Local leaders worry about impact of UCD commencement moving to Sacramento
Davis officials and business leaders expressed concerns Monday about UC Davis moving its June undergraduate commencement ceremonies to Sacramento beginning in 2023.
During a joint meeting between city leaders and the Davis Downtown Business Association, DDBA executive director Brett Maresca said he was notified recently by a UC Davis official about the plan to move the ceremony to Sacramento following a survey of students about which location they desired.
Results of that survey showed 53 percent of respondents preferred ceremonies be held in Sacramento at a venue like the Golden 1 Center where they would each be able to invite at least six guests. About 35 percent said they would prefer the ceremonies to be held on the UC Davis campus even though they would be able to invite no more than four guests, as is the case now. And another 11 percent had no preference.
The survey received a total of 833 responses.
The undergraduate commencement ceremonies bring thousands of guests to Davis for several days every June, filling up local hotels and providing revenue to downtown restaurants and businesses.
Maresca said commencement ceremonies, especially the primary annual ceremonies in June, “provide a major boon to the economy heading into the slower summer months once the vast majority of UCD students leave town.”
He said news that the ceremonies will be moved to Sacramento “was kind of a shock to the system initially, of our city not being able to provide accommodations for thousands of people and families that is so important for our business community.
“It’s a bit scary, honestly, for that week,” he told city leaders, including council members Dan Carson and Gloria Partida.
“And while, of course, a lot of picture-taking is going to be done, especially in the arboretum,” Maresca said, “it still is going to leave a few days… of business and an enormous amount of money going into a different city than ours.”
Assistant City Manager Kelly Stachowicz said the news from UC Davis “was not met with excitement, at least from our office.”
Carson said, “I share your concern.”
“(As) part of our symbiotic relationship here between the city and the campuses, we’re looking for every opportunity we can to benefit both that sense of community that we have, but also very directly our local business community,” he said.
Carson also noted that Wednesday evening will be a good opportunity for business leaders and others to weigh in and express their concerns during a town-gown meeting that will include university leaders as well as city and county elected officials.
That meeting will take place at 6 pm on Wednesday in the community chambers, 23 Russell Blvd.
The meeting also will be televised live on City of Davis Government Channel 16 (available to those who subscribe to cable television) and live-streamed at https://cityofdavis.org/city-hall/city-council/city-council-meetings /meeting-videos.
Maresca said Tuesday he has been in communication with UC Davis, the city, Visit Yolo and the Davis Chamber of Commerce to discuss and gather information “on how our local business community (including lodging/hospitality) will be impacted by UCD’s decision to move Spring undergraduate commencement ceremonies at the Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento this coming June.”
Graduate student commencements are expected to remain in town and on campus, and while the university had 449 eligible graduate students in June 2022, “the undergraduate commencements involve thousands of students and each have brought up to four family members and/or friends from around the country/world to our city,” Maresca said.
— Reach Anne Ternus-Bellamy at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @ATernusBellamy.