Participation in Commencement Academic Attire

Graduates are required to purchase their own academic attire for the commencement ceremony. Only graduates wearing university-approved academic attire will be permitted to participate in the commencement ceremony. Students who make unapproved alterations or add unapproved adornments to their academic attire may be required to remove or replace the altered piece prior to being allowed to process in the ceremony.

Required Graduation Attire

The University of Mary requires that graduates wear the following attire at commencement:

 Bachelor’s degree level: black bachelor’s degree , with or without University of Mary customization on it; black bachelor’s degree mortarboard; black tassel or red/white/blue tassel for students with military service records; university-approved honor cords for qualifying students  Master’s degree level: black master’s degree gown, with or without University of Mary customization on it; black master’s degree mortarboard; black tassel or red/white/blue tassel for students with military service records; master’s with university and program colors  Doctoral degree level: black doctoral degree gown with appropriate velvet color pertaining to the degree earned, with or without University of Mary customization on it; black doctoral degree tam (8-sided); gold tassel or red/white/blue tassel for students with military service records; doctoral hood with university and program colors

Requesting Approval for Cords & Adornments Associated with Clubs, Organizations, or Academic Programs

The University of Mary provides gold honor cords for undergraduate students who meet the standards for the award of Latin honors upon their degree (cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher). All additional cords or adornments requested by a club, organization, or academic program must be approved by the Graduation Committee in accordance with the following processes prior to students being permitted to wear the items at commencement.

 Only chairs, deans, and UMary-approved student clubs and organizations may initiate a request for cords or adornments intended to signal an affiliation with a club, organization, or academic program.  UMary views the cords or adornments associated with clubs, organizations, or academic programs as not merely recognition of membership or participation but as way to recognize a significant accomplishment in the areas of leadership, service, and/or scholarship. Groups may choose to recognize memberships through other means such as organizing an award ceremony that is separate from commencement.  To initiate a request for approval, the dean, chair, or group leader must submit a formal request to the Graduation Committee no later than 60 business days prior to the spring commencement ceremony. Requests must be made on the official request form, and the form must be complete to receive consideration. The form requires groups to explain what type of accomplishment the cord or adornment will represent in the areas of leadership, service, and/or scholarship and provide a detailed description of the cord or adornment, including its color and a picture (if available). Requestors should review the list of cord colors currently in use to avoid duplication. The Graduation Committee will consider the request and make an approval or rejection decision. The committee will, at a minimum, reject any request that may cause a substantial disruption or interference with the commencement ceremony.  If a request for cords is approved, the group is responsible for purchasing the cords and distributing to their members prior to commencement. Groups are strongly encouraged to purchase cords and adornments through UMary’s graduation apparel vendor. Information on this vendor is available through the Registrar’s Office.

Additional Personal Adornments

As the focus of the commencement ceremony is academic, the University of Mary requires that additional personal adornments or alterations to academic attire receive university approval. The university shall only approve personal adornments or alternations that are of a recognized religious or cultural significance and are unlikely to cause a substantial disruption or an inference with the commencement ceremony. An eagle feather on the tassel for Native American students is one example of an adornment that is approved. If students have a special cultural or religious custom that they would like to honor during the commencement ceremony through an adornment or alteration to their regalia, they can request permission to alter their academic attire by emailing [email protected] . This request must include a detailed description of the alteration or adornment and should be made at least 10 business days prior to commencement. The VP for Academic Affairs or designee will make a ruling to approve or deny the request and prepare a list of approved personal adornments and alterations for use by commencement volunteers. Graduation Attire FAQs

Q. What level of formality of is appropriate at Commencement? A. Appropriate dress for commencement would be either business professional or semi- formal. No ; no tennis ; no flip-flops. Q. Does the University of Mary limit the style and color that may be worn with academic attire? A. No, students are free to select any shoe that meets the above standard of business professional or semi-formal attire. When selecting a shoe, an important thing to remember is that graduates will be standing in line on a concrete floor for a long time prior to processing into the arena, so select shoes that are comfortable enough to stand in for a long period of time. Q. Can military servicemembers wear their dress instead of an academic gown? A. No, all graduates are required to wear an academic gown appropriate to their degree level. However, students with military service histories will be provided a red, white, and blue tassel with an American flag token to wear in honor of their service. Q. I’m a member of a club on campus, and we have club colors/club cords/other adornment that we all wish to wear. Is that allowed? A. The University has established a formal policy on approving cords and other adornments for clubs and organizations, which can be found (specify location) and the request form can be found (specify location). UMary views the cords or adornments associated with clubs, organizations, or academic programs as not merely recognition of membership or participation but as way to recognize a significant accomplishment in the areas of leadership, service, and/or scholarship. When making a request for a cord or special adornment, your group must explain what type of accomplishment the cord or adornment will represent in the areas of leadership, service, and/or scholarship. Groups may choose to recognize memberships through other means such as organizing an award ceremony that is separate from commencement. Requests must be submitted to the Graduation Committee on the official form at least 60 business days prior to commencement.

Q. I want to recognize my cultural or religious affiliation at graduation through a special adornment or alteration to my graduation regalia. Do I need approval to do this?

A. Yes. As the focus of the commencement ceremony is academic, the University of Mary requires that additional personal adornments or alterations to academic attire receive university approval. The university shall only approve personal adornments or alterations that are of a recognized religious or cultural significance and are unlikely to cause a substantial disruption or an inference with the commencement ceremony. An eagle feather on the tassel for Native American students is one example of an adornment that is approved. Students can request permission to alter their academic attire by emailing [email protected] . This request must include a detailed description of the alteration or adornment and should be made at least 10 business days prior to commencement.