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Commencement FAQ

 

2012 Commencement

Frequently Asked Questions

Caps and Gowns
Tickets and Availability
General Questions
Key Arena Directions, Map, & Parking
Disabled/Elderly Access
Lodging and Restaurants
 

Caps and Gowns

Are caps and gowns required for me to participate in year-end celebrations?

Yes, caps and gowns (and hoods for master's and doctoral students), also known as regalia, are required to participate in Graduate Hooding Ceremony, Ivy Cutting, and Commencement. Regalia is not needed for Baccalaureate.

What color will my gown be?

Caps and gowns, regardless of degree level, are black.

Where do I order and pick up my cap and gown?

Information about caps, gowns, rings, and announcements can be found on the page for Undergraduate Commencement Instructions and Graduate Commencement Instructions.  

 

How do I order my tassel?  What color will it be?

Students order tassels when ordering caps and gowns. Tassel color, standardized by the American Council for Education in the early 20th century, corresponds to the type of degree, as well as the school from which it was earned.

 

Degree Types (with corresponding tassel color):     Bachelor of Business & Economics (color: drab) Accounting Business Administration Economics (color: copper) Bachelor of Education (color: light blue)* Integrated Studies (or choose a tassel in the area of your Integrated Studies Concentration) Special Education Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (color: gold) Electrical Engineering  (See Bachelor of Natural & Mathematical Sciences for General Engineering) Bachelor of Family Consumer Sciences (color: maroon) Clothing and Textiles Food and Nutrition Interior Design Individual and Family Development Secondary FCS Teacher Certification Bachelor of Fine & Performing Arts (color: brown) Art Integrated Studies: The Arts (or choose Education) Theatre Bachelor of Fine & Performing Arts Music (color: pink) Music and Music Therapy Bachelor of Humanities (color: white) Classics Communication and Journalism English Foreign Languages and Literatures Integrated Studies: Language Arts (or choose Education) Philosophy (color: dark blue) Bachelor of Natural & Mathematical Sciences (color: gold) Biology—all majors in this department (e.g., Ecology, Physiology) Chemistry and Biochemistry Computer Science Engineering, General (color: orange) Integrated Studies: Mathematics (or choose Education) Integrated Studies: Natural Sciences (or choose Education) Mathematics Physical Sciences (3/2 program) Physics   Bachelor of Nursing (color: apricot) Nursing   Bachelor of Physical Education (color: sage green) Exercise Science Integrated Studies: Health and Fitness (or choose Education) Physical Education Bachelor of Religion (color: scarlet) Educational Ministry Christian Theology   Bachelor of Social & Behavioral Sciences (color: citron) Global Development Studies History Integrated Studies: Social Sciences (or choose Education) Political Science and Geography Psychology Sociology *Students receiving a teaching certificate may wear both an education tassel and a tassel for their major.   Students completing a student-designed major should choose a tassel that corresponds to the department through which most of the courses in the major were completed.   Students completing the Professional Studies major should choose a tassel corresponding with the department under which the minor was completed.

How do I order honor cords?

Graduating students do not pre-order honor cords. Honor cords may be purchased at the SPU Bookstore when caps and gowns are picked up. The Bookstore will have a list of graduating students who are eligible to purchase honor cords.

 

What if I forgot to pick up my cap and gown from the SPU Bookstore?

The Bookstore will have a table at Key Arena, selling caps and gowns before the Commencement ceremony begins.

 

On which side should I wear my tassel?

For undergraduate students, tassels on the caps, or mortar boards, should be worn on the right side. Men will remove their caps for the invocation and leave them off until the conclusion of the Commencement address. Replace them prior to moving to the platform and remove them again for the benediction, replacing them for the recessional. Once all degrees are conferred, the President will will instruct all undergraduates to move their tassels from the right to the left side.

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Tickets and Availability

Do I really need a ticket to attend Commencement?
Yes! Every individual — including students, faculty and staff — needs a ticket to enter the arena. Graduating students can order tickets in Banner when they sign up to walk in the ceremony. Tickets are available on Monday, April 9. Parents: Your student is the only one who can request tickets for you. Faculty, staff, and trustees: You will receive your tickets at the arena.

Do small children need tickets?

Children age 3 and up are required to have a ticket for admittance to Key Arena.

Am I limited in the number of tickets I can have for Commencement? Each student who requests tickets will be issued 10 tickets. If your family needs more, simply have your family’s graduating student request them when they register to walk for Commencement.

Why do you require tickets?
Tickets are required to help ensure the safety of all present, and to ensure that those in the arena are there for the purpose of our Commencement.

My student didn’t give me a ticket. Can I get one from your office?
It is the policy of the University to deal only with students regarding tickets. You will need to work with your student to ensure you have tickets for the event.

Will I need a ticket if I leave Key Arena to grab some coffee or go back to the car to get something?
Yes. Please take your ticket with you if you leave the arena and plan to re-enter.  

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General Questions

Why is Commencement not at Safeco Field this year?

Safeco Field was unavailable due to a Seattle Mariners' home game.

How long will Commencement last?
Commencement will start at 12:30 p.m. and it should be finished by 3:30 p.m.

Who is the Commencement speaker this year?
The 2012 Commencement speaker is Dr. Philip W. Eaton, President of Seattle Pacific University

What should I do with my purse/personal items during the ceremony?
There is no place to lock up, secure, or leave personal items and purses during the ceremony. You must either leave items with a family member or carry them onto the arena floor with you.

What time will the entrances open for my parents?
The two main entrances to Key Arena (the west entrance on 1st Avenue North. and the east entrance on the International Fountain side) will open for family members and guests at 11:15 a.m. Students must arrive no later than 11:30 a.m. and must enter through Gate 4A on the south side of Key Arena (on Thomas Street).

 

Will the concession stands be open at Key Arena?

Unfortunately, the concession stands will not be open before, during, or after Commencement. However, bringing in your own water bottles, coffee, and food is allowed (no glass containers, please).

Where should I meet my parents after Commencement?
Family members and guests will not be allowed onto the arena floor. Please plan to meet your guests on the Main Concourse or outside one of the arena's main east or west doors. If your family members and guests have rented a suite, you can join them up in the suite. Please be aware that the suites will be vacated an hour after Commencement is finished.

What should I wear to Commencement? What should my parents wear?
Please dress as you feel comfortable. What you wear to Commencement is a personal decision. People will be dressed in everything from three-piece suits to jeans and sweatshirts. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended for graduates.

Will I get my diploma at Commencement?
Diplomas are not distributed during Commencement. Instead, you will receive yours in the mail once all requirements are completed and your grades have been posted for your degree. During the ceremony, you’ll receive a diploma cover.

 

Spring Quarter graduates should receive diplomas by mid-September; Summer Session graduates by mid-December. Diplomas will be released when all financial obligations to the University — fines, etc. — are met.

When can my parents expect to see me walk across the stage?
The awarding of degrees usually begins around 2:00 p.m., BUT this is subject to the length of the preceding speeches. Doctoral degree candidates will have their degrees awarded first followed by master’s degree candidates and then bachelor’s degree candidates. Within each degree category, students will walk in alphabetical order, by last name, within their school:

• School of Business and Economics
• School of Education
• School of Health Sciences (Nursing)
• School of Psychology, Family, and Community
• School of Theology
• College of Arts and Sciences

 

Note: As the largest school, College of Arts and Sciences will have more than half of all bachelor’s degree candidates.

 

Can I purchase a DVD of the Commencement ceremony?
Commencement DVDs will be available for purchase for $13 each. To order a DVD, send a check, payable to SPU, to:

Seattle Pacific University

Attn: Office of Academic Affairs

3307 Third Ave. W., Suite 102

Seattle, WA 98119

 

Be sure to include your name, address, and the number of DVDs you wish to purchase. DVDs will be mailed out in July. For more information, contact the Office of Academic Affairs at 206-281-2125 or graduationinfo@spu.edu.

What about lost and found?
If you have lost an item at an on-campus event, please contact the Office of Academic Affairs at 206-281-2125 or graduationinfo@spu.edu. If you have lost an item at Commencement while in Key Arena, go to the visit the Information Booths on the main concourse at aisles 103 and 125. After the conclusion of Commencement, if the lost item is not retrieved, guests may contact Seattle Center Lost and Found at (206) 684-7192. Further inquiries can be made by contacting the Office of Academic Affairs at 206-281-2125 or graduationinfo@spu.edu

 

H1N1 Flu Precautions

We continue to monitor Public Health-Seattle and King County and Center for Disease Control (CDC) information regarding the H1N1 Flu outbreak.

 

Following CDC advice, we ask that anyone in your party exhibiting flu-like symptoms stay home. Persons who are sick should limit their contact with other people as much as possible and stay home for seven days after their symptoms begin or until they have been symptom-free for 24 hours. In addition, all persons are reminded to use appropriate respiratory and hand hygiene.

 

We know this is a very special time in the lives of our graduates, and their family and friends and appreciate your cooperation in these health matters for the well-being of all.

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Key Arena Directions, Map, and Parking

 

How do I get to Key Arena? 

 

Directions from Seattle Pacific University campus

 

Where is parking for graduation?
Parking is available in several areas around and on campus for the on-campus events (e.g. Graduate Hooding, Ivy Cutting, Baccalaureate).

 

Key Arena has several parking garages in close proximity. Fees vary by location.

 

1st Avenue North Garage: between John and Thomas Street (located 1/2 block south of Key Arena; closest walk of the three garage options)

 

Mercer Garage: Third Avenue N. & Roy Street (located two blocks northeast of Key Arena)

 

5th Avenue North Garage: Fifth Avenue North & Republican Street (located 2-3 blocks east of Key Arena, across Seattle Center, next to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)

 

Key Arena Parking Lot Map
Can my family rent one of Key Arena's private suites from which to watch the ceremony?

Yes. The suites are available for rental for $200 on the day of Commencement. The cost includes a private suite (with seating for 16 people), a private bathroom, and parking passes for four vehicles in the 1st Avenue North Garage. The suites must be reserved and paid for by May 1. If you would like to order food and beverages*, your catering order needs to be submitted and paid for by June 6 (there will be no way in which to add more food or beverages after this date).

 

* No outside food or beverages are allowed in the suites. An exception to this rule is made for allowing graduation cakes to be brought in.

 

If you would like more information on renting a suite, please call 206-281-2125 or email graduationinfo@spu.edu. Suites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

 

Are the concession stands open during the ceremony?
No. The concession stands will be not be open in the arena. However, bringing in your own water bottles, coffee, and food is allowed (no glass containers, please).

Are we allowed to bring balloons or wrapped packages into the stadium?
Due to security concerns, balloons or wrapped packages are not allowed in the arena. If you bring balloons or wrapped packages, you will be asked to return them to your car.  

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Wheelchair Users/ADA Access

One of my family members has difficulty walking long distances. Where is the best place to park?

Designated parking is available for guests with disabilities in all Seattle Center parking garages. These spaces, include van-accessible spaces, are designated for vehicles displaying a current state-issued disability placard or license plate. Disabled spaces are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so please plan accordingly.

 

Vehicles displaying state-issued disabled parking permits will be allowed to drop-off and pick-up passenger at the following ADA drop-off points:

• Thomas Street (between First and Second Avenue) at "Key Arena Suite Walkway." The walkway leads to the wheelchair ramp for entry. The walkway also leads to the Suite Entry (for those families that opt to rent a suite) and Disabled Entry for elevator use.

• First Avenue North at Key Arena West Plaza (First Avenue North and Harrison Street). This leads into the West Entry doors to Key Arena.

Please note that these are no parking zones. Drivers must stay with the vehicle, as unattended vehicles may be ticketed and towed away. Please limit your use of this zone to five minutes so others can also use it.

 

A family member is in a wheelchair. What is the best way to enter Key Arena?

When entering either of the main entrances, east (the fountain side) or west (the street side), there are wheelchair ramps that circumvent the stairways, marked with signs, to provide a gentle slope down to the Key Arena doors.

 

Where are elevators the located?
Key Arena has elevators throughout the facility for wheelchair access. When entering through the east entrance (the fountain side), turn left for the elevators. When entering through the west (the street side) entrance, turn right. Arena staff will be on hand to direct you.

 

What kind of ADA seating is available?
Key Arena has ample ADA and companion seating available on the main level and in higher sections, accessible via elevator. Sections 114 and 127 are Key Arena's permanent ADA seating areas. There will, most likely, be additional sections added for wheelchair seating. Upon arriving, please check with Key Arena staff, who will be on hand to direct you to the appropriate seating areas.


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Lodging and Resturants

There are numerous options for lodging near the Seattle Pacific campus and Key Arena, or SEATAC airport.  Several local hotels have offered special rates for commencement weekend.

 

For lodging close to the SPU campus:

 

Courtyard by Marriott - Downtown/Lake Union - ask for "SPU Alumni/Graduation" block rate of $139 per night

 

Residence Inn by Marriott - Downtown/Lake Union

 

 

For lodging close to SEATAC airport:

 

Fairfield Inn by Marriott Seattle SeaTac Airport - one king bed rate or two queen bed rate

 

Holiday Inn Express Seattle SeaTac Airport

 

Numerous lodging and dining options are near both the Seattle Pacific campus and Key Arena.

 

Thank you! We'll see you there!

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