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I, personally, am not casting stones. Someone dies almost every year. I think last year everyone got out alive. But the deaths in the past have been people who have partaken in mind expanding activities including drugs and alcohol mixed with the heat!

Sorry the guy died.

This is absolutely one of the most ludicrous things I have ever seen out of the University of Tennessee. I graduated with a Bachelor’s in 2003 with a full graduating student body of over 2000 people on the floor, not just the people from my college. Harold Ford Jr. was our speaker and the bottom deck of the arena was not even full. Given the fact that UT has not done a ticketed graduation within at least the last 20 years, it is unclear to me how they now know how many people the average student will be bringing to graduation. Also, I find it difficult to believe that only 12000 tickets are available for every other major event in that arena.

Furthermore, why do Arts and Sciences graduates get to be the only ones to participate in this particular ceremony. What about graduate students? What about students from other colleges including education, a field where Ms. Parton has made vast contributions with her book program.

This is an important and special time at the University of Tennessee. This event should have tickets available to the public. Furthermore, I suspect that as all good UT students do, these tickets will begin to be found on places like ebay or to be sold from student to student.

UT has completely destroyed graduation traditions within the last 5 years with the elimination of the University commencement and replacing it with a music concert and picnic and small "college" ceremonies. There is no honoring of the torchbearers or macebearer. The president doesn't even stand before the students and officially confer the degrees, anymore. Now, at an important time when we can come together as a university to celebrate this event, UT is closing down the graduation to a ticketed event with complete disregard for those who have given of time, effort, and money to this institution and who want to participate in this moment. This is a disgrace and an outrage to the citizens of Tennessee, the students of UT, and the Knoxville Community! Mr. Cheek, just because the University of Florida has ticketed graduations, doesn't mean that is the process here. If we can pack that arena for the circus, monster truck madness, Vols basketball, and every other shenanigan that they want to put on there, they can certainly have a process to welcome the public and especially current students, faculty, and staff to this event!