Information

Commencement Day is a solemn joyful day. We ask that you and your guests uphold a tradition of courtesy and respect to your colleagues on June 3 by following the customary observances during the ceremony and obeying the ushers and police in their efforts to provide for the efficient movement of so many people on campus. The campus will be host to around 1,000 graduates and 5,000 guests. Because of these numbers, the day requires a good deal of structure. Campus police and ushers will be here to assist you and maintain order.

• The Commencement ceremony will be held in the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Amphitheater, regardless of weather. In case of rain, the ceremony will be shortened and you will be instructed to pick up your diploma in the designated building after the ceremony.
• Graduates, dressed in caps and gowns, should assemble in the quadrangle at 10:45 a.m. No graduate will be allowed to participate in the ceremony without wearing complete academic regalia.
• Graduates from the College of Business and the College of Engineering will assemble near the Group II Building. Graduates of the Graduate School, CVPA, and the College of Nursing will assemble near the campanile (bell tower). Graduates of the College of Arts and Science will assemble near the Foster Administration Building (see map). Signs will be posted at each assembly area.
  
  Immediately upon arrival in your staging area, graduates should go the Registrar's table and get their name card. Graduates must have their name card in order to have your name announced as you walk across the stage. Then line up in alphabetical order by major. There will be signs listing each major. For those with a double major, please choose the major with whom you wish to march. Please do not wander off to visit friends in other colleges or majors.
• Although the ceremony itself starts at 12:00 noon, the procession begins earlier. Anyone who wishes to have seats should plan on arriving early.
• At 11:30 a.m., all graduates should be in line as the procession will begin at approximately 11:40 a.m. with the pealing of the campanile bells. Graduates arriving after the procession has begun will not be able to sit with their colleagues. Space will be provided at the end of the line. Graduates who arrive late and who wish to walk across the stage with their colleagues in their major must figure out on their own when to come to the stage. Since there are about 1,000 diplomas to be handed out, graduates who do not arrive at the Registrar's diploma table in the amphitheater may find that their diplomas have been removed and replaced with a blank folder.
• The faculty marshals will lead the procession into the amphitheater and to the assigned seats. The marshals will bring the graduates of each college to and from the stage at the appropriate part of the ceremony. The marshals are also responsible for ensuring order during the ceremony and are empowered to relieve graduates of alcoholic beverages and other disruptive items.
• Because of the importance of the ceremony, no usher will take gifts, notes or messages to or from guests or graduates. They will not take any photos. For this and other reasons, vendors are not permitted on the campus. Please restrain any impulse to surprise graduates with gifts during the ceremony since this will be impossible. Graduates are also expected to remain seated throughout the ceremony because that too creates a discourteous atmosphere for other graduates. The campus police, marshals and ushers will assist in maintaining order.
• On Commencement Day, diplomas will not be handed out to anyone who is not dressed in academic regalia or fully participating in the ceremony.
• At the end of the ceremony, please file out into the quadrangle where receptions for graduates, their families, alumni, and faculty will be held.
• A note of caution in your planning: The campus welcomes all of your family for this critical day in your life and wants every family to enjoy the day as much as possible. We will have reserved seating areas for people with physical disabilities. The ceremony usually lasts approximately 3 hours, but seems longer if your family arrives early to secure seating. Many small children have difficulty remaining seated and quiet for this period of time and elderly family members may find the seats uncomfortable. Please make appropriate plans for your family and guests.

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