This is what I found on the official site of the university concerning the Gala:

“This is an event unlike any other ever held on campus,” UMass Boston Chancellor Jo Ann M. Gora said. “The new Campus Center has allowed us to not only serve our students more effectively, but also bring them together with our alumni and strong community supporters in an elegant campus setting to celebrate the energy, vision and vitality of UMass Boston.”

If the purpose of the center is to bring folks together, why is it that students were turned away? Because Andrew Cards wife was in the building? The mayor? I think she let us all know, then she should seriously consider the job in Oregon.