Evening classes canceled on May Day

Monday, May 1, is May Day, where people throughout the city gather to march and protest about a range of issues facing our city and our country. Officials predict that this year’s demonstrations will be much larger than usual and may create safety and transportation issues. Because the Broadway campus is often used as a site for these protests, the following precautionary measures will be implemented:

  • All classes beginning at 5 p.m. or later on May 1 will be canceled.
  • All buildings including the main Broadway campus, Seattle Vocational Institute, the Wood Technology Center, the Health Education Center and the Siegel Center will close at 5 p.m. on May 1, and everyone will be required to exit.
  • The Seattle Maritime Academy will operate on normal hours.

Although this closure may be an inconvenience, the safety and security of the students, faculty, staff and visitors is of paramount importance, and this decision was made with those interests strongly in mind. The peaceful marches staged here have sometimes escalated into violent protests with a strong police response that created an unsafe environment for people on and around the Broadway campus. In past years, students and employees have exited campus buildings into a potentially dangerous situation, and getting home proved to be difficult due to traffic congestion and transit delays.

The administration will monitor the situation on campus and around the city closely throughout the day on May 1. In the event that campus closes earlier and/or include other locations in the closure, updates will be communicated through the Seattle Colleges Alerts system as quickly as possible.