Commencement

Additional Participant Information

• Arrival

  AM Ceremony

  Graduates should arrive in regalia (cap, gown, and hood*, if a Master’s and Education Specialist graduate) at the SURC east entrance (by the Wildcat statue) no later than 7:45 am. Please arrive early as the processional will begin promptly. 

  PM Ceremony

  Graduates should arrive in regalia (cap, gown, and hood*, if a Master’s and Education Specialist graduate) at the SURC east entrance (by the Wildcat statue) no later than 12:45 pm. Please arrive early as the processional will begin promptly. 

• Name Cards

  Name cards may be picked up at the SURC info center the week of Commencement from 8 am – 5 pm or picked up at check-in on Commencement day. You must bring your name card with you to the staging location and carry it into the ceremony. Name cards are only created for graduates who have registered to participate in commencement; please ensure that you have done so by the registration deadline.
  

• Diploma Covers

  You will receive your diploma cover during the Commencement ceremony. It will NOT include your diploma. Diplomas will be mailed by CWU Registrar Services approximately 8-10 weeks following the completion of your degree.
  

• Commencement Etiquette

  Commencement is a time for your family and friends to recognize your hard work and accomplishments. We ask that students behave accordingly and provide a good example of what it means to be a CWU Wildcat.

  In years past, CWU staff have had to confiscate items not allowed to be brought into the ceremonies. Alcohol, weapons of any kind (including pocket knives), balloons, large signs, backpacks, and other paraphernalia are not allowed at Commencement. Please save your personal celebration until after commencement.

  We enjoy having family and friends at the Commencement ceremonies, but children and other non-CWU graduates are not allowed in the line-up area or in the seating area with graduates during the ceremony. Please make prior arrangements to accomodate your family's attendance.

• Attire

  Dress

  All students must wear official CWU regalia (cap, gown, and hood*, if a Master’s and Education Specialist graduate) in order to be eligible to walk.  Graduates without proper attire will not be allowed to participate. We recommend that you dress comfortably and wear flat shoes as you will be walking from the SURC to the stadium. Staff members will be available if you need assistance, however, there are no indoor dressing facilities available. Remember that you will be sitting outside, possibly under a hot sun, a light rain, or a strong wind. Please dress accordingly. 

  Tassels

  For undergraduates, the tassel is worn on the right-hand side throughout the ceremony. Tassels will be moved from right to left when the ASCWU President indicates confirmation of degrees. You will receive your tassel with your cap and gown order.

  For Master’s and Education Specialist graduates, the tassel is worn on the left-hand side throughout the ceremony.  Your undergraduate degrees have already been confirmed, so you will not be moving your tassel.

  Honors Tassels are given to undergraduate students who qualify for honors based on the GPA of all credits earned at CWU.

  • 3.500 to 3.699 - cum laude (red tassel)
  • 3.700 to 3.899 - magna cum laude (silver tassel)
  • 3.900 to 4.000 - summa cum laude (gold tassel)
    

  For questions about Honors and Honors Tassels, please contact the Office of the Registrar 
• Weather

  Rain or shine, Commencement will be held outside in Tomlinson Stadium. The ceremony will only be adjusted or rescheduled in the case of extreme weather. Should this occur, tune to the local radio station or check the CWU website at www.cwu.edu.

• Processional

  Undergraduate processional lines will begin at the SURC and walk up Walnut Mall to Tomlinson Stadium. You will line up and be led by college in two rows. Your name card will be color-coded to ensure that you are in the proper ceremony and lined up accordingly. CWU staff will be present to guide you.

  Student marshals will lead the processional and recessional, as well as assist with the ceremony. They will be in silver caps and gowns and will aid you during the entire commencement experience. 

  Thirty minutes prior to the start of the ceremony, the processional lines will begin moving toward the stadium. The order of the processional will be: 

  1. Faculty in two lines 
  2. Master’s and Education Specialist graduates in two lines
  3. Undergraduates in two lines 
  4. Faculty Marshal (with the University Mace) 
  5. The Presidential Platform Party
     

  During the processional, please remember: 

  • It is important that you stay in your line. 
  • The Student Marshals may pause and hold your line at different locations for spacing and timing. 
  • Do not move into the seats until you are directed to by the Student Marshals. 
  • Chair rows will be filled from front to back. Continue to the furthest open chair without leaving any empty. 
• Ceremony

  The ceremony will consist of selected university speakers, including an undergraduate student speaker and a graduate student speaker. Following the speaker portion of the ceremony, graduate students will proceed to the stage first, be hooded by the Dean of Graduate Education, Research, and Strategic Initiatives, shake hands with the President, receive their diploma covers, and return to their seats. Following the graduate students, the undergraduate students then proceed to the stage, receive their diploma covers, shake hands with their respective college deans and the President, and then return to their seats.  The ceremony will conclude with a small speaking portion, and the recessional will begin.

  The Commencement program will be available electronically prior to the ceremony if you wish to follow along.
  

• Recessional

  The order of the recessional is: 

  1. The Faculty Marshal (with the University Mace) 
  2. The Presidential Platform Party 
  3. The Faculty (faculty will form a congratulatory line for all graduates to walk through as they leave the field) 
  4. Master’s and Education Specialist graduates in two lines
  5. Undergraduates (Last row will exit first)
     

  AM Ceremony

  Please note that we will be setting up for the second ceremony immediately following the first. Please have your guests exit promptly and direct them to meet you outside of the stadium.