Obama Visit Throws Wrench into Columbia Graduation Plans

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS — President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to Columbia University has forced the school to reschedule a year-end celebration for hundreds of students, putting a last-minute wrench in travel plans for their families.

Obama is the keynote speaker at Barnard College's May 14 commencement. Setting up security for his visit will take so much time that the school has moved Class Day for the university's School of General Studies from May 14 to May 13 at 9 a.m., according to the university's website.

The last-minute date change sparked outrage among students, the Columbia Daily Spectator reported. For 70 percent of respondents in a student survey taken on Tuesday, the date switch will mean at least one family member will miss Class Day, according to the Spectator.

Some said the rescheduling felt like a slight against the School of General Studies, where students returning to college after a break and other "non-traditional" scholars earn undergraduate degrees.

"I can't help but question…if this was happening to [Columbia College] or [School of Engineering and Applied Sciences], would it be allowed to occur?" wrote General Studies student Jennifer Wisdom in an email to the Spectator.

The Class Day event is a year-end ceremony held by each of the university's schools. Students wear academic caps and gowns, and their names are read aloud as they walk across a stage and receive their diplomas. Student awards are also handed out.

Commencement is a separate university-wide event.

The school announced on its website late Tuesday that it would establish a "modest fund" to help offset extra travel expenses incurred by the date change.

The president has been a frequent visitor to New York this year, appearing at star-studded fundraising events as he gears up for his 2012 re-election battle.

A recent report by the Center For Responsive Politics showed that donors in the 10024 and 10023 zip codes, just south of Columbia's Morningside Heights campus, were Obama's top financial backers, Business Week reported.