For Graduating
Students
For Guests
Graduating Students:
Lining up
Gates will open at 1:00pm. Enter from the South Gate of the Greek
Theatre. Head backstage
and be ready to go by 1:30pm.
Look for a table in the backstage area with index cards and pencils,
legibly write your name on a card, and hold onto it. The announcer
will read your name from this card as you cross the stage to receive
your scroll. TIP! Include a phonetic spelling if you have any
concerns about the pronunciation of your name (e.g., writing oski as
os-kee). You can also say your name to the announcer. The cards are
provided by Bob Knight Photo, so you can also order photographs by filling
out the back.
Line up single-file behind the barricade at the north end of the backstage area (look for signs posted on the wall). The faculty and Ph.Ds will proceed onto the north end of the stage first, so please allow plenty of space for them to gather.
Procession
At exactly 2:00pm, "Pomp and Circumstance" will start
and you will begin your stately procession from behind the stage
to your seat - faculty first, followed by Ph.D.s, then Masters, Honors,
and finally B.A.s. Faculty, Ph.D.s, and Masters candidates will be seated
on the stage. All B.A.s will go down a ramp to the main seating area,
where seats have been reserved for you. Please fill in each row in order
until filled. Additional students should wrap around behind the folding
chairs and fill in successive rows until everyone is seated. If you
are late and miss the procession you can either join the graduates in
the last seats or wait in the wings until the awarding of the degrees
at the end of the ceremony.
The walk from the stage to the seats and back involves a somewhat steep
ramp with uneven pavement and a step off a ledge and over a grate, so
you wear sensible shoes if you can and step carefully.
The Ceremony
There will be a series of speeches and award announcements, and then
the conferral of degrees starting with Ph.D.s and then the B.A.s.
- Ph.D.s - Arrive in your cap and gown but hold onto your hood. Stay
in your seat until your name is called, then move to the center of
the stage, meet your thesis advisor and give him or her your hood.
Turn to face the audience while your advisor places your hood over
your head from behind. Walk over to Professor Pierson to receive your
ceremonial scroll -- your photo will be taken at this point -- and
return to your seat on stage. Once seated, attach your hood to the
button at the neck of your gown.
- B.A.s - After the Ph.D.s are awarded, students in the front row
should watch for the signal from Suzanne or Efrat to rise and approach
the stage. Efrat will separate and guide you into two lines on stage,
and direct you to one of two announcers. Walk up to your "designated"
announcer, hand him the card with your name on it, and cross the stage
to meet Professor Pierson. The photographer will take your picture
as you accept your scroll from Professor Pierson and later as you
leave the stage. Pace yourself and stay at least 15 feet behind the
previous student, so the photographer has a clear shot of you. Proceed
in the same direction to leave the stage and return to your seat.
Once everyone is seated, Professor Pierson will grant the degrees and
invite the graduates to participate in the traditional "moving
of the tassle" on their mortar boards from right to left. Congratulations!
Let the celebration begin!
Reception
Immediately following the ceremony will be a reception at the
Campanile
Esplanade.
Guests:
Enter through the North
Gate of the Greek Theatre. NOTE: All graduating students must
enter the Greek Theatre through the (alternate) South Gate. Gates will
open at 1:00pm. The ceremony generally lasts about 2 hours, and the
reception 1 hour. There is no comfortable place to sit out of the sun
(or rain) so guests are discouraged from arriving too early. The Greek
is a large amphitheatre with plenty of seating, so getting a seat won't
be a problem, but the audience faces directly into the sun and the seats
are concrete, so it's best to minimize the time you spend there before
the ceremony begins at 2:00pm.
Tickets on Commencement Day will be sold at the North
Gate of the Greek Theatre only (the entrance closest to Hearst Avenue).
For details about tickets, including how to purchase tickets in advance,
please visit the Commencement
Tickets web site.
Restrooms are located at both ends of the amphitheatre. A wheelchair-accessible restroom is located inside the north entrance. A registered nurse is on duty backstage near the north entrance.
Food and bottled water will be sold by Cal Performances inside the north entrance. Commencement Flowers will be stationed outside the north entrance. Brochures and order forms for Bob Knight Photo will be available in racks inside each gate.
REMINDER! Only graduating students and faculty are allowed backstage or onstage at any time!
For detailed parking and transportation information, click here.