Wednesday’s (5/14) NYU graduation ceremony attracted widespread media attention because of graduating student William Lopez’s attempt to run all the bases at the venue, Yankee Stadium.
The Daily News somewhat mildly cites “ongoing construction” as the reason NYU had to switch to Yankee Stadium after 32 years of graduation ceremonies at Washington Square Park.
The photo above shows Washington Square Park set up for NYU’s graduation ceremony in 2006 — before the trees were cut down, the fountain dismantled, the Arch was behind gates.
I have no attachment to NYU utilizing Washington Square Park for their graduation. The University uses the Arch, the Park, Washington Square when it suits them, as p.r. and in all their advertising, while they crush every other historic Village building in their path to erect more dorms and monstrous structures. There are many theories linking NYU and the “renovation” (read: redesign) of Washington Square Park. Some assert that the “ongoing construction” is very much about making the Park more “picture perfect” for … NYU’s graduation ceremony.
The University clearly has no sense of humor or spontaneity — they barred Lopez from attending a post-graduation event at Madison Square Garden.
I’d like to propose that NYU continues using Yankee Stadium as their graduation ceremony venue for the next 32 years. Since Yankee Stadium owners (also with the complicity of New York City government) crushed two parks in the Bronx for their own “reconstruction,” it would be much more fitting that these two corporate behemoths utilize one another.
1 thought on “NYU and Yankee Stadium: Perfect Together for all Future Graduation Ceremonies (Skip Washington Sq Park as Venue for Next 32 Years)”