Ceremony Conduct Agreement
The Return to Husky Stadium Graduation Celebration is intended to be a festive occasion celebrating the accomplishments of our students. However, it is also ceremonial. Graduates are expected to abide by the following guidelines:
- Graduates must follow any public health directives in place on June 12th regarding the wearing of masks, vaccination, or COVID-19 testing.
- Graduates should remain in their seats during the entire ceremony, unless utilizing the restrooms.
- Students are required to be in their seats for the address by our commencement speaker. (Restrooms will be closed at this time.)
- Wandering around the floor of the stadium and visiting with guests in the stands is prohibited.
- Cell phones are permitted, but out of courtesy for other participants, students are asked to make judicious use of phones and not use them during the formal speaking portions of the ceremony. Further information about what items are permitted at Husky Stadium is available on the Security Information page.
- It is particularly important that students respect their fellow students and the faculty, administrators and guests who have come to witness and participate in the conferring of their degrees. For this reason, graduates are expected to return to their seats after they walk and remain there until all students have walked and the members of the stage party have exited the stage.
Please plan post-ceremony activities accordingly.
Start Early
Start your day early, as traffic to Husky Stadium will be heavy. Graduation is one event where it’s not fashionable to be late! Consider the extra time it will take to park the car and walk to the Outdoor Practice Facility.
Check in at 1:00 p.m.
All graduates will line up on the Outdoor Practice Field (east of Husky Stadium).
- Graduates of the Class of 2020 will have purple tickets and will check in at the purple entrance to the Outdoor Practice Field.
- Graduates of the Class of 2021 will have gold tickets and will check in at the gold entrance.
- Present both your ticket and your Husky card or state-issued photo ID.
- Be prepared to open your gowns for visual inspection. No backpacks allowed. Graduates are encouraged to not bring bags, purses, etc., as there is no secure location to store them and they are not allowed on the field.
- You may not change your line up area unless given permission by the Office of Ceremonies.
Lining Up
Bachelor’s degrees: Line up behind the banner for your school or college in four parallel lines.
Master’s degrees: Line up behind the “Master” banner in four parallel lines.
Doctoral degrees: Line up behind the “Doctoral” banner in four parallel lines. Check in with the Reading Marshal at the front of your line to review your name pronunciation and degree title. The marshal will give you your “reading card,” which you will need to take with you when you walk.
All candidates: If you wish to sit beside someone during the ceremony, you should march behind or in front of one another.
Procession
The procession begins promptly at 2:30 p.m. Faculty marshals will direct you during the procession. Please follow their lead and do not step out of line. They will lead you from the Outdoor Practice Field, to the west end of the stadium and then back towards the stage and into your seating row (see diagram above). Move to the end of the row and sit down, so as not to impede the seating of others. Please stay out of the center aisle until the deans and president’s parties have entered. Academic caps should be removed during the playing of the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
If you arrive late you will need to fall in at the end of the procession.
The Walk to the Stage
Note: Only those receiving doctoral degrees will have their names announced.
Doctoral degrees
- Those who have earned doctoral degrees will be seated beginning in the first section of seats. The dean of the Graduate School will ask these graduates to rise and be acknowledged. Remain standing while the dean presents graduates who have earned doctoral degrees.
- Faculty marshals will then direct you to the stage.
- Important! Don’t forget to bring your reading card and the photo card included in the packet on your seat. Fill out the photo card and take it with you. Hand it to the photographers before you go to the stage.
- Go across the stage. Accept your diploma memento with both hands. For public health reasons, there will be no hand shaking. Please be aware that your picture will be taken at this time.
- Return to your seat via the center ramp and aisle and sit down. The marshals will direct you. Graduates are expected to remain in their seats until the completion of the recessional.
Master's degrees
- Those who have earned master’s degrees will be seated in the second section of seats. The dean of the Graduate School will ask those with master’s degrees to rise for the conferring of degrees. Remain standing while graduates with master’s degrees are acknowledged.
- Faculty marshals will then direct you to the stage.
- Important! A photo card will be included in a packet on your seat. Fill it out and take it with you to hand to the photographers before you go up to the stage.
- Faculty marshals will direct you to the stage.
- Go across the stage. Accept your diploma memento with both hands. For public health reasons, there will be no hand shaking. Please be aware that your picture will be taken at this time.
- Return to your seat via the center ramps. The marshals will direct you. Graduates are expected to remain in their seats until the completion of the recessional.
Bachelor degrees
- Graduates who have earned bachelor’s degrees will be seated beginning in the third section of seats and extending to the back of the field. The deans of each of your respective schools will call the schools in the order designated in the program.
- When you hear your school called, please stand. Remain standing until the dean has presented you as a group to the president and instructed you to be seated.
- After all deans have presented their schools, graduates from all schools and colleges will be asked to rise together and be acknowledged. You will then be seated.
- Important! A photo card will be included in a packet on your seat. Fill it out and take it with you to hand to the photographers before you go to the stage.
- Beginning with the first row, graduates with bachelor’s degrees will march to the outside aisles and up to the stage under the direction of the faculty marshals.
- Go across the stage. Accept your diploma memento with both hands. For public health reasons, there will be no hand shaking. Please be aware that your picture will be taken at this time.
- Return to your seat via the center ramps and sit down. Marshals will direct you. Graduates are expected to remain in their seats until the completion of the recessional.
Recessional
After all graduates have walked, everyone will rise for the singing of the school song. The ceremony is then closed. Graduates are to remain standing at their seats until all members of the stage party have left the stage and cleared the field.
When the ceremonial (classical) music has ended and pop music begins, you are dismissed. Family and friends are welcome to join you outside the stadium but they are not permitted on the field.