Faculty

Faculty & Platform Party – Instructions and Ceremonial Procedures

To show support and help celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates, WSU Tri-Cities is covering the regalia rental fee for faculty. Both forms are combined this year and instead of ordering regalia individually, regalia will be ordered in bulk by the campus. The deadline for faculty to register for Commencement and rent regalia is March 31st.

Faculty Commencement Instructions

Arrival

Plan to arrive for lunch by 11:30 am, but no later than 12:30 pm to allow time to be fully robed and lined up for the processional.

Stage Party #1

This group consists of the macebearer, ASWSUTC President, College faculty and Doctoral advisors (hooders).

Upon arrival, proceed to the coat racks designated for faculty, macebearer, and ASWSU President to hang up your regalia (if needed). Note, if WSU rented your regalia, you will be required to check it back in before you leave the Toyota Center. A clothing steamer will be available as needed.

The college and hooding faculty will assemble in the robing area and be fully robed for line up no later than 12:40 pm.

Line Up Order

  • Line up for the macebearer (Faculty Senate Representative) and honor guard (ASWSUTC president) will begin 20 minutes prior to the ceremony’s scheduled start time. They are the first group in the processional.
  • Line up for college faculty and hooding faculty will begin 20 minutes prior to the ceremony’s scheduled start time.
  • Faculty will line up according to their name posted on the floor.
  • College faculty will be the second group to enter the graduate floor after the macebearer and honor guard.
  • The hooding faculty will line-up with their doctoral graduate and walk side-by-side to their seats in the front row, right side of stage.
  • A runner will escort faculty downstairs to the processional entrance at their designated time.
  • Faculty who will not be robing, will be escorted to the reserved seating area by the VIP seating runner.

Stage Party #2

This group consists of the chancellor, vice chancellors, assistant vice chancellor, academic directors, honor guard, macebearer, advisory council, cabinet members, keynote speaker, and VIP guests.  Readers and diploma cover handlers will also be included in this group even though they do not walk in with the platform party.

Proceed to the coat racks assigned to the platform party to hang up your regalia (if needed). Note, if WSU rented your regalia, you will be required to check it in before you leave the Toyota Center.

The platform party will assemble in the robing area and be fully robed for line up no later than 12:40 pm.

Line Up Order

  • Line up for the platform party will begin 10 minutes prior to the ceremony’s scheduled start time. Members of the platform party are the last to enter the processional after all the students.
  • Line up according to your name posted on the floor.
  • A runner will escort the platform party downstairs to the processional entrance at their designated time.
  • Another runner will escort VIP guests to the reserved seating area.

Processional Order

  1. Mace bearer and Honor Guard (Faculty Senate Representative and ASWSUTC President)
  2. College faculty (in regalia) line up for students to walk through
  3. Doctoral candidates, escorted by their faculty advisors, followed by the Master’s candidates
  4. Baccalaureate degree candidates led by college gonfalons carriers from the Colleges of:
    • Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences
    • Arts & Sciences
    • Business
    • Education
    • Engineering and Architecture
    • Nursing
  5. Chancellor’s platform party
    • Vice Chancellors
    • Assistant Vice Chancellor
    • Academic Directors
    • Advisory Council
    • Keynote Speaker
  6. Color Guard
  7. National Anthem

Recessional

  1. Once all degrees have been conferred, the Chancellor will direct students to move the tassel from the right side of their mortarboard to the left side, signifying that they have earned their academic degree.
  2. Graduates will stand to join all in singing the WSU Fight Song.
  3. Once the WSU Fight Song is finished, the macebearer collects the mace from the stand and exits down the center aisle (the same direction from which they marched in).
  4. The platform party exits.
  5. The college faculty immediately follow (in 2 lines) and will be directed by row monitors.
  6. Students remain in place and will be released row by row starting with the back row by row monitors once the platform and faculty have departed.