Updated information offered on security procedures, degree candidate entry and parking for May 10 SU/SUNY-ESF Commencement

Updated information offered on security procedures, degree candidate entry and parking for May 10 SU/SUNY-ESF CommencementApril 30, 2009Jaime Winne Alvarez jlwinne@syr.edu

On Sunday, May 10, Syracuse University and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) will hold joint Commencement exercises in the Carrier Dome. The student procession begins at 9:30 a.m. U.S. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., an alumnus of the SU College of Law’s Class of 1968, is Commencement speaker; his address is open to the public.

Due to an anticipated larger-than-normal crowd and increased security measures, the Dome will open at 7:15 a.m. Those participating in and attending Commencement should plan for extra time to arrive on campus and complete the security process. Members of the public wishing to attend must enter the Dome through Gates G, H, J, K, L, M, N and P. Seating will be restricted to designated areas in the upper levels.

Metal detectors will be used at every Dome entrance, and everyone entering will be screened. Guests, degree candidates and members of the public should not bring large bags (i.e., backpacks, duffel bags, large shopping bags) into the Dome. All purses, binocular cases and camera cases will be opened and inspected. Trash cans will not be available outside the Dome.

All degree candidates must enter at Gate D and show a valid SU or SUNY-ESF I.D. in order to enter the Dome. Students will have their SU and SUNY-ESF identification scanned at the top of the stairs to Gate D, prior to metal detection.

If the degree candidate’s I.D. is successfully scanned, he/she will be directed down the stairs to the metal detectors. Students who do not have a valid I.D. will require extra time to validate their identity with staff from the SU and SUNY-ESF Registrar’s Offices. At the Registrar’s table, students will be asked to provide an alternative form of picture identification and show their cap and gown, and will be asked a series of questions to validate their status. Once the student receives validation, he/she will move down the stairs to the metal detectors at Gate D.

Space permitting, free parking is available in the Harrison, Lehman, Manley and Skytop lots, and the University Avenue and Booth garages. Shuttles will run regularly to and from the University Avenue Garage and the Manley and Skytop lots beginning at 7 a.m. Disabled parking for the public, with direct bus service to Gate A of the Dome, is available in the Manley North lot (entrance off of Comstock Avenue).

For maps of campus parking and the Carrier Dome, and additional information on the 2009 Commencement exercises, visit http://commencement.syr.edu.