UC Davis graduation ceremonies moving to Golden 1 Center
DAVIS - UC Davis students will no longer be graduating on campus after a survey was sent out to students asking their preference for the 2023 graduation location.
Students will now walk across a stage in Sacramento, concerning local businesses in Davis that may lose money.
When UC Davis is in session desks aren't the only seats filled, restaurants and bars are packed with students.
"Oh that's [a] very important customer target here in Davis: students on campus," says Nick Ananpnisit, owner of Thai Canteen in Davis
And during graduation week, the school's community gets bigger as families flood into town.
Thai Canteen in Davis earns roughly $10,000 a day leading up to UC Davis's commencement. So, what would happen without university families spending cash in the city?
"That might be a problem," said Nick.
UC Davis announced that they have officially moved commencement from the Davis campus to Sacramento, negotiating a new home with the Golden 1 Center. They say the arena is large enough to accommodate more guests.
"It has pros and cons. Pros being more people can come, but I'd still prefer Davis," said UC Davis student Ayden Chan.
A graduation survey was sent to 7,500 students, and despite a less than 10 percent response rate, the school made the final decision to move.
"I'm happy they're doing a survey, but I think they also need to do a more complete approach to finding out what our business community thinks," says Davis City Councilmember Dan Carson.
Carson says a financial loss is inevitable.
"One of our local business leaders has estimated…it could cause a loss of as much as $200,000 in city hotel tax revenues. It would cause some loss of restaurant business. Our city gets a lot of sales tax revenue from hotels and bars," said Carson.
And students with a personal stake in the game are also asking the school to reconsider.
"I prefer my parents to be able to come to Davis California," says Chan.
This change will only apply to undergraduate students graduate ceremonies will remain on the UC Davis campus.
The city council says the school has agreed to listen to their concerns but there is no official meeting on the books.
CBS13 reached out to UC Davis for additional comments but didn't hear back.
