Commencement Ceremony
7:30 p.m.
Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall, Oakland
Arriving, Lining Up and Getting Started
Ceremony Doors open 6:30 p.m.
Graduates Line-up 6:30 – 7:20 p.m.
Procession begins 7:30 p.m.
Guests will not be permitted to enter auditorium during the procession, President's Welcome, or Invocation. They will be asked to wait at the auditorium entrance until those have concluded.
Check-in and Line-up: Located in the hallway of Soldiers & Sailors. Stop at the table designated for your degree to get your name card before lining up. Graduates will line up in the hallway outside of the auditorium until the procession begins.
Gown, Cap, and Hood
Please wear your gown, cap, and tassel to both the mass and Commencement. The tassel should hang to the right. Do not wear the hood. Please fold the hood in half lengthwise and drape it over your left arm with velvet side toward your elbow.
Honors Cord
Undergraduates who earned honors will wear an honors cord. They will also have their honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude) announced when their names are called. Please note that final grades will not be submitted in time for Commencement, so honors does not include the final semester's grades. Questions about your honors designation will not be addressed at Commencement.
Please refer to page 19 of the Undergraduate Course Catalog for the honors policy.
Read the Preparation for Graduation page for details about honors cords.
>>More About The Ceremony
Tickets
Each graduate who RSVP's by the deadline may invite up to six guests. All guests must present a ticket. The RSVP form will include an option to request up to two extra tickets (not guaranteed). Extra tickets will be distributed after the RSVP process is over.
Personal Belongings
Graduates should leave their personal belongings with a guest. The University is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
Decorum
The ceremony is expected to last about one and a half hours. All graduates are to stay for the entire ceremony.
The University asks that you and your guests show respect for this special day in the following ways:
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Remain quiet and dignified during ceremony. Guests are welcome to celebrate when graduates' names are read, but they should not be so loud as to disrupt the process or prevent the next graduate's name from being heard.
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Guests should not stand in the aisles to take pictures where graduates are walking to and from the stage. This will be strictly enforced by staff and security in the auditorium.
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Turn off cell phones.
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Do not bring food or drink into the auditorium (those with alcoholic beverages will be removed).
Children
Children are welcome to attend, but please be prepared to remove fussing or crying babies from the auditorium. Open strollers are not permitted in the aisles of the auditorium for fire safety reasons.
Late Arrivals
Graduates who arrive late will be seated at the end of the graduates' seating area.
Photographs
Family members are welcome to take pictures and video; however, the aisles must remain clear. Guests are not permitted to block the path for graduates going to the stage or returning to their seats. This will be strictly enforced by staff and security. Tripods are not permitted.
A professional photographer will be taking pictures. Proofs will be available to view online after graduation. Information about how to view the proofs will be mailed to graduates.
Diplomas
Diplomas will not be distributed at the ceremony. They will be mailed to you within six weeks of graduation. |
