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COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY

All graduates should arrive on main campus no later than 8:30 a.m., Saturday, August 16,
and go directly to Shingleton Gymnasium.

Lineup
Line-up – Shingleton Gymnasium, beginning at 8:45 a.m.

• Graduates will line up in two lines -- the Right Column and the Left Column.
• Academic Affairs will e-mail the line-up list by program the last day or two before graduation. Please review your name, your program, and your degree prior to graduation. Provide the registrar’s office with any changes at least 24 hour prior to graduation. Also look at the list and become familiar with where your program is in the commencement line up.
• As you enter the gymnasium, you will be given a 3X5 card with your name, your program, and your honors listed on the card. You will hand this card to Vice President Grigsby before you walk across the stage.
• While you don’t need to remain in alphabetic order, we ask that you remain in your program throughout graduation.
  Procession (see enclosed location map)
• Graduation staff members will lead each column to the location where the procession will begin.
• The Platform party will process down the stairs around the SU. Students will follow the platform party. Faculty will follow the graduates.
• Graduates will walk in lines of two.
• The two columns will walk in front of the stage and continue toward the seating area.
  
  
  Parking & Traffic on Campus Back to top^
  Department of Public Safety staff members will direct drivers to parking areas.

Handicapped parking will be available behind Henkel Hall. Only vehicles with handicap stickers or license plates will be allowed to park in this area. Department of Public Safety staff members will direct drivers with handicap stickers to designated parking areas.

The entire parking lot areas between Gore and Parker Halls, “the Hill,” will be closed to all vehicles between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. the day of graduation. No vehicles will be allowed access to this area during those times. Any student who needs to move a vehicle from one of those parking lots must move it before 6 a.m. on Saturday. Normal traffic patterns will resume following the ceremony.


Guest Seating Back to top^
Tickets are neither issued nor required for seating on Saturday. Seating in the Guest Seating Areas will be on a first-come, first-served basis. As well, guests are welcome to bring lawn chairs or blankets to use in the adjacent grassy areas.

There will be a designated seating area for disabled guests; staff will direct guests to this area. Guests are asked to limit companions to one per disabled person in this area.

Remember to come prepared for the weather—sunscreen and brimmed hats, sweaters or umbrellas may be the order of the day. If the day is very warm, all attempts will be made to have cold water available for guests.

Appropriate Dress Back to top^
There is no "official" dress code for Commencement. However, since Commencement is a formal ceremony, business casual dress is suggested under the gown. Shorts, halter tops, etc., are not acceptable. It is recommended that comfortable shoes be worn, as graduates will be standing and walking for much of the morning, once the processional lineup starts. Please note that black or dark color shoes go best with the black gown-no bare feet, flip flops, running shoes, etc.

Honor Cords and Graduate Degree Hooding Back to top^
Only honor cords in recognition of Latin honors are worn during Commencement. These gold cords will be distributed during lineup.

Academic hoods for master's degree graduates are worn to the ceremony. Doctoral students will be hooded during separate ceremonies within their school/division and should wear their hoods during the ceremony.

CAMPUS FACILITIES Back to top^

Bookstore
The Bookstore will be open on Saturday, August 25, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the convenience of graduates and their guests. Last-minute gifts for graduates, as well as SU souvenirs and memorabilia, sunscreen and disposable cameras will be available for purchase. Vending machines will be stocked with cold drinks.

Medical Emergency Needs
An emergency medical team will be on campus.

Restrooms
Restrooms for guests are available in Ruebush Hall, Henkel Hall, Howe Hall, the International and Cross-cultural Center in Cooley Hall, Wilkins Administration Building, and in the Brandt Student Center.

ATMs
Automatic Teller Machines are located in the Wilkins Administration Building and in the new Brandt Student Center.

PHOTOGRAPHY Back to top^
Guests are welcome to take photos during the ceremony but are asked to not enter the graduate seating area or block the aisles used by graduates during the ceremony. There will be a “quick snap” area designated for those who would like to take photos close to the stage area.

Professional Photography of Graduates
A professional photographer will take pictures of each graduate as she/he crosses the stage. Chappell Studios will mail all graduates a free, passport-size full-color proof. Shenandoah University provides this as a service to graduates; the purchase of photos from Chappell Studios is entirely optional. In addition, graduates can pre-register and Chappell will contact them when their photos are available for online viewing and ordering.