After months of speculation, a location for Barnard’s 2010 commencement has finally been confirmed. Barnard’s Student Government Association sent out an e-mail to the class of 2010 early on November 18 regarding the new location. The new location is the plaza just outside the International Affairs Building.

“The location will provide excellent sight lines and sound quality,” SGA wrote.

UPDATE 3:20 p.m.: Barnard President Debora Spar has released a statement about the location change, which will soon be sent to seniors by e-mail. She noted that the event will take place at 2 p.m. “Following the ceremony, the Class of 2010 will return to Barnard’s Lehman Lawn for celebrations with friends, family and faculty,” Spar wrote.

In addition to the three tickets allotted per student, a lottery will distribute more.

“The decision to hold Commencement on Ancel Plaza was made after thorough consideration of a number of possible venues, both in the neighborhood and around the city, and was based on invaluable input from our seniors regarding their priorities for this special occasion,” Spar wrote.

“As I’ve mentioned before, all of the potential venues had some drawbacks, but Ancel Plaza proved to be the best choice for balancing the majority of student concerns.”

See below for full statements.

SGA’s e-mail read:

COMMENCEMENT UPDATE!
Thanks to the efforts of SGA and the receptiveness of the administration, the location of Commencement has been changed from Levien Gym to the International Affairs Building (IAB) Plaza.  Each student will receive at least 3 tickets per person, with an overflow of seats in various locations on campus via simulcasting.  The location will provide excellent sight lines and sound quality.  The Barnard College commencement will be in the afternoon on Monday, May 17th, with the University-wide ceremony the following day (18th).

See Spar’s statement below:

We are pleased to announce that on May 17, 2010, Barnard College’s 118th Commencement ceremony will take place at 2pm on Ancel Plaza, located on Columbia University’s campus between the Law School and the School of International and Public Affairs. Following the ceremony, the Class of 2010 will return to Barnard’s Lehman Lawn for celebrations with friends, family and faculty.

Debora Spar