Frequently Asked Questions

1 . When is the Commencement ceremony, where is it held, and when is it over?^

The undergraduate Commencement ceremony is always held on Mother's Day and for this coming year it will be held on Sunday, May 9, 2010. Seniors must be at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (just one mile from the Gonzaga campus) in their academic attire no later than 9:00 a.m. The doors to the Arena actually open at 8:00 a.m. The ceremony begins with an academic procession at 9:40 a.m. and the speaking part of the ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. If the senior student has special needs for seating or the stage, the senior should contact Susie Prusch at 509-313-5571 or prusch@gu.gonzaga.edu as soon as possible.  Ample guest seating is available and there is good access and seating for guests with disabilities. Graduates may invite as many guests as they wish to the ceremony and no tickets are needed for admission. We estimate that the ceremony will be over by 12:45 p.m. and it is followed by a social held on the lawn in front of College Hall (formerly known as the Administration Building) back at the Gonzaga campus. The social is a time for graduates to hug, kiss, take photographs, introduce their parents to favorite faculty members, and to say good-bye - we expect that the social will be over by about 2:30 p.m.

2 . When should parents plan to arrive and leave for the Commencement Weekend?^

Parents usually start arriving on Friday afternoon. A number of the senior activities scheduled for the week before Commencement are really geared to the seniors and not their parents but the first event to which both the seniors and their parents are invited is to the Dessert Social hosted by Student Life on Friday evening. This Social is held from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. at Bozarth, our conference and retreat center just north of Spokane, and all seniors and their parents are invited to attend. Prior to the Dessert Social, there are several ceremonies which will be of interest to some of our parents.  New to Gonzaga this year, there will be a Missioning ceremony at 5:00 pm on Friday in the University Chapel for those students who are going to be serving in a volunteer capacity in such organizations as the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, The Teach for American Program, Americorps, the Augustinian Colunteers, and The Peach Corps.  There will be a Commissioning ceremony for those members of ROTC who will be graduating and this will be held at 5:00 pm on Friday in the Globe Room of Cataldo.  The last scheduled event for everyone for the weekend is the brief social held just after the Commencement ceremony on Sunday. There will be a pinning ceremony in St. Aloysius Church on Sunday afternoon following the social for those nursing seniors who have just received their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Reminder: Commencement is held on Mother's Day and many families make plans for a combined celebration at one of our local restaurants after the social - if reservations are required, don't delay in making them.

3 . When is the Baccalaureate Mass and who may attend?^

The Baccalaureate Mass will be held on Saturday, May 8, 2010, of the Commencement Weekend. The Mass will be held in the McCarthey Athletic Center (doors will open at 12:15 p.m.) and will begin at 1:30 p.m.  Students may invite as many guests as they wish to the Mass and tickets will not be required for admission. Students wear their academic attire for the Mass and line up in the gym in The Martin Centre no later than 1:00 p.m. Please remember! The McCarthy Center is a gymnasium and some guests will need to sit along the top rows of seats. The very young usually need wiggle room and the not-so-spry might find climbing up a steep bank of steps to the upper seats very uncomfortable. With this in mind, I urge our seniors to be conscious of the needs of their guests when they issue invitations to their Baccalaureate Mass.

4 . Are there additional functions held during the Commencement weekend?^

There are sure to be but these functions or activities tend to be confined to a particular department or school and we are not always privy to these plans. Seniors will know what is going on and it is best to check with them.  The Missioning Ceremony for students who have accepted positions in a volunteer capacity will be held in the University Chapel at 5:00 pm on Friday, May 7.  The ROTC Commissioning Ceremony will take place on Friday, May 7, in the Globe Room of the CAT at 5:00 pm.  The senior nursing students will have their Pinning Ceremony on Sunday, May 9, in St. Aloysius Church and we anticipate that this will be held at 3:00 pm.  I will post any other events here as I become of aware of them.

5 . Do seniors need to attend rehearsal and when and where is it held?^

Rehearsal will be held in the McCarthey Athletic Center (not in the Arena because we would have to rent the Arena for a rehearsal!) on Friday, May 7, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. All seniors should plan to attend the rehearsal because detailed information will be given, questions are answered, and those all-important "how to wear your academic attire" instructions are given.

6 . Is the Dean going to pronounce my name properly as I cross the stage?^

The Deans all hope and pray that they pronounce every name properly and they practice with a large stack of name cards for a month prior to Commencement. If you have a wonderful and unusual name, you could make it easier on the Deans by giving them a simple way to pronounce your name. Please bear in mind that the pronunciation explanations at the bottom of the page in the dictionary do not readily come to mind to a Dean who is having to read hundreds of names. Attached to the Application to Graduate form, there is a half sheet called "Correct Pronunciation of your Name" - you could simplify matters by letting the Dean know (for example) that the last name Krusee is pronounced like this: crew c or Prusch is pronounced like: brush with a p.  Give the "Correct Pronunciation" sheet to your Dean.

7 . How does a student order academic attire?^

Gonzaga hosts a day called Senior Fest which is held on Wednesday, February 3, 2010, in the Globe room of the CAT (the Cataldo Dining Hall) on the GU campus. Senior Fest is envisioned as one-stop shopping for the graduation needs of our students. We invite an assortment of vendors to show our students their products or services. There will be a number of departments and organizations from Gonzaga who will be offering services and information to our seniors for their graduation and commencement needs as well as advice as they choose to start a career, further their education, or participate in a volunteer activity for the next year or two. The focal point of the whole day is the ordering of academic attire. The undergraduate academic attire cost will be approximately $70.00 (this includes tax) and payment can be made with cash, check, VISA or MasterCard. Academic attire will be distributed to the students in The Martin Centre 2nd floor entrance to the pool bleachers on Friday, April 30, and Monday, May 3, from 11 am to 3 pm, Thursday, May 6 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. and on Friday, May 7 from 2:30 to 5:00 and 7:00 to 8:00 pm.

8 . How does a student order graduation announcements, invitations, and/or a class ring?^

CEWard-National is the firm which handles the selling of academic attire and the graduation announcements and invitations. By the beginning of December, that firm will be sending the parents of all of our graduating seniors order forms and information about the announcements and invitations.  Parents are usually a bit more interested in the ordering of invitations and that is why that information is sent home.  The Zag Shop, our bookstore, will have samples on display and will have order forms. CEWard-National will be at Senior Fest on Wednesday, Feb. 3, to take orders for academic attire and there will be an opportunity for students to order announcements/invitations at that time for Commencement if they wish. For those students who are unable to make it to Senior Fest, they may place their orders for their academic attire on-line or by mail. Art Carved will be at Senior Fest to sell class rings. Please check with the Zag Shop (509-313-6390) to find out any additional dates when this firm will be on campus.

9 . Photographs at Commencement - can family members take them and will there be a professional photographer?^

Family and friends may approach the stage and take pictures or a video; we ask everyone to be aware of other photographers and audience viewing. There will be a professional photographic team that will be taking a formal picture of every graduate as well as a candid shot. Order forms will be sent to the graduate during the summer from Image Studios in Moscow, Idaho (208-882-5594). You are under no obligation to order the pictures but I can tell you that, in the past, the pictures have been very good.

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