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The College of Chemistry is pleased that you are able to attend the graduation ceremony of your son, daughter, niece, nephew, grandson, granddaughter, coworker, or friend. Below you will find answers to some frequently asked questions.
Q: When and where is the
Commencement Ceremony?
A: The College of Chemistry Commencement
Ceremony will be on Saturday, May 23, 2009
at 2 p.m. at the Zellerbach Auditorium. Students
must arrive and line up by 12:30 pm.
Q: How do students
sign up so that the department knows they
want to participate?
A: Students
must sign up on the College
of Chemistry Commencement web site. The sign
up function will go up in Spring. The sign up ensures that the names of
the participating students will appear on
the commencement program.
Q: How long is the ceremony?
A: The ceremony lasts approximately
2 hours.
Q: Where is the reception?
A: The reception will follow the
ceremony and will be held at Lower
Sproul Plaza.
Q: How long is the reception?
A: About 30 to 40 minutes.
Q: What
is usually served at the reception?
A: Light refreshments.
Q: Where can I get information
about dining and lodging?
A: For a listing of restaurants and hotels
in the Berkeley area, please visit the Berkeley's
Visitor Bureau
website.
Q: Where is the best place to park?
A: Commencement
parking is available
in any "S" student
lot without
a permit. Tickets
to display on your
dashboard may
be purchased from
an attendant or
a dispensing
machine on site.
For a listing of "S" lots,
please visit
the Commencement
Directions & Parking page.
Q: What time should I arrive at Zellerbach
Auditorium?
A: Doors
will open for guests at 1 p.m.
Q: Will I/we need tickets for Commencement?
How much
are tickets?
A: Yes. All guests must have a ticket to
enter Zellerbach Auditorium. Tickets are
available for students to pickup in advance.
Q: How can
I get tickets?
A: Each
graduating student who signs up to participate
in the ceremony may pick up free tickets
in person at the College of Chemistry in
April.
Detailed email will be sent to students on
how they can obtain their tickets.
Q:
Do children
need
tickets?
A: Yes,
only children under 2 who will sit on an
adult's lap do not need a ticket.
Q: Will
there
be a
photographer?
A: Yes.
A professional
photographer
will
take
pictures
of each
graduate.
Information
about
the photographer
will
be emailed
to students,
and will
also
be available
at the
event
venue.
Additional
information
can be
found
online
at http://www.bobknightphoto.com.
Q: I
want
to give
my student
flowers.
Where can I get some?
A:
There are many flower vendors
close to campus.
Q: Are the graduating students'
names called at the College
of Chemistry Commencement
ceremony?
A: Yes. All graduates will be individually
recognized and called up on stage.
Q: Our family
name is hard to pronounce. What can we do?
A: Students are asked to spell their names
phonetically on their name cards. We try
to get it right.
Q: Are diplomas given out at
the ceremony?
A: No. Attending a commencement ceremony
does not mean that a student actually graduated.
Some students attend the May ceremony though
they will not finish all degree requirements
until the end of summer session or the following
fall semester. The ceremony takes place before
final grades for the spring semester are
filed. The ceremony is strictly a celebratory
ritual.
Q: How does my son or daughter
get a diploma?
A: It takes up to four months for all the
checks and verifications to clear. Diplomas
are not mailed automatically because students
often leave Berkeley without updating their
addresses. Students can arrange for a final
transcript and diploma to be sent to them
by visiting: http://registrar.berkeley.edu/Records/diplomas.html.
Q: Where and when is the university-wide
Convocation?
A: Convocation, the university-wide graduation
ceremony, will be held in May
2009 at the Hearst
Greek Theatre. All graduating students
(regardless of their major) are welcome
to attend this event. This is a ticketed
event. For more information, please visit
the Seniors website, http://seniors.berkeley.edu/.