Some graduating seniors said they are frustrated by the lack of tickets to the different school graduation events and the general graduation ceremony on the Ellipse.

Sid Chick, who is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, only has four tickets for the 12 people who are arriving in town to see him graduate.

Chick said he has placed advertisements in The Hatchet, asked friends and called GW’s event services to try to obtain additional tickets for the School of Business and Public Management ceremony.

He has gotten some help from friends and from event services but said the advertisements have not yielded success.

I have not bought any tickets because no one has responded to the Hatchet ads, Chick said. If someone does, then the price would be negotiable.

Each student is given six tickets for this year’s Ellipse ceremony according to Jim Hess, director of the Office of University Special Events.

The number of tickets each student receives for the Ellipse and individual school ceremonies is based on the number of students who apply for graduation and indicate their intent to participate in Commencement and other ceremonies, Hess said. The venue’s capacity is also taken into account.

The numbers of tickets students are given to individual school ceremony vary from school to school.

The School of Business and Public Management, the School of Public Health and Health Services and the Columbian School of Arts and Sciences give four tickets to seniors. The School of Engineering and Applied Science provides eight tickets, and the Elliott School of International Affairs offers its graduates two tickets.

CSAS tickets are probably the hardest to get because of the number of students in the school compared to the space in the Smith Center, where the school’s graduation ceremony is held, according to the Office of University Special Events.

The Smith Center accommodates 5,000 people, and the CSAS has more than 1,000 graduates.

Shari Rosenberg, a CSAS graduate, said she does not have enough tickets for all ten family members who are flying in to see her graduate.

Parents who are separated make things more difficult because the number of people who want to come adds up, Rosenberg said.

Although Rosenberg has one extra ticket from a friend and has gotten some responses to a Hatchet advertisement she placed, she is still coming up short for the CSAS ceremony.

I have to get (CSAS tickets), Rosenberg said. I’m not as worried about Ellipse tickets because even though not everyone is guaranteed a seat, the ceremony is open to the public.

There will be about 20,000 chairs set up for Commencement on the Ellipse, Hess said.

Because the Ellipse is an open area, it is not difficult to gain access without a ticket. But as seats fill and guests continue to arrive, tickets will be checked for access to chairs, he said.

Despite the fervent rush to obtain extra tickets, not everyone is worried about having too few graduation tickets.

Alan and Richard Gruber, twin brothers, have extra tickets to spare.

Between the two of them, they have 12 Ellipse tickets and only need five for their two parents, aunt, uncle and brother who are flying in from New York.

The brothers said they have been offering their tickets to friends who casually mention they need them, but no one has come to claim any tickets.

I think it is terrible that people charge money for tickets, Richard said. After spending four years here you shouldn’t have to pay for tickets to graduation.

Students looking for tickets should ask friends and contact individual schools or their office as a last resort, according to the Office of University Special Events.

Most schools have waiting lists for extra ticket requests. The University is doing all that it can to help students but doesn’t want to risk running out of seats, Hess said.

As enrollment figures continue to increase each year, the lack of graduation tickets may cause more of a problem.

The University feels comfortable with the number of tickets per student on the Ellipse, provided that all other variables remain consistent with past years, Hess said. The school celebrations, however, will face increased pressure because of the finite space resources available on campus.