Commencement ticket scalpers face sanctions

By Scott B. Wong
Daily Bruin Staff

Some students looking to make a quick buck off scalping
commencement tickets may be unaware they are violating an revision
in the UCLA Student Conduct Code and could be subject to university
sanctions.

The Dean of Students Office said it will enforce section 102.06
of the code, which prohibits students from selling commencement
tickets and may result in the university placing a hold on
students’ records. Chancellor Albert Carnesale approved the
revision April 11.

“If it’s brought to our attention, we will obviously
uphold the code,” said Ken Kelly, assistant dean of students.
“(The ceremony) is supposed to be for family and friends and
has become an entrepreneurial activity.”

Though Mediget Teshome, a fourth-year physiology student, never
heard of the new policy before, she said university sanctions are
unfair.

“I don’t see how it’s any different from
people selling basketball or athletic tickets,” she said.

Still, Teshome said, it is wrong for students to request
commencement tickets for the sole purpose of selling them.

According to John Sandbrook, assistant provost of the College of
Letters & Science, occasional complaints from students and
parents prompted the revision.

“Currently, it is inconsistent with the spirit of the
campus community for students to take advantage of another student
who has a need for additional tickets,” Sandbrook said.

David Lowenstein, director of the Central Ticket Office, said
the Registrar’s Office and the College of Letters &
Science mail out a letter to graduates or prospective graduates,
informing them of when they can pick up their commencement
tickets.

According to Lowenstein, students receiving degrees from the
College of Letters & Science ““ the largest college at the
university ““ are only entitled to four tickets due to limited
seating.

Students who have picked up tickets at CTO have been issued a
notice warning that selling commencement tickets violates
university code and is specifically cited as “unauthorized
conduct,” Sandbrook said.

“Please do not spoil your own graduation by attempting to
sell commencement tickets,” the notice states.

Lowenstein said his office does not condone selling commencement
tickets.

“Even though this is a capitalistic society, it’s a
free ticket to begin with,” he said.

Sandbrook said he hopes no one will be referred to the Dean of
Students Office because they chose to turn commencement tickets
into a “commercial transaction.”

“I don’t want to have to take down phone numbers or
IDs of students who are trying to sell tickets,” he said.

Within the College of Letters & Science, the humanities,
physical and life sciences divisions hold ceremonies in the Los
Angeles Tennis Center, which has a seating capacity of 10,000. The
Social Sciences division will graduate its seniors at Pauley
Pavilion.

If social sciences graduates number 2,200 seated on the arena
floor, there will be enough seats for approximately 10,300 family
and friends on the lower and middle levels, Sandbrook said.

But because of the setup of the commencement stage, the ceremony
is not within view for nearly a quarter of the seats, resulting in
the four ticket limit.

Because physical and life sciences graduates number fewer than
those in other divisions, Lowenstein said students may enter a
random lottery drawing for two additional tickets.

First-year physical sciences student Stephanie Boarden said if
students don’t have enough family members to use all four
tickets, they should be able to sell them to someone who needs
them.

“My mom would kick down money for extra graduation
tickets,” she said.