University starts the search for a commencement site

Posted Wednesday, September 21 2005 12:14:47 am

By Riki Parikh
Managing Editor

The Class of 2005 graduates on the Ellipse this past May.

GW is currently looking at a number of venues throughout the city for this year’s graduation ceremony after learning that the traditional commencement location would not be available for use.

The National Park Service officially informed GW on Monday night that the Ellipse, which has been used for university-wide commencement ceremony for 13 years, will not be available for use in May 2006 due to the installation of an irrigation system.

According to a letter sent by the NPS on September 9 and received by the university on Tuesday, “the western and southern halves of the Ellipse will be under construction from the winter of early 2006 until early summer 2006.”

“This letter is to confirm that the Ellipse area will not be available for The George Washington University’s 2006 commencement ceremonies,” wrote the letter, signed by John Stanwich, manager of President’s Park, which surrounds the White House.

The letter, which the university initially received by fax on Monday afternoon, was sent to Jim Hess, director of University Events.

Hess said he was informed in June of the possibility that the Ellipse would not be available for May 21, 2006, when the ceremony will take place, but nothing was definite. Even so, he has been “actively involved in conversations with folks at other venues” during the summer months, he said, just in case the lawn would not be open for use.

“We’re as disappointed as many of the students are,” said Michael Freedman, vice president of communications at GW. “We still hoped that they (the students)… could use it.”

Finding a new venue

Freedman said that “look and feel is a big factor” of the GW Commencement and the elimination of the Ellipse puts the university in a “unique situation.”

Due to the enormous turnout that usually accompanies a GW Commencement, there are only three venues in the District that are on the university’s short list.

“We’re looking at the pros and cons of other venues,” said Freedman. But, he added, “Each venue comes with its own set of complications.”

The possible venues include:

• MCI Center: The MCI Center, which has served as the rain-date location for the past several years, is at the top of the list of possible venues. Because of the university’s relationship with the arena in the past, the 20,000 seat venue is a very high possibility. The university is familiar with the setting and its staff, said Freedman.
  
  However, the MCI Center is home to the Washington Wizards basketball team and the Washington Capitals hockey team, both of which have holds on the location for the Sunday of commencement, which takes place during both NBA and NHL playoff seasons. How well either team does this season will determine its availability. Because of this, the MCI Center has never committed to a time for a GW event until April.
  
  Freedman said that the MCI Center has informed both the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League about GW’s wanting to use the facility on that day. He expects to hear back from the MCI Center by the end of the month.
  


• RFK Stadium: The 56,000 seat home of the Washington Nationals baseball team is another possibility, with both outdoor and indoor elements that could enhance the program, said Freedman. Since the baseball team began using the stadium last year, millions of dollars have been spent to improve the facilities. The venue, he said, “is now more appropriate than its been in a number of years for the staging of GW’s Commencement.”
  
  However, the Nationals are slated to begin the inter-league tournaments on Sunday, May 21, against the Baltimore Orioles. Freedman said that the upside of this would be that more attention would be given to the commencement ceremony, but it will also be one of the busiest weekends of the year.
  
  Freedman said the Nationals have expressed their support for GW’s ceremony and that the university is still waiting to hear back from the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, who have “not officially responded to our request.”
  


• The National Mall: Another possible venue is another outside location, along the National Mall. Freedman said the university is looking at a location somewhere on the Mall between the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building. Though this locale would provide the visual equivalent of the Ellipse, logistical elements make the move quite difficult.
  
  First, the university cannot close the Mall, as it is public land. Though this was the case for the Ellipse, that area was a bit more secluded than the Mall is. Therefore, security is a factor on graduation day, with approximately 20,000 people navigating around thousands of tourists crossing the mall, visiting the Smithsonian Museums on a spring weekend. Second, access points for equipment to arrive on the Mall are limited, making setup much more complicated than it was on the Ellipse.
  
  In his application to use the Ellipse for commencement ceremonies, Hess also applied for “other areas on the Mall,” he said. Now that the Ellipse is no longer an option, the NPS should still consider the application accordingly.

“We’re dealing with all the elements,” said Freedman, adding that there is no time table or deadline for when a location is chosen.

In terms of cost, it is unknown how much more expensive any of these venues will be. Commencement typically costs about $500,000, said Freedman.

The university generally spends half of that budget, $250,000, on the Ellipse every year. This cost covers labor costs associated with setup, staff costs, and a “minimal wear and tear” costs for the Ellipse grounds, said Hess.

In addition, the university has negotiated a flat-rate deal of $40,000 in the past for the use of the MCI Center as a rain-date location, which it has never had to use. This covers staff and setup costs as well. It is unknown if this price will remain or if it will increase if the university chooses the MCI Center as its primary location.

Freedman said that cost will not play a primary role in determining which venue will be chosen.

However, he said, “We don’t want to waste anyone’s money,” adding that if the cost for using the National Mall is too high, it will be ruled out.

“We’re under active consideration of all the venues,” he said.

This is the first renovation on the Ellipse in over 60 years, said William Line, a spokesman for NPS. He said this is only a one year interruption that is necessary in order to “protect and preserve this national treasure.”

“We fully expect that the Commencement ceremony can resume [on the Ellipse] in Spring 2007,” said Line.