To see the Bills, some grads ask for a few

With Bill Gates and Bill Clinton as headliners, Harvard's commencement events this week netted a profit for some savvy graduates. They scalped tickets to Clinton's speech yesterday at Harvard's Class Day and to Gates's talk at today's commencement for as much as $100 per pop.

Cashing in on what were supposed to be free events, students sought buyers in dozens of ads on Craigslist.org. To some extent, scalping has gone on in past years, but university officials said they have never seen the practice so prevalent as this year.

"Harvard always has pretty compelling speakers, but with the two Bills this year, it's certainly quite unusual," said Ryan Spoering, resident dean of Lowell House.

Spoering, after hearing of scalping, sent an e-mail to the 450 residents under his watch warning them not to sell tickets online or they would face disciplinary action.

"If you have extra tickets, please give them to your blockmate's grandmother. For free," he wrote.

Other universities that offered big-name commencement speakers this year say they took extra precautions to discourage scalpers, such as using tickets with barcodes to avoid duplication. At Harvard, where Class Day and commencement exercises often draw celebrity speakers, university officials say they think easy access to technology is fueling the increase in scalping.

"We obviously frown upon it and do what we can," said Joe Wrinn, a university spokesman.

Class Day was open only to seniors, who received five tickets each and an additional five upon request. For today's morning commencement exercises, undergraduate students were offered four tickets apiece, and graduate and professional school students were offered two. At afternoon exercises, where Gates will speak, undergraduate students were offered four, plus four upon request. At distribution points across campus and in accompanying materials, students were told their tickets were not for resale.

Still, Wendy Chao, a 31-year-old Harvard doctoral student, posted a Craigslist ad mocking her expensive Ivy League education.

"Renting the stupid PhD cap and gown: $150," Chao wrote. ". . . Selling my tickets to the afternoon exercises: PRICELESS."

Chao had sought to recoup some of her losses, but she told the Globe yesterday that she has since decided to give her tickets away to anyone who responds to her ad. In the ad, she said she would consider all offers, but give preference to those who would pay $20 each for two or more tickets.

"They're students like me," Chao said. "I don't feel like it's right to rip them off, too."

Chao and other doctoral students were disappointed that they apparently did not submit paperwork in time to gain tickets to a diploma-awarding ceremony.

Zhengwhen Li posted a Craigslist ad looking for tickets. His parents flew from China to attend commencement events and to celebrate the chemistry degree it took him nearly five years to earn. He was told he did not submit paperwork in time to receive tickets to today's diploma-awarding ceremony and still cannot get them, even though his ceremony does not include Gates.

Li said that posting an online ad is "not good for the whole community, but I have no choice."

According to his ad, he is willing to spend $20 each.

Class Day, which is sponsored by the senior class, and morning commencement exercises are held outside in the Tercentenary Theatre. In some years, as many as 30,000 people, including the 6,700 graduating seniors, have crammed onto the grassy lawn .

Hoopes Wampler, director of college alumni programs, said that students sometimes police each other and even alert officials of ticket scalpers.

Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H., used barcodes on each ticket and scanners at the door . The speaker was Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, a presidential hopeful.

"It's a graduation ceremony; it's not a concert," said Michelle Dunn, the university's spokeswoman. "We're not going to try to boot people. If it's obviously a parent or a grandparent and they're dressed for the ceremony, discretion would be used."

Globe correspondent April Yee contributed to this report. April Simpson can be reached at asimpson@globe.com.