Information for Guests

Version 03/01/2024. This page will be updated as needed prior to the ceremony.

Seating

Tickets are NOT required.

Bleacher seating in Pamplin Sports Center Gym for the commencement ceremony is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Special seating sections will be reserved for guests who have requested mobility accommodations or ASL interpretation. Details are linked here; the deadline for guests to request accommodation is Friday, May 24, 2024.

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Timeline for Guests

by 9:30 a.m. PDT — Arrival

• We encourage guests to arrive to campus by 9:30 a.m. PDT in order to ensure enough time to find parking, walk to Pamplin Sports Center Gym, and to find seating. 
  • Campus Map 
  • The campus pathways and parking lots consist of a variety of different materials such as asphalt, cobblestones, and pavers. There are also steep inclines/declines between the parking lots, Pamplin Sports Center Gym, and the Graduate Campus.
  • General parking is available inside Gates 2, 5, 6, and 8.
  • Shuttle service, as of 03/01/2024, is available to the parking lots inside Gates 2, 5, and 6, and Pamplin Gym from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. PDT (Shuttle service ends at 1:30 p.m. PDT)
  • Reception Shuttle Stop: The Gate 6 shuttle stop is the drop-off and pick-up point for the after-reception on the Graduate Campus. Guests and graduates may also walk from Pamplin Gym to the Graduate Campus for the reception.
  • Parking inside Gate 7 on the Graduate Campus is reserved for those who have requested mobility accommodations (West Parking Loop), the food trucks for the reception, and graduate school faculty and staff participating in the event (East Parking Loop).
• Bleacher seating in Pamplin Sports Center Gym, will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. 
• Requesting Accommodations including accessible parking (deadline: Friday, May 24, 2024)
• L&C Bookstore pop-up will be open throughout the ceremony at the Pamplin Gym information desk and after commencement at their Fowler Student Center location.

9:50 a.m. PDT — Processional

10:00 a.m. PDT — Commencement Ceremony

Mid-ceremony — Conferring of Degrees and the Hooding Ceremony

• Professional photographers from GradImages will be capturing images of the graduates throughout the conferral of the degrees and the hooding ceremony.

Noon PDT Recessional (approximate time)

Noon PDT Reception, Graduate Campus (after the recessional; around noon PDT)

• A complimentary or free reception featuring local food trucks including Fifty Licks Ice Cream, Phat Cart, Pip’s Original Donuts & Chai, Tamale Boy, The Whole Bowl, and Poblano Pepper will be held on the Graduate Campus immediately following the ceremony.
• Shuttle service, as of 03/01/2024, is available to the parking lots inside Gates 2, 5, and 6, and Pamplin Gym from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. PDT (Shuttle service ends at 1:30 p.m. PDT)
• Reception Shuttle Stop: The Gate 6 shuttle stop is the drop-off and pick-up point for the after-reception on the Graduate Campus. Guests and graduates may also walk from Pamplin Gym to the Graduate Campus for the reception.
• Parking inside Gate 7 on the Graduate Campus is reserved for those who have requested mobility accommodations (West Parking Loop), the food trucks for the reception, and graduate school faculty and staff participating in the event (East Parking Loop).

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Service Animals

Service animals are welcome at the ceremony and reception. See Lewis & Clark’s Service and Assistance Animal Policy for additional information. Family pets are not allowed inside campus buildings.