C A L H O U N C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E

C O M M E N C E M E N T G U I D EGraduation Ceremony will be held Friday, August 7, 2020 at 6:00 p.m.

on the front lawn of the Math Science Building located at the Decatur Campus.Degrees and certificates will be conferred at the ceremony. The ceremony is expected to last approximately two hours.

DIPLOMAS Diploma covers will be presented to you as you cross the stage. Official diploma certificates will be mailed to your home address upon verification of grades and successful completion of degree requirements. Please allow approximately 6-8 weeks after your term of completion, for your degree to be posted to your Calhoun transcript and to receive your diploma in the mail. Former 2019 graduates should have already received your official diploma in the mail.

PARTICIPATION THERE IS NO REHEARSAL. THEREFORE, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS:5:00 p.m. Candidates report to the Carlton Kelley Gymnasium on the Decatur campus to robe and pick up announcement card with name,

degree, honors, etc. There will be a Calhoun representative there to direct you to your seat. Graduates will be seated by degree AS, AAS, and Certificate. Candidates must be seated no later than 5:00 p.m. Candidates not in seat by 5:00 p.m. will NOT be allowed to participate in the commencement exercises.

5:15 p.m. Instructions regarding the procession will be announced. 5:45 p.m. Graduation procession begins. 6:00 p.m. Graduates are seated and the ceremony will begin. Graduates are not permitted to leave once the ceremony has begun.

You may keep your cap/gown/diploma cover after the ceremony.

ACADEMIC APPAREL REQUIRED CAP, GOWN & REGALIA:All candidates must wear the cap and gown purchased at the bookstore. • Please DO NOT iron your gown. Steam the wrinkles out or hang it up.• The mortarboard (cap) MUST REST FLATLY on the head with the

point coming directly in the center of the forehead. Tassels shouldbe worn on the right side of the mortarboard.

• You are allowed to decorate your cap. (Nothing offensive, please!)• Only official regalia from honor societies and college organiza-

tions (see list below) is acceptable in addition to Calhoun gradua-tion attire. The only other acceptable attire is a stole, reserved formilitary, which can be purchased at the bookstore for approx. $37.A military ID or DD 214 is required for purchase.o Phi Theta Kappa – visit www.ptk.orgo Sigma Kappa Delta – visit the National SKD office on the

first floor of Harris Hall, room 162, Decatur; or contactAllen (John) Berry at the Huntsville campus, 256-713-4826

o Lambda Epsilon Chi Paralegal Honor Society– contact Brian Oakes, 256-890-4735

o National Student Nursing Association– contact Cathy Simpson, 256-306-2797

PERSONAL ATTIRE/ETIQUETTE:

For the sake of uniformity, men are requested to wear dark (black or navy blue) pants, white shirt with a tie or bow-tie, and dark shoes. Women are requested to wear dresses that are approximately the same length or shorter than the gown, or dark dress slacks and dark shoes. Ladies, please keep in mind when choosing your shoes that we will be walking across campus over cobblestone sidewalks from the gym to the Math/Science building.

• No large or dangling jewelry• No cell phones please• No corsages• No chewing gum• No large handbags/purses/backpacks• Please leave personal items in your vehicle

GUEST SEATING AND PARKING All college parking lots will be open to the public. Graduates are urged to arrive NO LATER THAN 5:00 PM so they can be seated for instructions. Friends and family should go directly to seating where graduation is being held.

INVITATIONS/ANNOUNCEMENTSGeneric invitations may be ordered through either Calhoun Bookstore location. Custom invitations and class ring orders must be placed through the Jostens website (www.jostens.com) BY JULY 24, 2020.

DISABILITY ACCESS Accessible seating for persons with impaired mobility is available and marked at the ceremony, whether it is located outside or inside. Accessible parking is available in the parking lot of the Math/Science building, as well as the Kelley Gymnasium. Additional accessible parking will be available the night of the ceremony. Campus Police will be available to direct you to proper parking. Individuals with mobility impairment are advised to be dropped off close to the outside venue at the sidewalk in front of Math/Science building, or at the front door of Kelley Gymnasium. If you or your family need special accommodations, please contact Carla Swinney (256-306-2870).

Interpreting services for the hearing impaired will be available. MORE INFORMATION ON NEXT PAGE

OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER - ZAP PHOTOGRAPHYZAP Photography will be available to photograph your degree/certificate presentation. Students are not obligated to make a purchase. For participants, a proof will be mailed to you following graduation, and you may order photographs if you wish. Contact information for photography will be provided. ZAP Photography will be the only persons with clear access to the stage.

For more information about ZAP Photo, please use a QR code scanner on your phone and scan the following code:

PRINTED PROGRAMS Commencement programs with a full listing of student names and degrees will be distributed at the ceremony to graduates and guests. The program will also be archived on our website along with photos from the commencement at calhoun.edu/photos for anyone wanting to print additional copies of the program.

LIVE BROADCAST Calhoun will offer live streaming video of the ceremony at calhoun.edu. The link to the stream will be accessible approximately one hour before the ceremony begins. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the video will be archived and accessible on the Calhoun Community College YouTube Channel.

INCLEMENT WEATHER In the event of inclement weather, the graduation ceremony will be held in the Carlton Kelley Gymnasium on the Decatur campus. Graduates will meet and line up in the tent located beside the gym (on the west side) to receive instructions. Please arrive NO LATER THAN 5:00 P.M. There will be a Calhoun representative available to direct you to your seat.

If this is a possibility, it is important that you watch your local television stations, listen to the local radio stations, check the Calhoun website calhoun.edu, or check your student e-mail account for announcements regarding graduation.

It is important for you to know that due to fire marshal regulations, we have limited capacity for seating in the gym. Therefore, you are provided with four (4) guest tickets that will have to be utilized in the event of inclement weather. You may invite as many people as you wish to the event; however, ONLY guests with tickets will be permitted in the gym. All other guests will have to watch the ceremony in the overflow rooms located in the Math/Science/Administration Building. TICKETS MAY NOT BE DUPLICATED, so if you misplace your tickets, they will NOT be replaced! Please inform your family members and friends of this in the event they cannot enter the gym.

Other than location, nothing will change in the event of inclement weather regarding participation instructions. Simply follow the graduation instructions as outlined on the first page. We look forward to seeing you there. Congratulations!

www.calhoun.edu/graduation