Possibility of Bush visit combines both ceremonies

Commencement will take place in a single ceremony at Arizona Stadium this year, the first time since the 1970s that the UA will hold graduation outside.

The event is normally split into two ceremonies in McKale Center, but was moved outside and consolidated in anticipation of a possible speech by President Bush.

Though officials still call a Bush acceptance unlikely, they moved the ceremony outside so that if he does attend, all the graduates will be able to hear his speech.

But they emphasized that even though they moved the ceremony, they haven't received any word from the White House on whether Bush will accept.

"We have no idea · of what the president's response will be," said Edith Auslander, Likins' senior associate. Auslander echoed earlier statements from Likins in calling a Bush acceptance a "long shot."

The White House could respond to the request anytime, she said.

The stadium could accommodate about 50,000 people for a single ceremony. Between 11,000 and 14,000 typically attend the McKale ceremonies.

Graduates and their families should prepare for warm temperatures during the May 15 ceremony, said associate dean of students Alexis Hernandez, who chairs the commencement operations committee.

"There will be no shadow in the stadium," he said.

The ceremony will start at 9 a.m., early enough in the day that temperatures will be about 72-76 degrees if Tucson hits its average high and low, said Hans Hanson, a meteorological technician at the National Weather Service in Tucson.

The average high for May 15 is 90 degrees.

And if it rains, the ceremony will go on, Hernandez said.

Any rainfall would probably not be significant. The average amount of rain for May 15 is .01 inches, Hanson said.

"It's not going to rain," Auslander said.

She wouldn't rule out permanently moving commencements outdoors if the ceremony goes well, with or without Bush.

"This is an experiment," she said. "It's just being viewed as, ÎLet's see how this goes.'"

Steve Kerr, former UA men's basketball player, was also invited to speak.

Likins extended the invitation to Bush last month after the White House sent signals through a faculty member connected with the White House that Bush would welcome an invitation from the UA. Likins has declined to name the faculty member.

In recent years, UA commencement speakers have reflected a wide range of political ideologies. Last year, Gov. Janet Napolitano spoke at one ceremony, and Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., spoke at the other.

Commencement was moved indoors in 1973. The Daily Wildcat reported that students hoped the air conditioning would relieve itching from caps and gowns that students suffered outdoors.

The ceremony was split into a morning and afternoon event in the late '80s.

Colleges that normally conduct their own graduation convocations on Saturday morning are moving those ceremonies to other times.

For example, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, which typically has its own convocation on Saturday morning, has moved it to 12:30 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Student Union Memorial Center, said Paul Kohn, an assistant dean in the college.

For up-to-the-minute commencement information, check the commencement Web site at w3.arizona.edu/~dos/commencement/index.html.