With reference to news reports of' "pandemonium" and "chaos" at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus Graduation Ceremony held on Saturday, November 11 at the National Indoor Sports Centre, the UWI wishes to advise that a decision was taken to hold the Presentation of Graduates ceremonies at the National Indoor Sports Centre until its own facility is built, because of the vagaries of the weather at this time of the year, which very often interrupted its previous ceremonies held outdoors.
The UWI wishes to further advise that a total five thousand three hundred and twenty five (5,325) invitation tickets were issued to the Graduating Class, their family and friends as well as to specially invited guests for the Ceremony which was held on Saturday November 11. There was excess seating capacity as the sections of the Centre used by the UWI for seating purposes was five thousand six hundred and fifty five (5,655), which exceeded the number of invitation tickets issued. However, many more persons turned up to the Graduation Ceremony without invitation tickets.
Graduates came with not only their allocated four guests, but in some instances an additional five other family members and friends. Persons who came on time, by 4:30pm, even those without tickets but who were accompanying family members were allowed seats. Persons gave varied excuses for not having tickets. Some said that they had simply forgotten their tickets, others stated that they were coming from the country, while some explained that they were relatives from abroad who had flown in specially for the Graduation Ceremony. Graduates had been told by way of information in their packages, as well as at the Graduation rehearsal and by means of advertisements in the press that they were required to assemble by 3:00pm and that each of their allotted four guests were asked to be seated by 4:30pm.
It was not only graduates inviting more than their allotted four guests that led to the challenges at the Graduation Ceremony. Another contributing factor was that the Graduation Ceremonies had been taken off Campus and brought to a venue easily accessible to the people from nearby communities who also turned up at the Graduation exercise on both nights (November 10 & 11) without invitation tickets.
The persons who came late and were at the door (at approximately 5:23pm) on November 11 were excluded from entering the Centre at that point in time because the Chancellor's procession was about to begin. An explanation was provided by the Director of Security, Major John Nelson, who went outside and told the crowd, which had gathered in front of the entrance to the Centre that as soon as the Chancellor's procession had ended and the Ceremony had begun they would be allowed to enter the building in groups of four and that seats would be found for them. After about twenty-five minutes everybody, including persons who arrived late (after 4:30pm) and those without invitation, was seated and was able to both hear and see the Graduation Ceremony.
It was not The University’s wish to exclude persons, but persons had to be prevented from entering and congregating in the aisles and exits until seating had been found. To do so before would have been to breach fire and safety regulations which the UWI had been sharply reminded of, at the Graduation Ceremony the night before by the representatives of the Fire Brigade and the Office of Disaster, Preparedness and Emergency Management - ODPEM. It was out of concern for not breaching the regulations that persons were prevented for a while from entering the venue.
Contrary to the news reports of “pandemonium” and “chaos” the Graduation Ceremony started promptly at 5:30 p.m. and proceeded with its usual precision, without any interruption.

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