Commencement to feature Tom Ridge

With graduation coming up on April 29, some soon-to-be grads are soon to be busy before… With graduation coming up on April 29, some soon-to-be grads are soon to be busy before turning that tassel.

The ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center and will feature speaker Tom Ridge, former Pennsylvania governor and first Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Before that, graduates need to attend Graduation Central.

This is the one-stop shop for caps, gowns, graduation announcements, class rings and diploma frames. It will be held April 10 and 11 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Connolly Ballroom in Alumni Hall.

“It’s kind of like an assembly line,” Lauren Russo of the Special Events Office said about Graduation Central’s procedures.

She recommends that students allot an hour or two for this process, because the lines can get long.

Here, students can order, purchase and pick up their caps, gowns, tassels and hoods. For those graduating with a bachelor’s degree, this package costs $48 and can be paid for with cash, check or credit card.

Issues with transcripts and diplomas, however, must be taken to the Office of the Registrar.

“A lot of times people aren’t sure if they are actually graduating or not,” Russo said. “They have to go check with the registrar.”

Graduates will receive their diploma and an official copy of their final transcript about one month after graduation. It will be sent to the address the student puts on the graduation application.

Any changes in address or transcript requests are handled by the registrar in room G-3 of Thackeray Hall.

Faux diplomas will be given out at individual schools’ ceremonies, which are held during graduation weekend and throughout May. Undergraduates will be recognized at the University-wide commencement by standing up with their school of study.

With more than 4,000 students graduating, the ceremony typically lasts around two or three hours.

The doors to the Petersen Events Center will open at 11 a.m. Graduates must arrive by 12 p.m., and the commencement will begin at 1 p.m.

“If large groups or families want to sit together, we recommend they get there early,” Russo said.

No one needs tickets to the ceremony, as a lack of seating has not been a problem, Russo said.

A lack of Oakland hotel rooms is another story, though.

“We’re always booked up for graduation weekend,” Holiday Inn Express employee Iqbal Khan said.

Hotels in Oakland see lots of business during the last weekend of April. The Holiday Inn Express has been booked for about two months now, according to Khan.

For now, seniors will plow through those final days of class and exams before what promises to be a busy weekend in Oakland.