UND commencement Friday comes with parking planning at Chester Fritz in Grand Forks
University of North Dakota graduates and guests attending Friday’s summer commencement in Grand Forks should allow extra time for parking and check the latest access instructions before heading to the Chester Fritz Performing Arts Center.
The professional, graduate and undergraduate degrees ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, at the Chester Fritz Performing Arts Center, 3475 University Ave. Doors to the seating area open at 1 p.m.
UND says parking is free and tickets are not required. The university’s Chester Fritz parking guidance also says the venue lot has a limited number of spaces, so guests should be prepared to use overflow parking if the on-site area fills.
Where to park
On-site parking is south of the Chester Fritz. UND advises visitors to plan ahead and arrive early, and suggests carpooling or curbside drop-off at the door.
The university lists these overflow options for Chester Fritz events:
- Central Foods/Dining Services Lot, 3851 Campus Road: approximately an eight-minute walk, or 0.3 miles, with 69 spaces listed.
- Facilities Management Lot, 3791 Campus Road: approximately a 10-minute walk, or 0.4 miles, with 80 spaces listed.
- Burtness Theatre Lot, 281 Centennial Drive: approximately a seven-minute walk, or 0.3 miles, with 111 spaces listed.
- Lot at Oxford Street and University Avenue: approximately an eight-minute walk, or 0.3 miles.
UND says those overflow lots will not be ticketed during Chester Fritz events. The listed space counts are planning information, not a guarantee that spaces will remain open when guests arrive.
What to know about the parking project
UND began a mill-and-overlay project at the Chester Fritz parking lot in May to resurface the lot, add signage, revise access points and complete work on the medians.
A June 30 UND facilities update documented a temporary layout in which stalls in the northwest and southeast portions of the lot remained available, while entries and lanes changed as the work progressed. The update said the center entry on the south side had been removed and warned that barricades, cones and lane availability could change.
UND later reported on July 14 that the project was expected to be completed during the week of July 13, with the lot expected to reopen after July 24, pending weather. Because the supplied project updates describe changing conditions and do not provide a separate Aug. 5 access map, visitors should follow current signs, cones and parking staff rather than rely on the older June layout.
Accessibility and arrival planning
Accessible parking is available at the Chester Fritz. Guests should show an accessible-parking permit to parking staff, who will direct them to the proper location.
Elevators and accessible seating are available. Guests who need assistance should check in with a staff member upon arrival for directions to the designated accessible seating area. Seating is first-come, first-served, and wheelchairs are available for transport only, according to UND’s commencement guidance.
The verified UND instructions reviewed for this article do not document a city street closure or a transit change tied to the ceremony. The documented issue is parking and access around the Chester Fritz campus lot.
For graduates, families and other visitors, the practical plan is to arrive early, consider an overflow lot or drop-off, allow extra walking time if needed, and review UND’s latest parking instructions before leaving for Friday’s ceremony.
Sources
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