THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 6, 1996 TAG: 9606060017
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 31 lines
The letter ``Fouled up NSU graduation at Scope'' (May 24) contained a series of errors and unfounded assumptions.
Nothing was fouled up about the NSU graduation exercises. The university has the best-planned and organized commencement in the area.
Each graduating senior was issued 15 graduation invitations and could purchase additional invitations at the NSU bookstore. The invitations did not carry an entitlement to a seat in the arena, and all participants were aware that there was no relationship between invitations and seats.
The Scope staff was not asked to check for invitations or tickets. People were admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. When the main arena was full, people were directed to the overflow area in the Exhibition Hall, which carried the video and audio portions of the program.
The Scope staff was very helpful and professional. It followed, as it must, the city fire code, and stopped admitting people when both the arena and Exhibition Hall were full.
NSU regrets any inconvenience encountered by those wishing to attend its commencement and is making every effort to arrange to accommodate larger crowds in the future.
JESSE C. LEWIS
Vice president for academic affairs
Norfolk State University
Norfolk, May 28, 1996 by CNB