6/12/97

Capacity crowds in the 13,000-seat Convocation Center are expected for both morning and afternoon commencement ceremonies. Local television coverage of both ceremonies will be provided by the Ohio University Telecommunications Center on local cable television Channel 7. The ACTV-7 coverage is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Ohio University will provide viewing rooms at Baker Center in both the 1954 Lounge and the Front Room.

WOUB Radio 1340 AM will be broadcasting both commencement speeches. The 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. ceremonies will be joined in progress.

Both ceremonies will also be covered live on the Telecommunications Center Web site, including via RealAudio at: http://www.tcom.ohiou.edu/univ/commencement97.html

The map of the Convocation Center interior that was issued 6/4/97 has been revised to reflect that photographers and video news crews will have space reserved in two-tiered staging on the west side of the stage only. Three-minute escorted rotations will be provided from the staging to in front of the podium and to a small staging area allowing an elevated shot of the back of the podium speaker, with graduates facing the speaker.

Four large JPEG photos suitable for newspaper reproduction of Saturday's commencement highlights will be available for downloading from the World Wide Web by approximately 6 p.m. Saturday 6/14/97. Contact is University Photographer Rick Fatica, 614-593-2565 (home: 614-592-4104).

The locations of the 4 photos will be:

http://www.cats.ohiou.edu/~univnews/pix/hillaryc.jpg
http://www.cats.ohiou.edu/~univnews/pix/mattl.jpg
http://www.cats.ohiou.edu/~univnews/pix/feature1.jpg
http://www.cats.ohiou.edu/~univnews/pix/feature2.jpg

Answers to frequently asked questions:

* If you have not picked up press credentials Thursday or Friday from University News Services, you still will be able to pick them up the same day as commencement. Go either to the pass gate area of the Convocation Center or the broadcast (also known as Physical Therapy) entrance on the west side of the building. Ohio University police will guide you. The pass gate area will be closed at 1 p.m. Saturday.After 1 p.m. the only press entrance will be through the broadcast/physical therapy entrance.

*Broadcast news media may arrive and pick up press credentials as early as 5 a.m. Saturday at the broadcast/physical therapy entrance; print media may pick up their credentials beginning at 8 a.m. in the pass gate area.

* For those of you who do not have Ohio University press credentials prior to arrival at the Convo, show your press pass to Ohio University staff to park your car in the convenient grass practice field abutting the Convocation Center parking lot, on the west side of the building.

* There will be no press availability with the first lady, her press office has confirmed.

* Matt Lauer will have a short one-on-one press availability with reporters who are requesting it. We will meet in a breakaway room, Convo Room 211. Starts at 12:30 p.m. and ends at 1 p.m. Five-minute maximum. To sign up, see Bryan McNulty or Paul Ladwig in advance.

* There will be no advance copies of speeches available from either Matt Lauer or Mrs. Clinton.

* Regarding time that each commencement address actually begins: Not a science, but best guess is that Matt Lauer may begin speaking at approximately 10:45 a.m. Best guess is that Mrs. Clinton will begin speaking shortly after 3:30 p.m. Estimated maximum duration: 20 to 30 minutes.

*There will be a five-camera feed and 20 audio and video feeds from a distribution amplifier in a broadcast room, Convo Room196, next to the broadcast/physical therapy entrance.

* Radio reporters will plug into male LXR plugs.

* Reminder: A five-minute feed of commencement highlights will be run and re-racked on Satellite SBS6 Transponder 17 from 17:15-17:30 EDT June 14.

* Four honorary doctoral degrees will be conferred Saturday. They are:

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Humane Letters (afternoon commencement)
Frederick Harris, Fine Arts (morning commencement)
Robert D. Walter, Business (morning)
Sally Aw Sian, Mass Communication (morning)

* Colleges with commencement at 10 a.m: Business, Communication, Fine Arts, Health and Human Services

* Colleges with commencement at 3 p.m.: Honors Tutorial, Arts and Science, Education, Engineering and Technology, University

Degrees will be conferred to students from colleges in the order listed above.