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RSVP For Graduation Events | Graduation Portrait | Diploma Frame | Video Order Form | Portrait Viewing |
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April 26, 2004 I would like to take this opportunity to give you instructions for the law school graduation ceremony and information on the Mass, pictures, academic apparel and social events connected with commencement. The Law School Commencement is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Saturday, May 29, in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Attached to this letter are order forms should you desire to purchase: “Class of 2004 photograph,” a picture of you as you receive your diploma, a graduation video and/or a diploma frame. Order forms can either be turned into the Office of Student Life and Special Events anytime before May 29th or mailed directly to Panoramic Visions Photography. Also attached is a questionnaire requesting information from you on the number of your guests attending graduation events.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Attendance All graduates are required to attend the ceremony. If you are not planning to attend the commencement ceremony, you are required to write a letter to Dr. John Convey, Academic Vice President, requesting permission to be excused. The letter should indicate the address to which the University Registrar should mail your diploma. Please send a copy of this letter to Laura Nicklas, Registrar,
Caps & Gowns All graduates are required, according to University policy, to attend the ceremony and wear academic dress (graduating students who are members of the
The cap and gown representative will be in the interview rooms next to LCS to distribute academic robes on Tuesday, May 25, from
Guests The number of guests that you may invite to the ceremony is unlimited. Although there will be ample room for all guests of law school graduates at the ceremony, I urge you to have your family arrive early at the Shrine. Due to an ordination in the
The graduates' processional will enter the church at 1:50 p.m., with the ceremony to begin promptly at We are reserving a limited number of seats for guests with special needs. All special needs tickets must be reserved through the Office of Student Life and Special Events. The tickets can be picked up from
Parking will be available in the law school garage, the university parking lots adjacent to the Shrine and the Shrine parking lot on
Pictures: Class Photo, Individual Pictures and Video Panoramic Visions is a local photography company which specializes in large group events. The group picture is 10" x 20"- 25" and the cost is $35.00 for each print, and a postage/handling fee of $6.00. The picture will be taken at approximately
Panoramic Visions will also have a graduation photographer who will be on the stage to take your picture as you receive your diploma from Dean Fox. The company will send you a proof of this picture and you may order as many prints of the picture as you wish. You are under no obligation to purchase any of these pictures. If you wish to have the proof sent to you, it is essential that you give us permission to release your name and address to the photographer. There will be space for this on the name card you will receive when you check in before graduation. Please check and initial the appropriate box on your name card to release this information.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Tuesday, May 25
Caps and gowns will be distributed in the interview rooms from 12:00 noon until 7:00 p.m.
Friday, May 28
Institutes: A certificate presentation ceremony for students in the Communications Law Institute, the Comparative and International Law Institute, the Law and Public Policy Program and the Securities Law Program will be held in the Byron Auditorium at 3:00 p.m. A reception will follow the ceremony. For further information and reservations, please call the Office of Institutes and Special Programs (319-6255).
Evening of Celebration: The Graduation Committee is sponsoring a Class of 2004 Celebration for parents, family and friends on Friday evening at the Phoenix Park Hotel. Tickets will be $10.00 per person and will go on sale beginning this week. Tickets will be sold in the Atrium and in the Office of Student Life and Special Events through Tuesday, May 25.
Saturday, May 29
Mass A Mass of Thanksgiving will be celebrated for the graduates at 10:00 a.m. in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. All graduates are invited to attend with family and friends. You are welcome to invite as many guests as you wish to the Mass.
Please contact the Office of Student Life and Special Events no later than May 17 if you have a relative who is a Roman Catholic priest who would like to concelebrate the Mass.
Coffee and Brunch There will be an informal "coffee" for graduates and their guests on the law school quadrangle following the Mass, and the Journals will also sponsor a brunch for graduates and family members from 11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on the quadrangle.
Parking for Mass and Commencement / Shuttle Buses There will be a 9:00 a.m. ordination in the Upper Church of the Shrine. The Shrine parking lot (on Harewood Road and Michigan Avenue) and campus lots will be available for parking for both the ordination and the law school Mass. We will have shuttle buses running from the front entrance of the law school to and from the Shrine before and after Mass and before and after Commencement for those who wish to park in the law school garage.
Saturday Distribution of Caps and Gowns The representative from Herff Jones, Inc. will be in the interview rooms on commencement day beginning at 9:00 a.m. to distribute caps and gowns.
Commencement Ceremony The Law School commencement ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 29, at 2:00 p.m. in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, with a reception to follow on the law school lawn. Due to an ordination in the Upper Church on the morning of graduation, seating for the law school commencement will begin after 12:15 p.m.
Our Commencement Speaker will be U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao. Loretta Dennison has been chosen to deliver the address on behalf of the graduates, and Professor Helen Alvaré was elected by the graduating class to serve as the Faculty Marshall.
COMMENCEMENT DAY INFORMATION
Pre-Ceremony Organization On graduation day, please report to the Byron Auditorium between 12:30 p.m. and 12:45 p.m., wearing your gown, tam and hood*. We ask that you stay in the auditorium and remain with the class from this point until the end of the commencement ceremony. *You will wear your hood for the class photo, but then take it off and carry it over your arm during the procession to the Shrine.
Name Cards / Order of Procession Members of the administrative staff will be in the Byron Auditorium distributing name cards and giving you final instructions for the photograph assembly and processional.
The name card is important. Please do not lose it. You will give the card to Professor Alvaré, who will read the graduates’ names during the ceremony. You should fill out all the appropriate information on the card; don't forget to check the correct box if you want your name released to the photo company. Once you have your name card, you should wait in the auditorium until you are instructed to go outside for the class photo. After the photograph has been taken, we will ask you to assemble in alphabetical lines behind appropriately marked signs at the back of the Crough Center.
Graduates will be divided alphabetically for the procession and seating in the Shrine: A - K (Abell through Kwatkowski) in a single file line on the right, and, L - Z (Launscher through Zvouvushe) in a single file order on the left. Once the group is lined up alphabetically, we will move the group together so that it is a double line, with A-K walking on the right and L-Z walking on the left. Our “A - K” graduates will sit in the front right section of the Shrine, and the “L - Z” graduates will sit in the front left section.
Inclement Weather In case of inclement weather, you should report to the Law School as directed above to receive your name card and be in the class photograph. In case of rain, there will be no processional from the law school to the Shrine. The class photograph will be taken in the Keelty Atrium. Following the picture, we will send you directly to Memorial Hall (in the lower level of the Shrine) to line up for the processional.
Panoramic Class Picture We will direct you when you are to go to the back lawn for the class photograph. Please listen carefully to the photographer’s instructions. We only have about 40 minutes to have the class picture taken and assemble in alphabetic order, so I ask your help in listening to the directions of those in charge. We ask you to encourage your families to go ahead into the Shrine and be seated for the ceremony instead of watching the photo session. Once the picture has been taken, you should remove your hood, place it over your right arm and assemble in alphabetical order behind the appropriately marked signs.
Marching to the Shrine After the picture has been taken, please be alert and follow directions to line up next to the Crough Center for the academic procession. Once the line-up is finalized, the procession will walk beside Crough to the sidewalk between University Center and the Library and enter the Shrine via the front door. As you walk into the Shrine, “A through K” graduates will sit on the right side of the Church and “L through Z graduates” on the left. The academic procession will enter the Church at approximately 1:50 p.m.
The Ceremony The graduates will occupy the front section of the Shrine. The Faculty and honored guests will be seated on the altar. Please remain standing in your place for the Invocation and the National Anthem. Dean Fox will then instruct you to be seated.
After short preliminary speeches, the Student and Commencement Addresses, Dean Fox will ask the graduates to stand. Father O’Connell, President of the University, will read the degree conferral. At this time the ushers will assist you in going up to the altar. We will take you from several pews at a time and have you line up on the right side of the altar entrance. You will receive specific instructions in your cap and gown for the procedure we will follow when you go to the stage to receive your diploma.
AFTER THE CEREMONY
Diplomas During the graduation ceremony you will receive a "decorative diploma.” You should report to the Academic Affairs office in Suite 343 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. to distributing real diplomas.
Cap and Gown Return Please return your academic apparel to the Herff Jones Company representative in the interview rooms. All caps, gowns and hoods must be returned by 5:00 p.m. The $50.00 deposit will be refunded at this time. The replacement cost of the apparel is approximately $400.00, and you will be billed if the apparel is not returned.
Reception Dean Fox and the Law Faculty will host a champagne reception for you and your family and friends on Law School Quadrangle and Keelty Atrium immediately following the graduation ceremony. In case of inclement weather, the reception will take place in the Atrium, the Student Lounge and Cafeteria.
Please fill out and return the attached questionnaire regarding graduation events to the Office of Student Life and Special Events (#341). This questionnaire will enable us to plan properly for refreshments for you and your guests.
If you are the son or daughter, sister or brother, husband or wife of a CUA law school alum, please indicate this on the questionnaire so that we can announce your name at graduation and include your information in the CUA Lawyer magazine. If you have any questions about the ceremony, or any other graduation-related events, please feel free to call me at 319-6126.
Sincerely,
Joan S. Vorrasi Director of Student Life and Special Events
P.S. Please check the graduation bulletin board (first floor - next to the elevator) for information and details regarding the Class of 2004 Celebration sponsored by the Graduation Committee |
3600 John McCormack Rd., NE, Washington, DC 20064 202-319-5140