The Knapp Center seats fewer than 7,000 people. Compare 7,000 with between 13,000 and 15,000, and that's a difference of between 6,000 and 8,000 people. Granted, Veterans Memorial Auditorium wasn't full in years past, but it wasn't empty either. The Knapp Center's floor is roughly the size of a basketball court. It seems unlikely that graduates and faculty will fit, in addition to space that must be left on the floor for those in attendance unable to climb stairs and sit in bleachers.
Graduation is a big day in the life of a student.
She looks forward to this day and may want parents, siblings, grandparents and friends to attend. And while this was possible with the space allotted at Veterans, the Knapp Center will fill up much faster. One of the worst things that could happen would be for parents to arrive to their son's graduation and be told they must sit in an overflow area where they can view commencement on a TV screen. Geiger said she has had knowledge of the graduation change since the beginning of 1998. There has yet to be a formal announcement regarding this drastic change that will affect graduation for every senior.