety procedures and the implementation of additional safety protocols."

The University noted the impact campus protests related to the Isreal-Hamas Conflict have had on ceremonies around the country stating, "Campuses across the country have experienced significant disruptions throughout this year. UC Santa Barbara has been learning from other UC campuses and carefully watching other universities and colleges in order to adopt best practices in event management."

In May, the University's Student Senate approved a resolution calling for the divestment of the University from major defense contractors and the next day, UAW Local 4811, which represents student workers in the UC system, called on student workers at UC Santa Barbara to join other strikes on UC campuses.