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Commencement Information and Instructions - Fall 2009 - Undergraduate
Commencement Information and Instructions for Undergraduate Candidates:
Fall Semester 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
9:30 am
Stegeman Coliseum
Students: Be sure to tell your families about this web site so they can obtain current information.
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 guests attending the 2009 Fall Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony on December 18.
Each participating undergraduate with an anticipated graduation date of Fall 2009 as indicated in OASIS will receive six (6) guest tickets for family and friends.
Ticket distribution will take place in the Office of the Registrar, 1st floor of the Holmes/Hunter Academic Building beginning Wednesday, November 11, between 8 am and 5 pm, according to the below schedule. A photo ID is required and students may pick up only their own tickets.
Update: 11/17/2009
Tickets are required for all guests (family and friends) attending the undergraduate commencement ceremony on December 18, 2009.
In order to be guaranteed of receiving your six tickets, you must pick up your tickets no later than 4 PM on Tuesday, November 24.
Beginning Monday, November 30, any remaining tickets will be made available to anticipated fall 2009 graduates on a first-come/first-served basis. On Monday, November 30, and Tuesday, December 1, the Office of the Registrar will open at 7 AM for ticket distribution. On Wednesday, December 2, normal office hours of 8 AM to 5 PM will resume.
Effective Monday, December 14, any remaining tickets will be made available to the general public.
Note: before coming to pick up tickets, be sure you check OASIS for your anticipated graduation date. Choose the “Check degree program/Graduation” option of the Registration Main Menu. Hit the Enter key, once for each degree, and the anticipated graduation term will then display. If OASIS does not show an anticipated graduation date of Fall 2009, you will be able to participate in the fall ceremony, but you will not be provided with any tickets for guests.
Ticket Distribution Schedule:
| Date | First Letter of Last Name |
| Wednesday, November 11 | A and B |
| Thursday, November 12 | C, D, and E |
| Friday, November 13 | F, G, and H |
| Monday, November 16 | I, J, K, and L |
| Tuesday, November 17 | M, N, O, and P |
| Wednesday, November 18 | Q, R, S, and T |
| Thursday, November 19 | U, V, W, X, Y, and Z |
| Friday, November 20 – Tuesday, November 24 | Open for those who missed their assigned time. |
| Monday, November 30, 7:00am - 5:00pm | First Come / First Served Ticket Distribution |
| Tuesday, December 1, 7:00am - 5:00pm | First Come / First Served Ticket Distribution |
| Monday, December 14 | Ticket Distribution to the General Public |
Assembly Locations:
Assembly for the academic procession will begin at 8:30 am. Please be prompt.
All candidates for graduation will assemble in the new Coliseum Training Facility (see campus map). Please enter through the door closest to the Carlton Parking Deck. Please refer to the assembly location map. All candidates will assemble in the basketball gyms on the second floor.
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 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:
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- Arts, Letters, Humanities/white
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- Business and Accountancy/drab
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- Public Administration/peacock blue
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- Fine Arts and Landscape Architecture/brown
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- Public Health/salmon pink
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- Forestry and Natural Resources/russet
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- Family and Consumer Sciences/maroon
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- Journalism and Mass Communication/crimson
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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 Smith Street and Sanford Drive intersection. 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 and assist guests.
Guests should plan to bring their own wheelchairs and walkers if necessary as they will not be provided.
Candidates for graduation who need assistance should contact the Office of the Registrar at 706.542.4040 no later than Friday, December 11.
First Aid
First aid care is available for candidates and visitors at the first aid station located between Tunnel 1 and Tunnel 2 on the lower level of Stegeman Coliseum. This care is provided by staff of the University Health Center. Local ambulance services provide emergency care if required.
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 South Deck, the College of Veterinary Medicine Parking Lot or the Driftmier Engineering Center Parking Lot. 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 2009.
- Pick up your six guest tickets in the Office of the Registrar at your assigned time. Be sure to bring a photo ID.
- 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!
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