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2008 Graduation Information - FAQ for Candidates

• How can I be sure I will graduate? How will my name be spelled on my diploma?
  Please check the candidates listing posted at \\Columns_compaq\SYS5\Student Shared\Commencement 2007-08. If your name is not listed, or any information is incorrect, please contact Sue Rose or Donna Woodard in the Registrar’s office immediately. Candidates are responsible for checking to determine that they have indeed met all graduation requirements and that all information is correct.
  
  If your graduation depends on your grades this semester, it is your responsibility to check with the Registrar’s office on Friday afternoon, 5/09, to make sure you will graduate the following day.
  
  
• What is the Graduation Day Schedule?
  8:00-8:35 - Last Rehearsal in front of Columns – casual clothes
  9:45 - Final Line-up in front of Columns – in cap and gown
  10:00 - Graduation Exercises Begin
  
  
• Where will Graduation be held?
  Graduation Exercises will be held on the Campus Green (Squirrel Park), weather permitting, with final line-up at 9:45 AM in front of the Columns Building. In case of inclement weather, graduation will be held in the Helms Center.
  
  
• What happens if it rains?
  The College administration will make a final decision about the location of graduation exercises 36 hours ahead of time, based on current weather predictions. If the ceremonies are moved to the Helms Center, the morning practice and final line-up will be moved there as well. Any change will be announced on the Chowan University web page as well as by email to candidates.
  
  
• How many tickets will I get? Where will I get them? What if I want to bring more family/guests?
  Each graduating senior will get 10 tickets for seating family/guests at Graduation. Those who need more tickets are encouraged to make arrangements with other seniors who do not need all their tickets. Those persons without tickets will be able to bring their own chairs and sit at the back or on the side of the regular seating area.
  
  Tickets will be available from Becky Mann in Penny Hall beginning on Reading Day.
  
  
• Where do I get my cap and gown?
  Please pick up your caps and gowns from the Campus Bookstore, early enough so that the regalia can be aired and lightly pressed as you desire. During the exercises the tassels are to be worn on the left front block. All tassels for the Bachelor’s degree should be black. Gentlemen will remove their caps for prayers and the Alma Mater.
  
  
• What is proper attire other than the cap and gown?
  All candidates should wear dress shoes – no flip-flops, no Air Jordan, etc. Dresses are suggested for women; white shirt and tie for men. If a candidate’s attire is deemed inappropriate, (s)he may be pulled from the lineup.
  
  
• When will we rehearse?
  There will be two rehearsals this year: the first at 1:30 PM on Reading Day, 5/1/08, in Vaughan Auditorium and the second at 8:00 AM on the morning of graduation at the front of Columns. Please bring a pen or pencil to the Vaughan Auditorium practice. Attendance at both rehearsals is mandatory. Anyone not present and on time for the second rehearsal will not be expected to participate in the Graduation Exercises. Final line-up for the processional will be at 9:45 AM in front of the Columns Building.
  
  
• Where can I get invitations printed?
  You can make arrangements with the Graphic Communications Department to print your invitations, or you can have them printed privately.
  
  
• What about breakfast on Graduation Day?
  The cafeteria will not be open on Graduation Day. Candidates, their families and guests must make their own arrangements for meals.
  
  
• Will I get a graduation photograph? Can my parents photograph me as I walk across the stage?
  The College has arranged for a professional photographer to photograph each graduate as the President hands him/her the diploma. The studio will contact each graduate directly about purchasing copies of this photo.
  
  Friends and family are welcome to stand behind the ropes marking the faculty seating area to take their own photographs. We request that individuals not come down the aisle to the front of the stage to take photographs.
  
  
• What about ringing the bell?
  Following recent tradition, the recessional will take new graduates directly to the pagoda. After a short wait to allow family and friends to gather around, each graduate will pass through the pagoda and ring the bell one time. This brings the formal ceremonies of graduation to an end.
  
  
• Is there a proper etiquette for the cap and tassel?
  Chowan graduates wear black tassels, representing the bachelor’s degree. (Colored tassels and hoods are reserved for graduate degrees.) Chowan University graduates do not move the tassel from one side of their cap to the other at graduation. The tassel remains on the left front block at all times.
  
  Gentlemen remove their caps for prayers, the national anthem, and the alma mater.
  
  
• What about my Graduation Brick?
  These are the bricks set into the sidewalk leading up to and around the Gazebo. Information about these traditional bricks with each graduate's name is being sent to the parents of each candidate. For additional information, contact Mike Temple of the Development Office at templm@chowan.edu.

If you have any questions about the above, or anything about graduation, please don’t hesitate to call on my staff or me. We are all hoping that Graduation Day will be a memorable day, launching you into your post-Chowan careers. Best wishes and good luck always!

Lloyd Lee Wilson, Registrar
252-398-6246
wilsol@chowan.edu

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