Commencement

Saturday, May 12, 2012

The Commencement Planning Committee, a working group of student, faculty and staff representatives charged with developing the Commencement exercises, has provided this information to explain some of the key points about Commencement 2012. This information is particularly pertinent to graduating students and their families.

NOTE:  If you are a graduating student and have not applied for Commencement online, you are not confirmed as participating in Commencement. Please contact Suzanne Davis at commencement@clarkson.edu or 315-268-6451 as soon as possible.

Please check this site for updates. Several links and telephone numbers are provided for your use. Please also feel free to contact the Commencement Planning Committee Chair, at univevents@clarkson.edu or 315-268-6425 for information.

Commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2012 will be on Saturday, May 12, 2012 beginning at 2:30 p.m. This will be Clarkson's 119th commencement. Exercises will be held in Cheel Arena in the Cheel Campus Center.

Weather permitting, the procession will form at 1:30 p.m. outside on the quad between the Cheel Campus Center and Graham Hall and proceed to the arena. In case of bad weather, alternate procedures will be announced on this Web page and on radio station WSNN 99.3 FM. The procession and the ceremonies will be explained in detail at the rehearsal on Friday, May 11.

Spectators should all plan to be in their seats by 2:00 p.m. Doors will open for guests with tickets at 1:00 p.m. (12:30 p.m. for disabled guests and their escorts). Only doors into the arena from inside the Cheel Campus Center will be used for spectator entry. For their convenience, guests with disabilities may also enter directly into the arena through a side door near the front entrance of the Cheel Campus Center.

The procession will include more than 600 graduates, faculty and honored guests. Spectators are asked to remain seated during the procession to allow all to see better and be more comfortable as well.

Rehearsal
The rehearsal is extremely important! It is held on Friday, May 11, at 9:30 a.m. in Cheel Arena. It is at this time that the details of seating, procession entry, recession exit, and awarding of diplomas will be explained. Graduates will need this information to tell guests where to look for them and where to meet them. It is also at rehearsal that guest tickets are issued to graduates who are participating in the exercises.

Attire
The basic attire for all graduating students is black academic regalia ("cap and gown") with a black tassel. In keeping with the formality of Commencement, additional adornments are limited. The variations allowed are as follows:

1. Students graduating with a master's or doctoral degree:
   • Please be sure to indicate that you are receiving either a master's or doctoral degree when you order your regalia. Although the gowns for each type of degree are black, there are slight differences in cut and doctoral gowns also have black velvet bands.
   • You must also order the appropriate colored hood for the degree received. Master's degree candidates process into the arena wearing their hoods. Doctoral degree candidates will have their hood placed on them on stage by their advisor.
2. Honor graduates with a GPA of 3.75 or higher are eligible to wear a gold honor cord. Such students will be given their honor cords at Commencement rehearsal on Friday, May 11.
3. Honor graduates with a GPA of 3.25 or higher will also receive a gold tassel.
4. Members of academic honor societies are also eligible to wear their designated stole, cord, or sash. Students possessing several such adornments should choose one.

An e-mail has been sent to graduating students informing them about regalia purchases through the University Bookstore. Regalia may be picked up at the University Bookstore on April 11 from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. and on April 12 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. For more information on regalia orders, please contact the bookstore at clarkson@bkstr.com or at 315-265-9260.

Tickets
The number of graduates planning to participate and the limited number of seats that can be safely provided in the arena necessitate a firm procedure for the fair and equitable distribution of tickets. Each graduate who participates in the exercises will be given five tickets at rehearsal that admit the holder to the arena. The graduate does NOT need a ticket. Please note, however, that children having their own seats do need tickets as well as adults.

If you know you will not need as many as five tickets, please alert Suzanne Davis at commencement@clarkson.edu or at 315-268-6451 so your extra tickets can be redistributed to students who do need more.

Additional ticket ordering is now closed.  Please e-mail commencement@clarkson.edu with any questions or concerns.

Seating is on a "first-come-first-served" basis. The graduates should be sure to give tickets to their guests before the doors open. Graduates can arrange to have the tickets held at a table near the Cheel Campus Center's first-floor Kodak Lounge for their guests if they can't deliver them personally.

No one without a ticket will be admitted prior to the start of the exercises. Graduates should explain the ticket policy to their families and plan accordingly.

Seating Arrangements for Guests with Disabilities
The Cheel Campus Center and Cheel Arena are accessible to guests with disabilities.

A special section of the Cheel Arena is being reserved for those guests using wheelchairs. One family caregiver will be permitted to sit next to the guest's wheelchair. Two additional family ticket holders will be seated in an area adjacent to the reserved section. Due to space limitations, any additional family or friend ticket holders will need to seek general seating in the arena. To request disabled seating, please click on the link to the right for "disabled seating" for the ceremony.

Guests who are not in wheelchairs but need seating near restrooms or exits, or who have difficulty negotiating stairs, should plan to have a member of their party at the Cheel Campus Center when the doors open to secure seating in the top rows or on the arena floor. The ceremonies are sound amplified, and all seats have an excellent view of the stage.

Guests who are hard of hearing or visually impaired are also encouraged to have a party member arrive early to secure general seating that seems most suited. There will be an American Sign Language Interpreter on the stage. TV monitors and earpieces are also available in the disabled seating section for those who are visually or hearing impaired.  If we are made aware that a particular graduate will have a guest needing such interpretation services, the interpreter will sign that graduate's name to the audience as well as interpreting the remarks and songs.   If you have any questions or concerns regarding accommodative seating, please contact the Accommodative Services Office at (315) 268-7643. Requests for disabled seating should be made before April 13.

Honorary Degrees
At the ceremonies, the University will confer honorary degrees on several distinguished individuals in recognition of their achievements in a wide variety of endeavors and service. More information about each of these individuals will be available in upcoming news releases.

Photos
In order to provide the individualized atmosphere where each graduate receives his or her own diploma personally and to complete the exercises in approximately two hours, we are not able to allow parents and friends to come down the aisles to the stage for photos. The University has arranged for a professional photographer, Genesee Photo Systems, to take an individual photo of each graduate. The photographer is skilled and equipped to perform this service. This technique has been used very successfully since 1981.

Genesee Photo Systems will post proofs online on their Web site (http://www.geneseephoto.com/) soon after the ceremony. You may order photographs directly from their Web site.  Please contact Genesee Photo Systems at 800-345-7427 for additional photograph-related questions.  Within safety limits, we will permit video cameras to operate from behind the last row of seats so long as the aisles are not congested.

Commencement DVDs
To order a commemorative DVD of Commencement 2012, see our Commencement DVD Order Form .

Children
Children requiring their own seating will need tickets. The exercises last for approximately two hours, a long time for an infant or young child. There is no nursery or childcare provided. Parents are asked to be sensitive to those around them so that all may enjoy the ceremonies. If parents must take their children out of the arena, they are welcome to continue watching the ceremony in the Kodak Lounge on the first floor of the Campus Center. We broadcast Commencement via Time Warner Cable on channel 30 (WCKN), and a feed (including audio) is provided in the Kodak Lounge on the first floor of Cheel Campus Center.

ROTC Commissioning
 On Friday, May 11, at 4 p.m., the Army and Air Force ROTC detachments will conduct their Commissioning Exercise in Cheel Arena. Please contact Cadet Benjamin Fried at friedbs@clarkson.edu or Major Scott Toth at stoth@clarkson.edu or at 315-268-7705 for more details and updates.

Baccalaureate
On Friday, May 11, at 6 p.m., graduates will be honored at a nondenominational baccalaureate service at the United Methodist Church at 26 Main St. in Potsdam.  All graduates, families and guests are welcome.

Housing
On-campus housing has reached capacity. Guests can see hotel accommodations or bed & breakfast accommodations, however local hotels tend to be booked for Commencement well in advance.

Dining
See the times, locations and menu for dining on-campus.

Parking
Traffic on the hill will be, for the most part, two-way.  All campus entrances will be open, please watch for signs to direct you.   Guests with or dropping off disabled person(s) will be directed to the front of the Cheel Center, where they will be assisted by Staff in discharging their disabled guests then directed  onward for parking.  Guests bringing campers, trailers or larger vehicles are invited to park at Walker Center where electricity and washrooms are available.  Guests staying in the residence halls should plan on walking to the ceremony or catching a ride on one of several golf carts that will be escorting guest’s around campus.  Guests with questions or concerns can call Campus Safety & Security at 315-268-6666

Travel
For information on traveling to Clarkson, please see Visit Us, where you will find links to maps and directions.

Web Video Broadcast
Commencement will be broadcast live on the Internet at http://media.clarkson.edu/.  Broadcasting will begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

For more information, please contact the Commencement Planning Committee Chair, at univevents@clarkson.edu or 315-268-6425.