Instructions for Class of 2020 Graduates

commencement photo

commencement Ceremony Schedule - august 1, 2020

School of Business: 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
School of Communication, School of Education (undergrad and grad), School of Music, and Individualized Majors: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
School of Arts & Humanities and School of Social Sciences: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
School of Life & Health Sciences and School of Physical & Mathematical Sciences: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Over the last few weeks, we have been working carefully on a Commencement experience that will honor your achievements while keeping you and your families safe and complying with Pennsylvania’s guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic. To be sure, Commencement will be different for the Class of 2020, and some of the decisions we had to make are beyond our control. Our hope is that Westminster’s Commencement will be one of many ways that you celebrate your graduation.

RSVP Required

RSVPs were due by July 1. If your circumstances have changed such that you will not be able to participate in Commencement, please contact Ms. Budai at budaig@westminster.edu.

OUTDOOR LOCATION, TICKETS, AND FACIAL COVERINGS

Our plan is to hold Commencement on Weisel Senior Terrace, with graduates and guests physically distanced across the quad. We must continue working within the Commonwealth’s guideline that events can have no more than 250 people present. Therefore, we will have four ceremonies across the morning and early afternoon, and you will attend the one assigned for your school and the academic majors within it (see Arrival Times and Ceremony Information).

You may invite two (2) guests in total, and you will receive tickets for them at the home address listed in your Westminster student record. This number includes babies and children, even if they are sitting on someone else’s lap. If you RSVPed to Ms. Budai to let her know that you plan to participate in Commencement, you can expect to receive your tickets in the mail by July 15. If you did not RSVP, you will not receive tickets for guests.

Ticketed guests will be randomly assigned to seats on the quad, allowing for contact tracing should that become necessary. Your guests will be seated in adjacent chairs, though they will be six feet apart. All guests must bring and wear a cloth facial covering at all times, unless they have a medical condition that makes wearing a facial covering unsafe. We appreciate your cooperation with and kindness to Westminster staff as they reinforce wearing facial coverings to protect everyone’s health.

Please understand that only two guests per graduate will be able to attend so that we can remain below Pennsylvania’s 250-person guideline. Guests must have a ticket to be seated on the quad, and additional or replacement tickets will not be provided, so do not forget your tickets. All ceremonies will be livestreamed for the convenience and safety of additional guests you may have wanted to invite, but who do not have tickets. Guests without tickets will not be permitted to stand/sit elsewhere on the quad.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR OUT-OF-STATE COMMUNITY MEMBERS: The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has issued a 14-day quarantine recommendation for anyone traveling from areas where there are high amounts of COVID-19 cases. Please visit the Pennsylvania Department of Health website for the list of states included in the quarantine recommendation.

arrival times and ceremony information

Please arrive on the quad no later than 10 minutes before your ceremony start time so that you can find your chair and verify your name pronunciation with Dean Jamie McMinn. So that we can maintain physical distance and minimize incidental contact, there will be no formal processional. You will be assigned a chair in the front rows of chairs and in alphabetical order, and you will receive that seat assignment when we send tickets for your guests.

As names are called, you will enjoy the time-honored tradition of crossing Weisel Senior Terrace, passing by faculty members from your school, and receiving your diploma cover from President Richardson. A professional photographer will take a picture to capture this moment before you return to your seat. Guests will not be allowed to leave their seats to take pictures during the ceremony so that we can protect physical distancing for all who attend. At the end of your ceremony, a faculty marshal will lead you to an open area of campus where you can your guests can congratulate you on your achievement.

You must plan to attend the ceremony for your school as your name will be read only in that ceremony, and seats for you and your guests will be available only during that ceremony. If you are unable to attend your scheduled ceremony, we invite you to view the livestream on the College’s website.

Please be aware that when you arrive on campus, a ceremony may be in progress for other graduates. Out of respect for those graduates and guests, we ask that you remain in your vehicle or distanced from the quad until the ceremony has ended. As we have scheduled 30 minutes between ceremonies, taking pictures on Senior Terrace before or after your ceremony will not be possible, and guests will need to leave the quad so that the next ceremony can begin on time.

Regalia

All graduates must wear official Westminster regalia to participate in their Commencement ceremony, and regalia is available from the Campus Store. Regalia will not be available for purchase or pickup on August 1, so please order and have your regalia shipped to your home if you have not already done so.

To minimize incidental physical contact, students in the graduate school should wear their hoods throughout their ceremony.

SELF- SCREENING

Prior to arrival on campus or entry into any campus building, all graduates and guests must self-screen for the following symptoms:

Fever (100.4° F [38.0° C] or greater), using an oral thermometer
Symptoms of acute respiratory illness (i.e., dry cough, shortness of breath)
New loss of taste and/or smell
Chills
Muscle pain
Sore throat
Gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting

Graduates or guests who have any of these symptoms should not come to campus or participate in Commencement. Instead, they should view Commencement via livestream, available.

PARKING

We encourage you and your guests to carpool. You and your guests should park in the lots for Admissions, Shaw/McKelvey, and Patterson. Handicap parking will be available in the Old Main lot if we are outside, and the Shaw/McKelvey lot if we are inside. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to provide shuttles between the parking lots and the quad, so please encourage your guests to wear comfortable shoes and clothing that enable the short walk (and likely warm temperatures on an August day).

College Drive, the road between Berlin Village and Brittain Lake, is closed for construction on the Titan Corridor. Westminster Drive, the traffic circle near Hoyt, and the bridges near the Field House remain open.

Meals

Sodexo will not be able to provide meals before or after your ceremony, and local restaurants are operating at reduced capacity for inside dining. Please plan accordingly.

INDOOR LOCATION FOR INCLEMENT WEATHER

In the event of inclement weather, ceremonies will be held in Orr Auditorium, and the alternate assembly space for graduates will be Beeghly Theater. Times for assembling will remain the same, and guests will be assigned seats in the auditorium. Guests must have tickets to be permitted inside Orr, so remember to bring your tickets. Additional or replacement tickets will not be available. Cloth facial coverings must be worn inside Orr Auditorium at all times, unless an individual has a medical condition that makes wearing a facial covering unsafe.

Because of physical distancing requirements, your guests may not be seated inside Orr Auditorium. In some cases, they may be assigned to view the livestream from a classroom in Patterson Hall, McKelvey Campus Center, or other locations. We appreciate your cooperation as we comply with Commonwealth and CDC guidelines.

COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY UPDATES

This page will be updated with the latest information about Commencement, including outside versus inside locations. The College must comply with all current federal, Commonwealth, and local guidelines and mandates about physical distancing, crowd size, and facial coverings. As those guidelines and mandates may change prior to August 1, all graduates and guests are encouraged to check their email and consult this page before traveling to campus.

We look forward to celebrating Commencement with you. You have reached an important milestone in your education, and we want to mark it in ways that protect the health and safety of graduates, guests, and Westminster faculty, administration, and staff. The end of this Westminster chapter for you has been unique and unpredictable in so many ways. Commencement will also be unique, and no doubt the Class of 2020 will be long remembered as a one-of-a-kind!