The Department of Biological Sciences graduation ceremony excluded hundreds of family members and attendees as Reynolds Coliseum reached capacity Friday evening.

Event organizers reportedly told attendees the fire marshal ordered the venue to stop admitting guests due to overcrowding. Several students shared photos showing empty seats inside the coliseum.

Reynolds Coliseum has a capacity of about 5,500 people. The event was not ticketed and was open to the public.

Many unhappy families waited outside, shouting and arguing with organizers as they realized they would not be able to attend the ceremony.  Several arrived up to an hour before the ceremony, and were greeted with long lines before being told the venue had reached capacity.

After the doors to the coliseum closed, crowds chanted “Let us in! Let us in!” toward the organizers.

Attendees, many of whom travelled for the commencement, critiqued the ceremony’s planning, arguing it was disorganized. Several voiced frustration that they could not attend their children or family member’s graduation ceremony.

Roughly 45 minutes after the ceremony began, an organizer told the crowd that they could either watch a livestream in Talley Student Union or on their phones.

The University has not responded to a request for comment.