Mail Tribune News - SOU reverses: Graduation will be at park after all

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SOU reverses: Graduation will be at park after all ASHLAND -- It's back to Lithia Park with pomp and circumstance for Southern Oregon University graduates. University President Steven Reno and the school's executive council had voted in December to move the June 12 ceremony to Raider Stadium, citing concerns about unpredictable weather, parking and accommodating disabled spectators. Officials reversed the decision Wednesday after hearing from students concerned that they weren't consulted. "I believe there were, and continue to be, good reasons for moving the venue from Lithia Park to Raider Stadium, at least on a trial basis," Reno said in a news release. "But the process by which that decision was made was not a fully consultative one." The move forced Phoenix High School to make one change in its plans. Graduates will rehearse at the park the evening of June 11 instead of the morning of June 12. The Phoenix graduation will be held the afternoon of June 12 as scheduled, after SOU's ceremony is finished. Mail Tribune Copyright �  The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA