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IU Bloomington
Graduate
Commencement Handbook
2012
Dear Graduate
IU Bloomington Commencement
Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on
your upcoming graduation. This occasion will
be a public celebration and recognition of your
accomplishments. Your degree reflects years of dedication and hard work, and it will be a valuable
indication that you have prepared well for the
challenges of our ever-changing world. As a
graduate of Indiana University, you will be joining
a group that is now more than 560,000 strong,
and your success in future endeavors will enrich
the life and the history of this great institution.
I look forward to joining you at Commencement, and, again, I extend my sincere congratulations and best wishes.
Yours sincerely,
is on the Web at
www.commencement.iu.edu
Michael A. McRobbie
President
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
facebook.com/IndianaUniversity
twitter.com/@IUCeremonies
www.commencement.iu.edu
Contents
Get Ready . . .
The May 2012 Graduate Commencement Ceremony 3
Determine Your Eligibility 3
Apply to Graduate 4
Your Graduation Checklist 5
Caps and Gowns 6
Picking Up and Returning Apparel 6
Hooding How-To 7
Get Set . . .
Go!
Travel and Lodging 8
Visas for International Guests 8
Accessibility Assistance 9
Guests in Wheelchairs 9
Guests with Limited Mobility 10
Handicapped Tags 10
Hearing Impairment 10
Commencement Day
Where Do We Go? 11
Where Do We Park? 11
What Time Should We Arrive? 12
How Do I Find My Place in the Processional? 12
What Happens at the Ceremony? 12
When Do We Return Apparel? 12
Where Do We Sit? 12
Capturing the Moment: Photos and Videos 14
Diploma Covers and Diplomas 14
Special Events 15
Contact Information 16
Get Ready . . .
The May 2012 Graduate
Commencement Ceremony
The Graduate Commencement ceremony will be held Friday, May 4, at 3 p.m. in Assembly Hall,
1001 E. 17th Street. It is open to candidates for these postbaccalaureate degrees:
All Master’s Degrees
Ph.D.’s
Doctor of
• Audiology
• Education
• Music
• Music Education
• Optometry
Artist’s Diplomas
Performer’s Diplomas
Specialist Degrees in Education
Note: The Maurer School of Law holds a
separate ceremony on Saturday, May 5.
Phone (812) 855-5361 for more information.
Determine Your Eligibility
You are eligible to graduate at the 2012 May
Commencement if you are a candidate for a
graduate degree who has completed all
requirements for graduation by May 2012 or
who will complete them by August 2012.
Candidates completing degree requirements
between September 1 and December 31
participate in the December ceremony. There
is no summer ceremony.
Commencement is free and open to the public. There are no tickets and no reserved seats.
You Don’t Need Tickets!
www.commencement.iu.edu 3
Apply to Graduate
Your Graduation Checklist
Degree candidates must apply to graduate in
order for school recorders and the registrar to
confirm final grades. Each school or department
has its own procedures and deadlines for applying
for graduation. See your recorder or advisor for
more information.
If you miss established application deadlines,
your name will not appear in the Commencement
program booklet. If you don’t apply at all, you
won’t graduate. If you haven’t yet applied to
graduate, contact the recorder of your degreegranting program as soon as possible. If you
applied to graduate for a previous date, you
need to change your graduation date with
the recorder.
School-by-school application information, with
e-mail addresses and phone numbers, is on the
Commencement website.
4 You Don’t Need Tickets!
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Apply to graduate by contacting the recorder of your school. Do it early in your final year, if not before, to avoid missing your school’s deadline. If you don’t apply, you will not receive important Commencement information; your name will not appear in the program; and you will not be sent a diploma. If you have applied before, for a
previous Commencement date, you must reapply.
n
Order your cap and gown at GradFair
on February 22 or 23 or online at
www.herffjones.com/iu. Order by March
23 to get the best price; rates go up on
March 24. See page 6.
n
Doctoral candidates: If you will be hooded at
the Graduate Commencement Ceremony by
your dissertation advisor, a mentor, or another
faculty member, make sure he or she plans
to order academic apparel by March 23, and
knows where you will meet each other on Commencement day.
n
Have your Commencement photo taken
during GradFair or at another time. Visit
myseniorportrait.org for more information.
n
Find out when your school or department is
holding its own celebration or recognition event.
It may or may not be on the same day as your Commencement ceremony, and you’ll want to attend both. See page 14.
n
Book hotel and restaurant reservations as
soon as possible. Submit visa applications for international guests.
n
Make arrangements for guests who use
wheelchairs or have limited mobility and need
assistance with seating and parking. More
information is on the Commencement website and on pages 9–10.
n
Pick up your cap and gown April 30–May 4.
See page 6.
n
Return your cap and gown by 6 p.m. on
Saturday, May 5.
n
Keep up with current Commencement
news at www.commencement.iu.edu,
on Facebook at IndianaUniversity, and
on Twitter at @IUCeremonies.
www.commencement.iu.edu 5
Get Set . . .
Caps and Gowns
All candidates for degrees must wear custom IU apparel
at Commencement. Gowns and hoods are rented, not
purchased, and must be returned after the ceremony.
Students keep their caps and tassels.
There are two opportunities to order:
•
•
In person at Spring GradFair on February 22 or 23
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in State Rooms East and
West of the Indiana Memorial Union (and while
you’re there, you can have a graduate photo taken
in cap and gown and/or business attire. There’s
more information at myseniorportrait.org).
Online at the website of Herff Jones, IU’s licensed Commencement vendor: www.herffjones.com/iu
Order by Friday, March 23, 2012, to get the
best price. Prices go up on March 24.
The rental fee for master’s caps and gowns is
$70, plus 7% sales tax. A late fee of $25 takes
effect March 24.
The rental fee for doctoral apparel is $86, plus 7%
sales tax. There is no late fee.
If You Miss the Deadline to Order ….
Online orders close Friday, March 30, 2012. Students
who fail to order by March 30 may rent a cap and
gown during distribution week, April 30–May 4.
Caps and gowns will be available that week on a
first-come, first-served basis. Available sizes may
vary, and lines can be long. Late fees will be charged.
Picking Up and Returning Apparel
Caps and gowns will be distributed from Monday,
April 30, through Thursday, May 3, in the IU Bookstore
in the Indiana Memorial Union and on Friday morning in
Gladstein Fieldhouse. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to noon on Friday.
You must have a picture ID to pick up your apparel.
If someone else is picking it up for you, that person must
have a copy of the receipt you received either in person
or via e-mail, and a note from you indicating permission
to collect your cap and gown.
6 You Don’t Need Tickets!
All apparel must be returned by 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, at Gladstein Fieldhouse. Failure to return
apparel may result in a penalty fine.
Hooding How-To
All candidates for Ph.D.’s and other doctorates
will be introduced during Graduate Commencement,
and all will be hooded on the floor in front of the stage.
Students will process into Assembly Hall and be
seated by school. In most cases, they will walk
and sit with their faculty mentors. Students who
do not have mentors present will be hooded by
Commencement marshals.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
You will carry your own hood, unfolded and draped over your left arm.
When you pick up your apparel, fill out the provided name cards, which will be used
to introduce you during the ceremony.
(Replacements for lost cards will be available
in Gladstein Fieldhouse before the ceremony.) Print legibly, and provide pronunciation if your name may be unfamiliar to the announcer.
When candidates from your school are called forward by the provost, stand and follow the directions of the marshals, who will lead you to the stage.
Students will take the stairs to the stage. If you have access needs, please phone (812) 855-9260 before May 4 for accommodation.
After your introduction, you will greet the president, the provost, and your deans onstage.
On leaving the stage, meet your mentor or marshal
in front of the stage, face away from the stage,
remove your cap, and wait as the faculty member places the hood over your head from behind.
Return to your seat, along with your faculty mentor.
You’re encouraged to watch the video
“How to Wear a Doctoral Hood” on the
Commencement website.
Earning a Ph.D.?
Ph.D. candidates are responsible for reminding their mentors to order their own apparel and to meet up with them in Gladstein Fieldhouse
before the ceremony.
www.commencement.iu.edu 7
Go!
Make Sure You Book the Right Nights!
Almost all graduates are invited to take part in
two events: their school’s recognition ceremony
and formal Commencement exercises. In many
cases, the recognition celebration is on one day
and Commencement is on another. Families
and friends should take the schedule into
account when making travel plans and
booking accommodations for IU Bloomington
Commencement weekend.
Travel and Lodging
Bloomington has about 2,500 hotel rooms and more
than 30,000 Commencement visitors yearly. Most
hotels open reservations about a year in advance,
and most rooms are rented immediately, despite
required two- or three-night stays and rates as high
as $500 a night.
Though local hotels, including the hotel at the
Indiana Memorial Union, have now been taking
reservations for several months, you still may be
able to find a room by contacting the Bloomington/
Monroe County Convention and Visitors Bureau at
www.visitbloomington.com/where-to-stay.
Hotels also may be available in nearby communities
such as Bedford, Nashville, Columbus, and Martinsville (all less than 40 miles away) and in Indianapolis and
Greenwood (50 miles away). Please allow 60–90
minutes to drive to Bloomington. Additional information
is on the Commencement website.
Visas for International Guests
then prepared for international family members.
You will receive an e-mail message when the letter
is ready, and any questions you have can be
answered when you pick it up from the Office of
International Services. Please allow sufficient time
to receive that letter and apply for a visa.
Accessibility Assistance
Specially trained Commencement organizers provide
a number of services for guests who need a helping hand. We strive to meet all needs, and we urge you
to let us know if you or a member of your party
requires help on Commencement day. We also ask
your patience. It can take a little extra time and effort
to make sure that guests in wheelchairs and with
limited mobility enjoy the day and are comfortable.
Guests in Wheelchairs
• Special parking and seating arrangements are
available for guests in wheelchairs, but reservations must be made in advance.
• Parking for guests in wheelchairs is available in
a lot off Fee Lane; use Gate 13. Special passes
are available by contacting University Ceremonies
at (812) 855-9260 or ceassist@indiana.edu.
Only drivers presenting the appropriate IU
Commencement passes will be allowed in the lot.
• Drivers are advised to drop off patrons in
wheelchairs at the North Door of Assembly Hall. Ushers will assist patrons while drivers park their cars and rejoin their parties. Parties must be
complete before being seated.
• Seating in the wheelchair section is extremely limited. For large groups, some members of the party will be directed to other seating.
• IU must request that wheelchair users bring their own wheelchairs.
The Office of International Services helps guests who
will be traveling internationally to attend Commencement. Please go to istart.iu.edu; log in; and then the links to “Letter of Invitation.” A notarized letter of invitation is
8 You Don’t Need Tickets!
www.commencement.iu.edu 9
Commencement Day
Guests with Limited Mobility
• Patrons who have any difficulty walking, going up and down ramps, or climbing stairs, and individuals who use walkers or canes, should be dropped off
at the North Door of Assembly Hall.
• To get to the North Door, drivers should enter
the Assembly Hall parking lot via Gate 4 off 17th Street and follow the directions of the parking staff.
• Chairs will be available in the North Door lobby, where guests may wait while their drivers park
their cars and rejoin their parties. Trained staff
will be on hand to help.
• Once inside Assembly Hall, patrons with limited mobility will be shown to seats that are available
on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Parties must be complete before being seated.
To accommodate everyone’s needs, large parties may be asked to separate, with some patrons watching the ceremony from a general seating
area. Guests may not save seats in Assembly Hall.
• Elevators are available.
Parking for Cars Bearing State-Issued
Handicapped Tags
•
Where Do We Go?
IU Bloomington holds its Commencement ceremonies
in Assembly Hall, which is on the northwest corner of 17th Street and Fee Lane. The address is 1001 E. 17th Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47408.
Where Do We Park?
Please use the following gates to enter the Assembly Hall parking lot (attendants will assist you):
Gate 4: For cars bearing disability hang tags and license plates and for access to the North Door to drop off guests who have disabilities or limited mobility (see pages 9–10). All other guests may also use Gate 4.
Gates 5, 6, and 8: For all guests.
Gate 12: For graduates who are unaccompanied by friends or family.
Gate 13: For wheelchair users only.
Parking is free on Commencement day. Allow plenty of time. Traffic will be heavy, and Bloomington’s streets are narrow.
There is no reserved guest seating, and tickets are not required.
N
Guests with Hearing Impairment
SR 45/46
DUNN ST.
Closed captioning and sign language interpreters will be provided.
On request, ushers will direct hearing-impaired guests to designated seating.
JOHN MELLENCAMP PAVILION
NORTH DOOR
GATE 5
GATE 13
FEE LANE
GATE 6
GATE 12
HARRY GLADSTEIN
FIELDHOUSE
ASSEMBLY HALL
MEMORIAL STADIUM
WOODLAWN AVE.
INDIAN
DUN
WALN
COLLE
10 You Don’t Need Tickets!
BYPASS
GATE 8
COLLEGE AVE.
•
•
Guests arriving in vehicles bearing state-issued handicapped tags have a choice of walking from the handicapped-parking area or being dropped
off at the North Door of Assembly Hall before the
car is parked in handicapped parking. If mobility is challenging, we recommend the North Door drop-off.
COOK HALL
GATE 4
17TH ST.
TENTH ST.
PARKING
SEVENTH
ST.
www.commencement.iu.edu
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PARKING
What Time Should We Arrive?
Assembly Hall doors open at 1 p.m. Friends and
family should proceed to their seats; they will not
be permitted to accompany their students to
Gladstein Fieldhouse.
All graduates should report to Gladstein Fieldhouse
at 1 p.m.
How Do I Find My Place in the Processional?
Graduates are directed to their specific school
locations (designated by bright red banners, such
as “Business” and “Arts and Sciences”) to form the procession, which begins at 2 p.m.
GRADUATE COMMENCEMENT
CEREMONY
■
Ph.D.’s: Doctor of Philosophy
DOC: Doctorates outside the University
Graduate School
OPT: Optometry
■
BUS: Business
EDUC: Education
JOUR: Journalism
SLIS: Library and Information Science
MED: Medicine
MUS: Music
■ AUDIENCE
A student may be seated anywhere in the
area(s) designated for his or her school.
Map is tentative and subject to change.
A larger version of this map is available at
www.commencement.iu.edu
N
What Happens at the Ceremony?
Commencement is rich in tradition and pageantry. The ceremony includes the procession of the platform
party, a Commencement speaker, the conferral of
degrees, and the hooding of doctoral candidates.
COLL: Arts and Sciences
HPER: Health, Physical Education, and Recreation
INFO: Informatics and Computing
SPEA: Public and Environmental Affairs
Friday, May 4, 2012, 3 p.m.
Graduates should not bring umbrellas, briefcases, or any other personal items, as they cannot be stored in the fieldhouse.
■
Audience
Entrance
To Balcony
(more audience seating)
To Balcony
(more audience seating)
Wheelchair
Seating
When Do We Return Apparel?
Where Do We Sit?
Guest seating is on a first-come, first-served
basis, and fills Assembly Hall. Indiana University
Bloomington is proud of the fact that it does not
limit the number of guests a student may invite to Commencement, and we ask everyone’s help in
maintaining this tradition.
Ushers will be stationed throughout the building to direct all guests to the best possible seats. Given
the size of the Commencement audience, parties
are not allowed to save seats. Instead, we ask
groups to gather outside and then come in
together, asking an usher to help them find seats.
12 You Don’t Need Tickets!
SPEA
SPEA
w
SPEA
Ph.D.’s
DOC
OPT
w2
To Balcony
(more audience seating)
Procession
Entrance
COLL
INFO
BUS
HPER
SPEA
SLIS
BUS
EDUC
JOUR
MED
MUS
BUS
Emergency Exits
Graduate seating is arranged by school and occupies the floor and some of the stands in Assembly Hall. Students do not line up alphabetically, and they
process through a number of doors, which means
a grad may wind up anywhere in a school section. Please refer to this map to see where graduates
from each school are seated, keeping in mind
that it is approximate and subject to change.
Emergency Exits
ow
Apparel must be returned by 6 p.m. on Saturday,
May 5. Failure to return apparel may result in a fee.
BUS
BUS
STAGE
Audience
Entrance
To Balcony
(more audience seating)
www.commencement.iu.edu 13
Capturing the Moment: Photos and Videos
Audience members are welcome to take
photographs throughout the ceremony. In addition,
the IU Alumni Association hires a photographer
to take photos of graduates. Ordering information
will be available to graduates during lineup in
Gladstein Fieldhouse. DVDs of Commencement
are available for $19.95 plus $4.00 shipping
and handling. To order, phone (812) 855-8531
or visit www.shopwtiu.org. The ceremony can
also be viewed online at broadcast.iu.edu.
Diploma Covers and Diplomas
Graduates receive handsome diploma covers
during the ceremony. Whether you attend
Commencement or not, your diploma will be
mailed to your permanent address about six
weeks after Commencement (pending verification
of degree completion).
Special Events
These
events are not official graduations.
Recognition celebrations are a treasured part
of IU Bloomington tradition and a meaningful experience for students and their friends
and families. They are not, however, formal
graduation exercises. There is only one official graduation ceremony—Commencement in
Assembly Hall.
Please consult www.commencement.iu.edu for a detailed schedule of events, and be sure to take the schedule into account when making your travel arrangements.
★
14 You Don’t Need Tickets!
Most schools hold festive recognition events and celebrations before and after the main
Commencement exercises on Friday and
Saturday. Activities vary from school to school
and may include remarks by the dean, the
hooding of candidates, and/or the bestowal
of various medals and awards. Some schools also host a meal or a reception. All told, there are more than 100 special events held over Commencement weekend. Each school or department issues its own invitations and makes its own arrangements.
www.commencement.iu.edu 15
Contact Information
IU Office of University Ceremonies and Commencement Services
Indiana Memorial Union M005
900 E. Seventh Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405-3905
(812) 855-3762
iudegree@indiana.edu
16 You Don’t Need Tickets!
I U
B L O O M I N G T O N
COMMENCEMENT