NIU officials signed a contract on Feb. 7 for the use of the Convocation Center by Jehovah’s Witnesses on the original date of summer commencement.

The university released an announcement Feb. 15 saying they would combine summer and fall commencement into the Dec. 11 ceremony.

“We noticed a conflict with the date,” said John Gordon, Convocation Center director. “We immediately contacted the Provosts and Jehovah’s Witnesses and started talking about moving the Jehovah’s date to the following weekend. The Provosts said to go ahead and see what our options would be. They told us it appeared commencement would be permanently merged.”

Department deans received an e-mail from college deans proposing the idea and asking for opinions six days prior to the formal announcement but still two days after the contract was signed.

Vice Provost Earl Seaver, whose office made the decision to combine days, said many factors led to the change.

“The Jehovah’s Witnesses Association was no factor in the change of dates,” he said. “We’re looking at the time and energy it takes, the faculty attendance, the staff, the student attendance … Many schools don’t have a summer commencement; some only have one in May.”

Most Illinois colleges already have a policy of combining commencements, Seaver said. He said this would put NIU “into alignment” with other state institutions.

Many students have signed a petition from senior public health major DeAnna McClintock opposing the ceremony change. Several letters to the editor also have been written to the Northern Star expressing outrage over the change.

At Sunday’s Student Association Senate meeting, legislation was introduced to provide a formal statement to the university urging a reconsideration of the decision to merge the summer and fall graduation ceremonies.