The University of Hawaii at Hilo might move next year’s fall commencement to a larger location after dozens of people were denied entry this year because Vulcan Gym was filled to capacity.
Several people who hoped to attend Saturday’s ceremony told the Tribune-Herald they arrived to find the roughly 1,200-capacity gymnasium already full and the doors closed.
Among them was Hilo resident Darrell Gabonia, who said he arrived just before the ceremony began, hoping to watch his girlfriend graduate. Gabonia said “all the doors were closed except one,” and “at least 100 or maybe even a couple hundred people” were waiting outside during the event, many frustrated and upset.
“There were quite a few people huddled around that one door trying to look in,” said Gabonia, adding he attended UH-Hilo’s fall commencement several years ago and was able to get inside without issue. “Some of the student volunteers were apologizing, and some families were very mad.”
A UH-Hilo parent named Darren, who declined to provide his full name to the Tribune-Herald, said he and his wife were able to get inside at the last minute because they were “at the right door at the right time.” He estimates between 50 and 100 people were outside during the ceremony with many also walking away after they were denied access.
“I think what’s really disconcerting is, we know here in Hawaii it’s friends and family and extended family (attending), and that can easily top a dozen or two dozen people (for a single graduate),” he said. “So it just seemed very disconcerting you’d put it in a facility that’s woefully short for accommodations.”
UH-Hilo commencement chairperson Lisa Spain said Monday that Saturday’s crowd was unexpected. Campus leaders were anticipating similar attendance this year compared to last because there were about the same number of students petitioning to graduate, 320 this year compared with 314 in 2016. She said about 50 percent of this year’s graduates RSVP’d ahead of time.
Spain said Vulcan Gym has housed fall commencement for many years and seats are on a first-come, first-served basis, which is outlined in “student information when they register for the ceremony.”
UH-Hilo allows for “standing room in the back (of the gymnasium), but for safety reasons we need to keep the entry points clear,” Spain said, and this year “the gym had reached capacity.”
She said last year’s ceremony also was well-attended, but doors did not have to be closed so people were able to gather around entryways to watch.
Spain said the campus is planning to look at ways to better accommodate next year’s crowd, which could include changing the location or ticketing attendees to get a better sense of anticipated turnout.
Spring commencement, which generally accommodates about twice the number of petitioning graduates, is located at Edith Kanakaole Multi-Purpose Stadium, which Spain said also could be an option for fall commencement. However, she said that’s contingent on availability during the holidays when options can be more scarce.
“I believe as the university, we’re recognizing we’re outgrowing our on-campus facility that’s been serving us for years,” Spain said. “… We’ll be discussing potential changes such as changing the venue next fall and potentially looking into ticketing.
“The campus team will have to decide how best to approach in the future. As far as I know, tickets haven’t been issued for many years and it’s often a matter of, when you look at Hilo in general, we don’t have a lot of large facilities to accommodate.”
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
