University officials’ pick of Frost Amphitheater as next year’s commencement ceremony has caused a rare and intense uproar among graduating seniors, who have launched a massive protest in hopes that the administration will reconsider the decision.

A day after the announcement was made, numerous angry e-mails have circulated over chat lists, especially concerning the fact that Frost’s 9,000-guest seating capacity would allow for only four guests per student. In previous years, no limit has been placed on the number of guests a student could invite because the Stanford Stadium can hold as many as 85,000 people.

In a statement released last night, the senior class presidents acknowledged the dismay of graduating seniors and said they were also outraged by the outcome.

“We share in that frustration and disappointment,” the senior class presidents wrote in the statement. “We believe that Frost was the wrong decision and that more appropriate alternatives existed.”

ASSU President Melanie Kannokada also voiced her unease over the decision.

“The ASSU Executives are highly concerned by the commencement location issue and we support all student outcries,” Kannokada wrote in an e-mail to The Daily. “We have full faith in the leadership of the senior class presidents and we hope to continue working with them and the University administration to improve the situation.”

In protest of the commencement location, students have generated at least two online petitions — one for students and faculty and the other for parents. At press time, more than 1,350 students had submitted their signatures online.

“Restricting the number of guests greatly underestimates the importance of graduation and minimizes the sacrifices that parents, siblings and extended families have made in order for the seniors to be here,” wrote senior Nia DeYounge in the petition. “For all of Frost’s supposed accessibility and comfort, we think any possible benefits ought to be weighed against the losses of limiting guests and therefore separating families on an otherwise joyous occasion.”

The original version of the student petition contained graphics that ridiculed University President John Hennessy — who delivered the final verdict together with Provost John Etchemendy — for ignoring student opinions. The graphics were later removed in order to minimize the conflict, according to Ben Ilegbodu, a member of the group that produced the petition.

Students are also joining protest groups on Facebook.com as a symbolic gesture to dispute the decision. One of the groups, “If I Have To Graduate In Frost, I’m Not Giving Stanford Any Money,” recruited 180 students over a 24-hour period.

“At the moment, I will not give a penny to the Senior Gift,” said senior Laura Villanueva, who created the group. “[Senior assistant to University President] Jeff Wachtel was quoted in The Daily today as saying that the decision may be a disappointment to some students. He doesn’t realize that it is actually a disappointment to the majority of the senior class. The administration completely misjudged how important it is for students to be able to invite all of their family members to graduation.”

The senior class presidents said they believed the administration “went awry” in their decision process. By refusing to consider off-campus venues, officials ruled out from the beginning locations with larger capacities, they said. The administration also opposed holding the commencement in the field on Sand Hill Road, the only other on-campus venue that allows for unlimited seating, out of concern for costs and logistics.

The administration eventually proposed two choices, Frost and Roble Field. The senior class presidents said they supported the latter, where each student would be allowed to bring seven guests rather than just four. The administration, however, eventually selected Frost, citing its aesthetics, accessibility, comfort, cost-effectiveness and the fact that it was a past commencement site.

“Among the three options — Sand Hill, Roble and Frost — we most vigorously opposed Frost,” the senior class presidents said. “Sadly this was the very location the president chose.”

University officials stressed that they took into consideration a variety of issues, including students’ views, in deciding upon Frost as the Commencement venue.

“We understand that people are upset about this and can appreciate that this is a difficult issue,” Wachtel said in an interview with The Daily. “But we’ve tried to make the best decision we can, given a number of factors. I actually have spoken to a number of parents who were upset and, when given all the information, had a different view by the end of the conversation. They seemed to appreciate the difficulty of the decision and understand that commencement weekend will still be a great celebration of students.”

“Frost was the location of graduation for many years and was a very successful event,” he added. “Students should give it a chance to see how good it can be.”

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education John Bravman also urged students to focus their energy on making the upcoming event “the best possible graduation weekend that we can have.”

“As far as I know, the president and provost have made the decision,” Bravman said in an interview with The Daily. “Sometimes the decisions made aren’t popular, but I’m confident that those involved weighed the options and came to the appropriate decision.”

A town hall meeting has been planned for next Tuesday. Senior members of the University administration will attend the event to explain the rationale for the decision and address students’ concerns.