U. changes date of '96 graduation

Parents of the Class of 1996 should cross Commencement off their calendars for May 20, 1996. University Secretary Barbara Stevens announced yesterday that the Commencement date has been changed to the following day, May 21. Because of a medical convention, scheduled for the weekend before Commencement, many hotels in Philadelphia have already sold all of their rooms. Stevens said she changed the date from the Monday to the Tuesday following that weekend "so that additional rooms will open up to accommodate our Penn parents." Stevens added that the convention did not end until Tuesday or Wednesday of that week, but that many participants would be leaving at the end of the weekend. "We have consulted with our faculty and deans and the leadership of the junior class and have determined that this can be done while accommodating the needs of the city," Stevens said. Although many more rooms will now be available, Stevens said she was aware that some parents may stay for the weekend and others may still be unable to get a room. As a result, additional housing will be available on campus, Stevens added. Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone said her department is already preparing for the expected demand by housing some parents of the Class of 1995 in the residences for this year's Commencement in May. "We knew about the potential problems and thought we would do it in 1995 and see how it went on a smaller scale," Simeone said last night. "We'll be housing them in Kings Court [and] English House -- if that goes well, we'll use it next year. If not, we'll look at other options." Simeone said the change in date made the situation "a little easier for us." "If we are not responding to thousands and thousands and thousands of families, it certainly makes it a little bit easier," she added. Stevens said the city promised to work with the University to determine where rooms will be available for the families of the Class of 1996. "They will plug us into their central reservation system," she added, noting that some families may find themselves in more distant hotels from the University. Stevens said this problem will not occur the future. "The city has now recorded on its master calendar the dates of Penn Commencement through 2010," she added. The date of last year's Commencement was changed because it coincided with an American Psychiatric Association convention.

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