Commencement
Saturday, May 16, 2009
10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Steele Hall Arena - State University of New York at Fredonia
Dear Members of the SUNY Fredonia Student Community,
Christopher Reybrouck receives the Lanford Presidential
Prize from President Dennis L. Hefner.
We're pleased to be able to provide you with this information about Commencement 2009 at SUNY Fredonia. Our excitement builds as we prepare to celebrate what is likely the most significant event in your university career. Ceremonies will be held at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. - see the list on this website that indicates when you will graduate.
Our goal is to make the event a memorable and pleasant experience for all that celebrate with us on this day; we know how wonderful memories of Commencement can last a lifetime. In that spirit, we will share information about the event with your family in the form of a Family Guide and on this website. If your family does not receive the guide by mid-April, please contact Commencement Chair Michael Lemieux in the Campus Life Office, Williams Center; call (716) 673-3143 and another copy will be sent, or visit the Commencement home page. We would like to assist you in preparing to participate in Commencement. Please read carefully the items included on this website. It is your guide to Commencement with comprehensive information. Look for information about:
- Obtaining Tickets
- Purchasing your Cap and Gown
- Commencement Rehearsal
- When/Where to Gather the Day of Commencement for Final Instructions
- Reception Following the Ceremony
General Commencement Information
Who is Eligible to Participate: Persons who officially completed their degree/advanced certificate in August and December 2008 and January 2009, and candidates for graduation for May and August 2009. Students who are no more than 12 credit hours short or who have appealed to the Registrar's Office by the April 3 deadline and have been approved may also participate.
Tickets: It is anticipated that graduates will be able to receive at least four tickets to the Steele Hall arena. There will also be a sign-up sheet for students to request additional tickets to the arena. Students will be contacted after May 8 by Commencement Chair Michael Lemieux if extra tickets are available, with instructions for picking them up at the Williams Center by Friday, May 15. The number of tickets available will be based on the legal and safe seating capacity for the arena, and the university reserves the right to limit the number of tickets distributed for each ceremony.
- Photo identification is required to obtain tickets, which are free to graduates.
- A special ticket distribution session for student teachers/clinicians and others unable to travel to campus during weekdays is set for Sunday, April 19, from 12:30 until 3 p.m. at the Campus Life Information Booth in the Williams Center.
- Tickets will also be available from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the Campus Life Information Booth in the Williams Center, Mondays through Fridays from Monday, April 20, until Friday, May 8.
- Two extra tickets, for viewing live video of the ceremony in the Steele Hall ice rink, may be requested at the same time on a first-come, first-served basis, until seating capacity has been reached.
- If you are unable to pick up your tickets, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Campus Life Office, Williams Center, SUNY Fredonia, Fredonia, NY 14063, postmarked before Friday, April 17, and the tickets will be mailed to you. Please include a note indicating which ceremony you'll be participating in (see the list on this website), your Fredonia number, your e-mail address, and the number of any additional tickets for the ceremony you would like to request.
Caps and Gowns: Caps and gowns are required and are available for purchase in the FSA Bookstore in University 
Commons. See information included on this website. Bookstore hours are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The bookstore will be open on Commencement Day from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. It is, however, suggested that you not wait until the morning of Commencement to purchase your cap and gown. If you are borrowing a robe, black is required.
Rehearsal: Report to the Steele Hall arena on Friday, May 15, at 4 p.m. for rehearsal.
Arrival the Day of Commencement: Report to Dods Hall gymnasium no later than 9 a.m. for the morning ceremony and no later than 2 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony.
Special Needs: If you will need any special consideration because of physical limitations, please contact Commencement Committee Chair Michael Lemieux, Campus Life Office, Williams Center, as soon as possible. We will do our best to accommodate you.
Photos and Video: A professional photographer from Chappell Studio will take a photo of each graduate crossing the platform. A proof will be sent to your permanent address; of course, there is no obligation to purchase the photo. Professional DVDs including both ceremonies will be mailed to each participant following the ceremony as a gift from the Commencement Committee, the Fredonia Alumni Association and the Fredonia College Foundation.
Alcohol Policy: Commencement is an occasion for a delicate mix of joy and solemnity. The consumption of alcohol in the arena is neither acceptable nor condoned, and university policy on alcohol consumption will be strictly enforced.
Reception: President and Mrs. Dennis Hefner will host a reception honoring the graduates immediately following each ceremony in the Dods Hall grove. The rain location is the Williams Center.
E-mail Addresses: E-mail addresses for graduates will be deactivated 90 days after Commencement.
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Commencement Rehearsal 4 p.m. Friday, May 15
Report to the Steele Hall Arena
Even though you are receiving instructions on this website, you must attend Commencement rehearsal.Commencement Day Instructions for Degree/Certificate Candidates
- When you arrive at the Dods Hall gymnasium on Saturday, May 16, Commencement, no later than 9 a.m. for the morning ceremony and 2 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony, please pick up your name card at the appropriate table, according to the first initial of your last name. The card is used to announce your name, and you
cannot cross the platform without it. If your name is difficult to pronounce, please write it phonetically on the card. A card will only be available to you for your assigned ceremony (see list on this website). Likewise, tickets for your guests will be color-coded to reflect your assigned ceremony. - Master's candidates should carry their hoods over their right arms, they will be hooded during the ceremony. Advanced certificate candidates should wear their academic hoods. Only Undergraduates are eligible to wear gold honors cords.
- Processional Order: Mace Bearer, Platform Party, Student Marshals, Master's/Advanced Certificate Candidates, Bachelor's Candidates, Faculty Marshals, Faculty/Staff.
Lineup: Follow the Student Marshals in a line two abreast. The two single lines will divide and go to separate rows of seats. Note: If you wish to sit next to someone, make sure they are directly ahead or behind you, not next to you, in the procession. Please follow the usher's instructions and fill in all seats in each row.
Seating: When you reach your seat, please remain standing for the invocation and national anthem. Men remove caps. After the invocation and anthem, please be seated. Men put caps back on. - Conferring of Degrees
Vice President for Academic Affairs Virginia Horvath will tell respective candidates (first master's and advanced certificate, then bachelor's) when to stand. President Dennis Hefner confers the degrees. Ushers will instruct you when and how to proceed across the platform. Give your name card to the appropriate person, proceed across the platform, receive your scroll memento, shake hands with a College Council member and President Hefner and return to your seat by going down the middle ramp, up the center aisle, and then into your original row. Master's candidates will be hooded; the procedure will be explained during the May 15 rehearsal. - Recessional
The recessional follows the singing of the Alma Mater. Students will process out in the same order as they processed in (front to back), so back row students do not leave first. When the music begins, the recessional proceeds in this order: Mace Bearer, Platform Party, Faculty Marshals, Faculty/Staff, Student Marshals, Master's/Advanced Certificate Graduates, Bachelor's Graduates. To avoid a bottleneck, it is imperative that the recessional line keeps moving in an orderly manner. - Reception
President and Mrs. Dennis Hefner will host a reception honoring the graduates immediately following each ceremony in the Dods Hall grove. The rain location is the Williams Center. - Diplomas
Will be mailed in early July.
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Special Commencement Item ---- Commencement is certainly a time for joy and celebration, but unfortunately, in the past, the use of alcohol has contributed to situations where students and their families found their enjoyment of Commencement compromised. With this in mind, the Commencement Committee reminds you of the university alcohol policy specifically as it relates to Commencement. No alcoholic beverages are to be brought into Dods or Steele halls. Alcoholic beverage containers found in Dods, Steele, or during the processional will be confiscated and not returned. Students who arrive at the ceremony under the influence of alcohol may be removed from the line of march. Please remember the delicate combination of joy and solemnity appropriate to such an occasion and act accordingly. Family, friends and classmates will appreciate your efforts. We would also like to remind you that Commencement begins and ends with a formal processional/recessional of which we want you to be a part. The last student to cross the platform is as deserving of your attention as the first. Please plan your day's activities so that you and your guests are able to remain in Steele Hall throughout the entire ceremony.
Commencement Ticket Policy
The members of the Commencement Committee and the University President have established the following policy on the distribution of tickets for Commencement.
- Commencement tickets are not considered a saleable commodity; they are free to degree candidates. Concurrent degree students (i.e. those receiving two bachelor's degrees during the same semester) are entitled to one set of tickets. All students must show a photo I.D. when they pick up their tickets at the designated area in the Williams Center.
Tickets will be given only to students, not family members. - Students who do not plan to participate in Commencement should not pick up tickets.
- Commencement tickets may not be sold. Offenders will be referrred to the university's Judicial system, and records will be held until any penalties are satisfied.
- Students who pick up tickets for Commencement are not entitled to tickets for another Commencement at a later date unless they are obtaining another degree; i.e. bachelor's graduates are entitled to tickets if they have earned a master's degree (or advanced certificate) and plan to participate in Commencement.
- Students who have picked up tickets for Commencement, and, because of unforeseen circumstances do not plan to use them, must return the tickets to the Committee Chairperson in the Campus Life Office for redistribution. These students will not be eligible to receive tickets for a later Commencement if they have not returned the first set of tickets.
- Tickets will be color-coded for each ceremony, morning and afternoon, as will be reader cards for degree candidates. Students should make sure family members are aware of which ceremony they will be attending.
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Parking and Bus Service for Commencement
We realize that the majority of our Commencement guests will be parking in areas requiring some walking to the arena. We will be providing bus service to assist guests from parking areas to Steele Hall. As indicated earlier on this website, the ceremonies will be held in the Steele Hall arena, and the video venue will be located in the ice rink in Steele Hall.
When arriving, guests will be directed to parking areas throughout campus and bused to the entrances of the Steele Hall facility. Arriving early on campus is strongly suggested; doors to all venues will open at 8:45 a.m. for the morning ceremony and at 2 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony. We encourage those living in the local area to arrive early as well.
With the exception of those holding permits for Special Needs (handicapped) parking, there will be limited parking available in the immediate Dods/Steele hall area.
Following each ceremony and after the President's reception in the Dods Hall grove, a bus will be available to transport guests back to parking areas.
Paramount in our planning is the knowledge that this is a very special day for graduates and their guests, and the entire SUNY Fredonia family is working to create a safe, enjoyable and memorable event.
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Cap and Gown Information
The Faculty Student Association Bookstore will provide caps and gowns for Commencement. You may purchase the required academic apparel separately or at a special package price.
The special package includes cap, tassel, gown, diploma cover, and five announcements (Master's package includes hood). Merchandise will be available in the bookstore from Monday, March 30, until Saturday, May 16 (Commencement Day). Limited quantities and sizes will be available, so early purchase is recommended. If you are unable to be on campus, you may order by mail using the form below, and pick up your apparel at the bookstore on Commencement Day. The bookstore will be open from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Commencement Day.
Special Needs Seating for Your Family and Guests
SUNY Fredonia is pleased to provide special services for individuals with Special Needs/disabilities. However, this seating is first-come, first-served. Due to limited capacity, only one member of your party will be permitted to accompany the individual with Special Needs in the reserved seating section. Please also note that each entrant into the arena just have his/her own individual ticket. For example, if the disabled person requires an attendant, both persons must have a color-coded ticket for entry. Let us help you to help them have a wonderful day.
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Cap and Gown Order Form
__ Male __ Female Height ___________
| Master's Package | $66.50 |
| Bachelor's Package | $43.25 |
| Bachelor/Master Gown Only | $26.50 |
| Master Hood | $27.00 |
| Cap Only | $ 5.00 |
| Collar (female) | $ 1.00 |
| Announcements | $ .65 ea. |
| Diploma Cover | $13.25 |
| Extra Tassel | $ 6.25 |
| Master's Degree Candidates: (check one to indicate hood color) | |
| __ White | Master of Arts |
| __ Pink | Master of Music |
| __ Yellow | Master of Science |
| __ Blue | Master of Science in Education |
| Advanced Certificate candidates may also obtain a Master's hood if applicable | |
Sub Total $___________
Add 7.75% Sales tax ___________
Order Total $___________
Make check payable to FSA.
Send mail orders to: FSA Bookstore University Commons, SUNY Fredonia, Fredonia, NY 14063
Questions? Call (716) 673-3417 Ext. 6254
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