This story was posted at 5:35 p.m. on Jan. 8.
Due to the ongoing construction at Michigan Stadium, this year’s University-wide commencement ceremony will be take place at Eastern Michigan University’s Rynearson Stadium on April 26, University of Michigan officials said Tuesday afternoon.
Because construction crews will be working on the Big House’s electrical and plumbing systems at the scheduled time of the commencement, many of the stadium’s facilities like public restrooms won’t be usable.
The construction is part of a multi-year project that began this fall to build luxury boxes and premium seating on the sides of the stadium. The construction will also widen seats and add some wheelchair-accessible seating to the bowl.
Royster Harper, the University’s vice president for student affairs, said the University chose not to move this year’s commencement to Crisler Arena because it would reduce the amount of tickets available to graduates from eight to two or three per graduate.
Rynearson Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 30,200 for football games, sits about 6.5 miles east of Michigan Stadium in Ypsilanti.
Commencement ceremonies for the University’s individual schools and colleges will still take place on campus, Harper said.
For updates on this story, check back later and read tomorrow’s edition of The Michigan Daily.