For the first time ever at a UMass Amherst commencement ceremony, graduates, their families and friends on Friday will go through metal detectors.
There are 22 gates set up to screen the 25,000 people expected at the undergraduate ceremony at McGuirk Stadium.
The added security is not in response to any specific threat, according to Tony Maroulis, executive director of external relations and university events.
"There is no doubt that security protocols are all in response to what is going on in the world, but there's not any one particular thing that's happening here," Maroulis said Thursday.
Maroulis does not expect the metal detectors to create long lines. He said some people show up hours early. And he said he doubts it will be much of a surprise, as metal detectors are becoming the norm at large events.
Other schools, like Boston University and University of Florida, have had security like this in place for a few years.
This comes at an added cost to the $630,000 ceremony, though Maroulis wouldn't say how much.
The security crew is the same one used at Gillette Stadium for football games and concerts.
