Syracuse University is anticipating a record crowd for this year’s commencement because of a larger graduating class and the address delivered by Vice President Joe Biden, organizers said.

Susan Germain, director of the Office of Special Events at SU, said heightened security has been a main concern for this year’s ceremony, which will be held May 10 in the Carrier Dome.

Precautions include metal detectors at all entrances, with all belongings being screened. All graduating students will need to present their student ID card to be swiped into the Dome, according to an announcement last week by the Office of Special Events. These new security measures have been dictated by the Secret Service, Germain said.

‘We’re not expecting any issues,’ she said. ‘But we are preparing.’

Germain said SU is expecting between 22,000 and 30,000 guests at this year’s graduation ceremony, compared to a usual crowd of about 15,000 to 17,000 people. This is the first of three commencement speeches Biden will deliver this year. While the official numbers will not be released until closer to the graduation date, this year’s graduating class is one of the largest in recent years, adding to the number of expected guests, Germain said.

As in the past, admission will be first-come, first-served. Germain said she expects people will be lining up at around 5 a.m. to make sure they are admitted when the Dome opens at 7:15 a.m., but that is no different from other years.

‘There’re always certain moms who love to wait and make sure they get the best camera angle,’ Germain said.

The last times the commencement ceremony drew large crowds were when Bill Clinton and Rudy Guilliani delivered commencement addresses in 2003 and 2002, respectively. Clinton drew a crowd of 22,000, while Guilliani brought in 20,000 people. Security was not as tight during those events, though, because neither was president or mayor at the time, Germain said. Biden will be the first standing vice president or president to deliver a commencement address at SU since 1965, when Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey gave the speech.

Despite a decrease in business because of the recession, some local hotels like the Renaissance Syracuse Hotel report there has been an increased demand for rooms during commencement weekend.

While the hotel experienced a drop in the number of rooms it has sold recently, general manager Ron Paynter said they have sold out for both Saturday and Sunday of commencement weekend.

Jason Mock, the director of front office operations for the Sheraton SU Hotel, said graduation is not the type of event that families cut out, even with the economy. He also noted that many of the rooms for graduation weekend were booked before the trouble with the economy started.

‘This is a special event, and special events don’t always necessarily get affected by the economy,’ Mock said. ‘The kids are graduating, and their parents want to see them. No matter what, they’re going to come.’

Mock said the demand for rooms at the Sheraton is the same this year as it was last year. The only difference was that less group rooms have been booked, he said.

Because the hotel does not discuss motivation for booking with their clients, Mock could not say whether or not any guests are attending to hear Biden speak.

Graduation weekend is traditionally one of the busiest times of year for the Sheraton. To manage the high demand for rooms, the Sheraton chooses guests based on a lottery. From the beginning of this past December to the end of January, potential guests called the hotel to have their name put on a form that was then drawn from a box. Those who have their name drawn are booked a room for the weekend.

‘It’s the fairest way to take reservations, because a lot of people want to stay on campus, right near the Dome,’ Mock said. ‘We would be booked a year and a half in advance if we just allowed general bookings. People call almost every day still looking for a room.’

rhkheel@syr.edu

Published on April 21, 2009 at 12:00 pm