CSUEB commencement assembly info for June 14 and 15 ceremonies

• June 11, 2013 5:00am

You've arrived on the Cal State East Bay Hayward campus dressed in your cap and gown. Do you know what to do next?  All grads planning to walk in the June 14 Graduate Commencement Ceremony or the June 15 Undergraduate Hayward Commencement Ceremony should familiarize themselves with important assembly information.

Graduate Commencement Ceremony — Hayward Campus

Graduates must arrive by 3:30 p.m. on the soccer field above Pioneer Stadium, off of Carlos Bee Blvd. Traffic delays are expected, especially on Mission Blvd. Allow extra travel time. We strongly recommend that you take public transportation if possible. 

Proceed to the check-in tent for your college. You will be given an “announcer card.” Write your name legibly on this card as you would like it to be read (provide a phonetic pronunciation if needed). Hold on to this card; your name will be read from the card as you walk across the stage. Please use the restroom prior to the processional. Bring your cap, gown, and hood, but do not wear your hood.

Graduates will be directed to line up by college and by department. Faculty Marshals and staff will help organize the lines. At approximately 4:30 p.m., graduates will begin leaving the field to walk down into the stadium, led by Faculty Marshals. Please follow their instructions. During the processional, please carry your hood draped over your arm to keep it off the ground. The person ahead of you and behind you will be seated next to you. You will walk down 60 stairs leading into the stadium. Wear flat, comfortable shoes; do not wear high heels or stilettos as you will be walking on turf. Try to stay together in line, and remain standing until asked to be seated. For safety reasons, do not stand on chairs.

At 5:00 p.m. sharp, the Graduate Commencement ceremony will begin. The ceremony will take at least two and a half (2 ½) hours. As you go up on stage, staff and faculty will help to prepare you to be hooded. You will give your card to the announcer on stage. Your name will be read from the card and used to keep professional photographs in order. You will then hand your hood to the faculty member doing the hooding, turn to face the audience, and bend your knees slightly so that the hood can be placed over your head. You will be photographed on the stage where you will shake hands with President Morishita, and then again before you return to your seat. Your guests will be able to see you on one of the two jumbotrons that will be placed on either side of the stage. 

• Only graduates may walk across the stage—no infants, children, spouses, relatives, friends, etc. If you require mobility assistance, contact Accessibility Services in advance.

We ask that you return to your seat after your name is called, as a courtesy to the graduates who come after you during the ceremony. The only exit will be up the 60 stairs you took coming down to the stadium. At the conclusion of the ceremony, you will be directed out of your seats.

Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony — Hayward Campus