Graduation to be held indoors

In a tradition as old as time, IU\'s 7,000 graduates will don caps and gowns this Saturday when they receive their diplomas at commencement.\nThis year's ceremony, however, will be a bit different from years past. Instead of the traditional outdoor ceremony at Memorial Stadium, where graduation has been held for the past 12 years, graduation will be relocated to Assembly Hall.\nBecause some 34,000 people flock to Bloomington for the event, Commencement had to be split into two sessions to seat all the graduates and their families and friends.\nBut the main reason for the change is due to extreme weather conditions, including heat or extreme cold, such as the sleet in 1996.\n\"Extreme weather could make the ceremony quite unpleasant for people," IU Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm said. "Once we're inside, however, we cannot seat everyone at one session, thus the need for two."\nThis first ceremony begins at 10 a.m. and includes graduates from the Kelley School of Business, the School of Education, the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, the School of Law, the School of Music and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. \nThe second session, beginning at 3:30 p.m., will include graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Continuing Studies, the School of Informatics, the School of Journalism, the Division of Labor Studies, the School of Library and Information Science and the School of Optometry.\nAnother change this year is that doctoral students will be hooded at a separate ceremony instead of at the traditional campus-wide commencement.\nBrehm, finishing her first year as Bloomington Chancellor, is excited about her first graduation at IU.\n"I'm sure it'll be a great experience," she said.\nSome graduating seniors are as optimistic towards the dual ceremonies. While this is not the first time the ceremony has been moved indoors, many are wondering just how the split will affect the ceremony as a whole. \n"I was a little disappointed in the change because I like the idea of us all being together at the stadium," senior Abbie Johnson said. "I\'ll be at the second ceremony, and it also seems like maybe our speaker won\'t be as good because he has to give the speech back to back.\"\nBecause of the split some students who thought they would be graduating with their closest friends will have to listen to stories of the the ceremony not involving their school.\nSenior Amanda Smith is upset about the commencement\'s move indoors as one of her roommates won't be attending the same ceremony.\n\"I live with six other girls and we\'re all graduating together," she said. "All of us are in the morning ceremony except for one girl, so that\'s kind of sad"