Commencement Information and Instructions for Undergraduate Candidates
Fall Semester 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
9:30 am
Stegeman Coliseum

Students:  please be sure to tell your parents about this web site so they can obtain current information.

The ceremony will be shown via a live feed in the Masters Hall of the Georgia Center (across the street from Stegeman Coliseum).  It will also be broadcast over the TVs located in the Tate Center.
 

Tickets for the Undergraduate Ceremony
Due to an increasing number of candidates for graduation and a limited amount of space, tickets will be required for all family members and guests attending the Fall Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony.  Each anticipated graduate will be eligible to receive up to six (6) tickets.  Tickets will be distributed first at the UGA Bookstore Graduation Celebration October 18 - 20 and again November 14 - 23 at the Office of the Registrar. (Hours are M - F, 8am - 5pm.)  In order to pick up tickets, your anticipated graduation date must be indicated as Fall 2011 in the student system and you must present a photo ID. Review the 'Check Degree Program/Graduation' menu of the OASIS Registration Main Menu to ensure you are listed for the correct graduating term. Please contact your advisor for any revisions.

If there are any additional tickets remaining, they will be available on a first come basis at the Registrar's Office on Wednesday, December 7.

Assembly Locations:

Assembly for the academic procession will begin at 8:30 am.  Please be prompt.

All candidates for graduation will assemble in the Coliseum Training Facility (see campus map).  Please enter through the door closest to the Carlton Parking Deck.  All candidates will assemble in the basketball gyms on the second floor as indicated below:

Please note that no food or drinks will be permitted in the gyms.  There is no provision at the ceremony for candidates to store personal items such as coats, purses, etc.  You are encouraged to leave these with family members in attendance.

Academic Attire
Appropriate academic regalia must be worn to participate in the Commencement Ceremony.  Caps, gowns and hoods may be purchased at the UGA Bookstore.  Contact the University of Georgia Bookstore at 706.542.3171 or via email at http://uga.bkstr.com for purchasing information.  Order your announcements online at Jostens.com.

Candidates should wear their tassels over the right eye until the degree is awarded and over the left eye afterward.  The mortarboard on the cap should be parallel to the ground.

With the exception of the honors tassels, the color of tassels as well as the color of the velvet on the hoods worn by master and doctorate candidates are indicative of the academic subject area.  The colors associated with these subjects areas are as follows:

Please note:  If you order your academic regalia from someone other than the UGA Bookstore, the UGA Bookstore will not be able to assist you with missing or replacement items.

Recognition of Candidates
Undergraduates will rise as a group when their degree is conferred.

Conclusion of Ceremony
Following the singing of the Alma Mater at the conclusion of the graduation ceremony, the platform party and the faculty will retire.  There will be no formal recessional.  The ceremony normally lasts between 2 and 2 ½ hours.

Faculty Participation
Faculty who want to participate in the processional should gather in the Conference Room on the lower level of Stegeman Coliseum by Tunnel 2.  Academic regalia is required.  It is suggested that you plan to be there by 8:45 in order to avoid traffic and parking problems.

Special Needs
It is suggested that the disabled and elderly arrive early to ensure nearby parking.  Guests who are wheelchair bound or who have physical limitations may be dropped off at the Coliseum on Sanford Drive.  Another option is to park in the Carlton Street deck by the Coliseum, which is within a short walking distance.  Limited, special seating is available in Stegeman Coliseum and members of the Arch Society or police officers on duty outside the Coliseum will be able to direct guests.

Candidates for graduation who need assistance should contact the Office of the Registrar at 706.542.4040 no later than Friday, December 9.

First Aid
First Aid is located in the concourse behind section L.

Parking
Parking is available in several on-campus lots within convenient walking distance of Stegeman Coliseum.  To avoid heavy traffic congestion before and after the ceremony, you may wish to park in the Carlton Street Deck,  the South Deck, S10, S12, S14 or S16 Parking Lots. There is no charge for parking on Commencement Day.

Please do not park on sidewalks, landscaped areas, or on streets so as to block lanes of traffic.  Improperly parked vehicles may be towed.

Commencement Programs
Two versions of the commencement program are printed.  The longer version includes the names of all candidates.  Two copies of this program will be placed in the seats for each of the candidates.  Visitors will receive an abbreviated program containing information about the ceremony.   Extra copies of the longer version are normally available after the ceremony.  Please do not disrupt the ceremony by taking copies of the longer version from unoccupied seats during the ceremony.

Graduation with Honors
Criteria for graduation with honors are determined by the Educational Affairs Committee of the University Council and are described in the undergraduate bulletin.

Final honors designations for Summa, Magna, and Cum Laude as noted on the diploma and transcript will be based on the overall averages of 3.90, 3.70, and 3.50 respectively.  Overall averages include grades at UGA as well as grades received at all previous academic institutions.  To allow for current term grades, calculations for honors tassels and the commencement program only are based upon a current overall GPA of 3.85 for Summa Cum Laude, 3.65 for Magna Cum Laude, and 3.45 for Cum Laude. 

Anticipated undergraduate students graduating with honors wear an honors tassel:

• Summa Cum Laude:  red, silver, and black tassel
• Magna Cum Laude:  red and silver tassel
• Cum Laude:  red and black tassel

Diplomas
During the first part of November, you will receive an email from the Office of the Registrar directing you to the following web site to confirm information for your diploma:  https://apps.reg.uga.edu/diploma

Once final grades for all fall classes are received, each individual school, and college reviews the records of each candidate for graduation to verify that all requirements have been met.  The Office of the Registrar is notified when this process is complete and authorizes the printing of the diplomas.  Diplomas are mailed to graduates at their permanent or diploma addresses within four to six weeks.  It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the Office of the Registrar has the correct mailing address.  Please note that diplomas cannot be mailed if the student still has a financial obligation to the University.

The information printed on baccalaureate diplomas is summarized below:

• Undergraduates with one major:
  • Your degree, major, University honors, and graduation date will be reflected on the diploma.
• Undergraduates with multiple majors:
  • If you complete the requirements for multiple majors, with the same degree, simultaneously, you will receive one diploma reflecting the degree, multiple majors, University honors, and graduation date.
  • If you complete the requirements for multiple majors with different degrees, simultaneously, you will receive two diplomas.  Each diploma will reflect the respective degree, major, University honors, and graduation date.
  • If you complete the requirements for multiple majors during different semesters, you will receive a diploma for each.  The individual diplomas will reflect the degree, major, University honors, and the graduation date corresponding to the major.

 Helpful Hints

• Check OASIS to verify that you have an anticipated graduation date of Fall 2011.
• Don’t bring food or drink to the Coliseum Training Facility.  These are not allowed. 
• Wear comfortable shoes.  You will be going down a flight of stairs and doing a lot of walking.  High heeled shoes are discouraged, especially stiletto heels.  We want you to be safe so you can enjoy the ceremony.
• Leave purses, coats and other belongings with your family or friends.  You will not be able to leave these in the Assembly Area and it looks unprofessional to carry these items during the processional.
• During the processional, remain in a single line and avoid gaps in the line.
• As you enter the coliseum, be sure to follow the person in front of you so that you don’t end up in the wrong line and thus sitting with another college.
• As you are directed into your row of seats, please be sure to fill all seats.  Vacant seats in a row could mean that some students will not have a place to sit.
• Pick a place to meet your family and friends once the ceremony is completed.
• As you celebrate this exciting day, please be respectful of those around you and the fact that this is a formal academic ceremony.  Beach balls, air horns and other similar distractions are inappropriate and may be confiscated. 

Congratulations on your accomplishments and best of success as you begin a new, exciting chapter of your life!