Dive Brief:

• After more than a week of silence, University of Arizona officials admitted they “screwed up” a May 17 commencement where thousands of graduates were forced to wait in near-100-degree heat.
• At least eight graduates and several guests were treated for heat-related sickness, and a few were taken to the hospital, the Arizona Star reported.
• Some critics have called for firing university officials who were responsible, and an internal review is underway.

Dive Insight:

Considering that this is Arizona, and that commencement arrives at the same time every year, are there really any new issues to deal with here? The problems at the commencement included distributing water in small paper drinking cones that hold only a few ounces, feeding the cups with water jugs that may have run dry or been unseen, urging attendees to arrive early, and leading them to wait several hours in the hot temperatures — in addition to more graduates showing up than had RSVP'd.