Guide for Seniors - Commencement 2008
Things to Know
Caps, Gowns, Honor Cords, Announcements
Representatives will be in the Campus Center March 17 through 19 to take orders.
Honors Convocation
The senior class will process in regalia. The procession will begin at 2:15 p.m. on the sidewalk in front of the R-MC Center for the Performing Arts (Blackwell Auditorium).
Senior Speaker
All graduation candidates are encouraged to compete for the privilege of representing the class of 2008 as Senior Speaker.
For consideration, the following information must be completed and submitted to the Office of Student Life and Programs in the Campus Center by April 7:
-a letter of application to the College Life Committee stating briefly why you wish to be considered for Senior Speaker,
-a letter of recommendation from a faculty member who can address your general qualifications as well as your ability to articulate your ideas,
-a draft of the speech you would deliver.
The duration for the speech is 10 minutes.
The selection for Senior Speaker will be made by May 4.
Tradition of Hooding During Commencement
Each graduating senior must select a sponsor who will be seated directly behind the graduate and who will place the hood upon the graduate during the ceremony. The sponsor will carry the hood during the processional. Therefore, all graduates and sponsors need to assemble at 9:00 a.m. on Commencement Day at the flagpole (near Old Chapel).
Commencement Tickets
In the event of rain, Commencement will be held in the Brock Center. In preparation for this possibility, each graduate will receive tickets for six guests. Graduates may pick up tickets for their guests in the Campus Center on Friday, May 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tickets not collected by 4:00 p.m. Friday, May 30, may be picked up Saturday, May 31, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. in the Campus Center. Lost tickets will not be replaced. Any graduate not needing all six tickets is asked to return the unneeded tickets to the Campus Center so that they can be made available to graduates who have more than six guests. These additional tickets will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis Saturday, May 31 between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. in the Campus Center. Graduates' guests who do not have tickets can go to Blackwell Auditorium to view Commencement on television.
Inclement Weather Policy
Every effort will be made to hold Commencement outdoors. The ceremony will continue even if light rain occurs after the program begins. However, in the event of heavy rain or the threat of an electrical storm after the start of the ceremony, the Provost of the College will give instructions from the podium for the graduates and their sponsors to go directly to the Brock Center. Guests should immediately seek shelter and report to the Brock Center one hour later, at which time the ceremony will resume. Once admitted into the Brock Center, a guest who leaves the facility, will not be re-admitted.
Vacating Campus Housing
All residence halls, including townhouses, special interest housing and Mullen Drive houses, must be vacated by 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 31. College-owned fraternity and sorority houses (Phi Mu, Alpha Gamma Delta, Delta Zeta, Kappa Sigma, and Sigma Phi Epsilon) must also be vacated by 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 31. The dates for vacating non-college owned houses (Kappa Alpha Theta, Theta Chi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Phi Delta Theta) are determined by their housing corporations. Seniors may stay on campus during the week prior to Commencement.
Commencement Protocol
Wearing caps and gowns, graduates should assemble at the flagpole promptly at 9:00 a.m. Tassels should be worn on the right side of the caps. Faculty marshals will direct the graduates to the seating area where chairs will be marked with graduates' names. Graduates are to remain standing for the Invocation and the National Anthem.
Graduates will be called by degree groups to rise and stand in front of their seats. President Lindgren will say, "Upon the recommendation of the Faculty and by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Board of Trustees and the Commonwealth of Virginia, I am pleased to confer upon you the degree Bachelor of Arts or Science with all the rights, privileges, and honors appertaining thereto." Once the degree has been conferred, tassels should be moved to the left side of the caps.
The marshals will direct graduates to the stage area. As each graduate's name is read, the graduate will walk across the stage, accept his/her diploma from President Lindgren, shake the President's hand and return to his/her seat. Following the Benediction, the graduates should remain standing until the marshals give directions for the recessional.