A decision made by El Camino College to move its commencement ceremonies to the middle of the week is creating unnecessary stress for the Class of 2026. The problem isn’t that the college decided to split the commencement ceremony and spread it across two days, it’s that they were shifted to the middle of the week in order to accommodate the campus space being used for parking during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. We understand where the decision came from to split the ceremonies into two because last year’s graduation saw an unprecedented number of guests at Murdock Stadium, where the ceremony was being held.
“We actually had the record number of graduates participating at 1,216,” Director of Student Development Ricardo Gonzalez said. “We also had a large community influx… that became a fire hazard.” Gonzalez said that over 9,000 people had arrived at the stadium, which has a seating capacity of 8,000. Guests had to be turned away because the stadium couldn’t accommodate everybody. Safety should always be prioritized in order to prevent turning a joyous occasion into a second Hillsborough disaster, a 1989 incident where 97 people were killed as a result of overcrowding and police mismanagement at an English soccer game.
Ironically, our current predicament is also being caused by soccer. Specifically, the matches set to be played in Los Angeles as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. El Camino College’s parking lots will be used for paid parking, which starts from $101.89 to $120 plus fees, for the USA vs. Paraguay match at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Friday, June 12. In previous years, the college’s graduation was held on Friday.
But by prioritizing soccer fans to get to SoFi as easily as possible, it’s creating a headache for those who have signed up to walk at the 2026 commencement ceremonies. Many students The Union interviewed at Grad Fest on Wednesday, April 22, said they had problems coordinating who would come to their designated ceremony. “I think the fact that it’s on the weekday is not convenient for anyone,” Linda Lopez, a 35-year-old psychology and sociology major said, citing that more people have to take time off work and school in order to come.
Seven out of 13 local high schools are also scheduled to have their graduation ceremonies on either Wednesday, June 10 or Thursday, June 11. Most of these schools, such as North High School, Torrance High and Leuzinger High School, are scheduled to begin at 4 or 5 p.m. For families with multiple members graduating, they’re stuck trying to decide which ceremonies they should attend.
It’s like trying to pick who is your favorite child. The demographics of the average ECC student are constantly changing. They aren’t just 20-year-olds who will be transferring to a four-year college. According to the California Community College Data Mart, the rate for returning students to ECC jumped from 4,556 students in Fall 2024 to 8,807 for Fall 2025 and from 5,523 students in Spring 2024 to 6,977 for Spring 2025.
If more people are graduating from ECC in the next few years, continuing to create two commencement ceremonies, please spare students the headache of coordinating multiple scheduling conflicts and host one of the ceremonies on Friday.
