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Look out, Beverly Hills: Here come the Lumberjacks.

Graduation weekend is nearly upon us, and for the first time in Cal Poly Humboldt State University history, students who are walking this semester can choose to receive their diplomas at the traditional on-campus ceremony, in scenic Redwood Bowl, or at a SoCal celebration next Monday in Beverly Hills. Or both!

The Saban Theatre (formerly the Fox Wilshire Theatre) | Public Domain

The “regional commencement ceremony” will be held in the historic Saban Theatre, a 93-year-old Art Deco landmark that previously hosted Hollywood film premiers and such musical luminaries as Stevie Nicks, David Crosby and Art Garfunkel.

“By offering a ceremony in Southern California where many students come from, the University is bringing a piece of Humboldt directly to families so they can watch their student walk across the stage in person as they reach a major milestone in their lives,” Cal Poly Humboldt Communications Specialist Grant Scott-Goforth said in an email to the Outpost.

The ceremony will also make commencement accessible to full-time online students who live in SoCal, he added. 

The university is striving to provide all the usual pomp and circumstance at the regional ceremony: students walking across the stage when their names are announced, parents and friends in attendance, shouting their approval. The Associated Students president, an alumni speaker and some faculty members will be in attendance at the Saban. 

Not everyone is excited by this new ceremony, though. Wildberries Marketplace Manager Aaron Gottschalk told the Outpost that he’s worried about the potential for lost revenues to local businesses.

“Commencement weekend brings families and visitors into Humboldt to enjoy all that we have to offer as well as pump up sales for every business related to the tourism industry,” Gottschalk wrote in an email. “To hear that Cal Poly Humboldt has initiated a new program to hold commencement exercises down in SoCal is a real bummer. In these challenging economic times we are looking for every advantage possible to maintain business flow and profitability. The decision to hold some of the commencement exercises out of the area is certainly not a business-friendly decision.”

Emails and phone messages left with several other Arcata businesses Friday and Monday were not returned by the time of publication.

Asked about such concerns from the business community, Scott-Goforth noted that the university now holds commencement ceremonies twice a year — in May and in December — to “provide more opportunities for students and their families to celebrate this milestone achievement.”

Of the nearly 1,200 graduates participating in commencement this spring, just 55 have signed on to attend the Beverly Hills ceremony, according to Scott-Goforth. 

“Some students are doing both [Arcata and Beverly Hills] and some students are opting out of the on-campus ceremonies for various reasons,” he said. As for supporting local businesses, Scott-Goforth noted that “the University hosts many other events throughout the year, including Fall and Spring Previews and Green & Gold Homecoming week, and move-in and orientation weekend that bring students and their families to the region.”

Regardless of where they’ll be, the Outpost congratulates this year’s graduates. And for those who can’t attend, we invite you to have a look around the Saban Theatre, courtesy of Google: