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Graduation will move from park next year SOU's 2002 commencement will be the last in Lithia Park because of concern about hazards, safety and security By TONY BOOM ASHLAND - Southern Oregon University's 2002 commencement will take place in Lithia Park June 15, but future commencements will be held at Raider Stadium beginning in 2003. SOU President Elisabeth Zinser said she decided to keep this year's commencement in the park because safety issues have been addressed and in deference to graduates' expectations about the location. "These new safety measures cannot be replicated in future years with any certainty," Zinser wrote in a letter addressed to students, families, faculty and staff. A lack of seating at the Butler Band Shell, narrow walkways, uneven ground and poor access for the disabled have been among reasons cited for moving the ceremony. About 900 students participated in last year's commencement. Safety measures this year will include a staffed Ashland Fire Department ambulance in the park, additional traffic control officers to make sure the vehicle can leave and an on-site first-aid station staffed by SOU Student Health and Wellness Center personnel. Hazards of the park setting will be outlined in information sent to graduates and their families this spring. Under a new agreement between the city and the university, the city will share liability. Previously, the university assumed all liability. "The safety, security and risk exposure issue - along with many other problems experienced and discussed fully over recent years - makes it very clear that SOU has outgrown Lithia Park for the purposes of its commencement ceremony," Zinser wrote. Student leaders drafted a resolution and held a rally opposing the change in January. About one-third of parents who wrote in on the issue favored moving to the stadium, said SOU Marketing and Public Relations Director Katy Bazylewicz. Others wrote about preserving tradition and the beauty of the park setting, although most understood the issues, she said. Ashland High School's commencement ceremony may also be moved from Lithia Park. The park has been reserved for the ceremony, but no decision on its location has been made. Ashland High student leaders have opposed relocation. Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.