Stanford’s main Commencement ceremony on June 16 will be a ticketed event in order to provide a “safe and enjoyable experience,” according to an email sent out to graduating students on Thursday.
Eligible graduates will receive an email on June 4 with a link to request tickets for guests through the Stanford Athletics website and will have until June 11 at 11:59 p.m. to do so. Graduates will need to present their student ID to enter but do not need to request tickets for themselves.
The decision follows pro-Palestine protests at university commencements across the nation. While Stanford Against Apartheid in Palestine (SAAP) has not shared specific plans for Commencement weekend protests, a spokesperson told The Daily that the end of the quarter is “still a really crucial time for us to push for our goals and our demands.”
Last week, a group of protesters entered a mechanical engineering building while students were present. President Richard Saller told the Faculty Senate last Thursday that students found to be responsible for this event, which he said endangered community safety, would be immediately suspended and not permitted to participate in Commencement.
The Daily has reached out to the University for comment.
Invited guests can expect to receive their non-transferable tickets via email on Thursday, June 13. Guests are expected to bring a photo ID that matches the name on the ticket. Children under the age of two do not require tickets. Seating inside the stadium is unassigned and first-come, first-served.
Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and founder of Pivotal Ventures, will deliver the Commencement address. The ceremony will take place at the Stanford Stadium and will be livestreamed online as well as at Maples Pavilion. Tickets will not be required for the Baccalaureate ceremony on June 15, where Varun Soni will speak as the first Hindu speaker.
Caroline Chen contributed reporting to this article.