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Community College of Philadelphia

2013 Commencement Handbook

Important Commencement Alert

Due to increased security measures at large public events, there will be an increased security presence at the 47th Commencement Exercises for Community College of Philadelphia. Commencement will take place at 10:00 AM on Saturday, May 4th at the Liacouras Center.

PLEASE NOTE: NO BACKPACKS WILL BE ALLOWED INTO THE LIACOURAS CENTER. This is in addition to the standing regulation prohibiting balloons into the arena. All other bags (other than pocketbooks) are subject to search.

It is recommended that gifts or gift-bags for graduates NOT be brought to the Liacouras Center.

This is not meant to frighten or alarm any of our graduates or guests. This action is being taken not in reaction to any specific or known threat. This action is a pro-active response to help ensure a safe and enjoyable event for all in attendance.

Thank you for your understanding.

Table of Contents

Precommencement Activities
Commencement
Postcommencement
Alumni Association
Career Services Center

Precommencement Activities


Commencement Notification Letters
Students who have applied for spring 2013 and summer 2013 graduation and have received notification of their completion or pending completion for either spring or summer will receive a Notification of Commencement letter. Additionally, students who graduated at the end of the fall 2012 semester will receive a Notification of Commencement Letter. Letters will be sent via Community College of Philadelphia email after April 8, 2013. This letter must be printed and presented to pick up your cap and gown.

Name Cards
You will need two (2) name cards to participate in the graduation ceremony. One card will be given to the photographer, and the other card is for the College announcer who will be reading student names. Please bring both cards with you on the day of the graduation ceremony. Name cards must be picked up, as scheduled below.

Announcements
Students who have received Commencement Notification letters (see above) will receive six (6) announcements with envelopes to send to your family and friends. Information regarding distribution and/or pickup will be included in your Commencement Notification letter. Announcements are not needed to attend the ceremony.

Name cards and announcements must be picked up on the Main Campus at the Enrollment Central Counter on the Ground floor of the Bonnell Building:

Monday and Tuesday, April 29 and 30, 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday and Thursday, May 1 and 2, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Friday, May 3, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Caps and Gowns
Caps and gowns are distributed by the Main Campus College Bookstore, located on the Ground floor of the Pavilion Building. Dates to pick up your cap, gown, hood and tassel are Monday, April 29 through Friday, May 3:

Monday and Tuesday, April 29 and 30, 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday and Thursday, May 1 and 2, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Friday, May 3, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

You must present your Notification of Commencement letter along with picture identification (College ID card, driver’s license, etc.) when picking up cap, gown and hood.

It is not necessary to return your cap, gown and hood. They are for you to keep as mementos of the ceremony.

Phi Theta Kappa Regalia
Graduates who are members of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society may purchase Phi Theta Kappa regalia (sash and cord) through the Phi Theta Kappa website. Our Rho Upsilon Chapter will also be selling regalia at a discount. An information letter will be mailed regarding this discounted regalia.

If you have any questions, please contact the Phi Theta Kappa chapter officers in Room S1-19 or the faculty advisor, assistant professor Sarah Iepson, at siepson@ccp.edu.

Financial Aid Exit Interview
Students who received a Federal Direct Loan are required to complete exit counseling when they cease to be enrolled for at least 6 credits or graduate from an approved educational institution. You can complete exit counseling online.

Graduates Breakfast
A Graduates Breakfast is scheduled for Saturday, April 20, 2013, on the second floor of the Pavilion Building. Additional information will be sent to graduates in early April.

Commencement

The Ceremony
The 47th Commencement exercise, recognizing the achievements of the students who have completed their degree requirements in fall 2012, and those who will be completing graduation requirements in spring and summer 2013, will take place on Saturday, May 4, 2013, at 10 a.m. at The Liacouras Center, 1776 North Broad Street. The ceremony is expected to last about two hours, and you are required to stay for the entire ceremony. Tickets are not required for attendance. Doors will be open to the public at 8:30 a.m.

Parking
Parking is available for a $14 fee in the Liacouras Center parking garage on 15th and Norris Streets. Street parking in the immediate area is available, but may be limited.

Proper Decorum
A Commencement ceremony is held primarily for graduates and their families. It is an occasion honoring important educational accomplishments. It is an event worth celebrating, but the ceremony itself is a formal affair that requires dignity and professionalism. The ceremony is formal out of respect for the effort you have put into earning your degree, the family members who have come to witness your success, the distinguished guests who will be honored along with you during the day and for Community College of Philadelphia as an institution. Your understanding and cooperation in keeping the ceremony formal and free of distractions, such as pranks, unwarranted behavior and vocal disruptions, will help make the event worthy of the time everyone has committed to its success.

The College maintains the proud tradition of announcing each graduate’s name. The last graduate is as important as the first. Once you have entered the main auditorium, you are expected to remain seated until the student marshals signal you to proceed to the stage. After returning to your seat, you are expected to remain seated until the conclusion of the ceremony, marked by the recessional. If you should need to leave your seat, please notify one of the student marshals or ushers for assistance. Courtesy, attention and decorum are important and expected by you, your family and guests.

In consideration of your fellow graduates and invited guests, do not use mobile phones and devices during the ceremony. Also, all mobile phones are to be turned off once the Line of March is assembled.

If students arrive to Commencement intoxicated or dressed inappropriately, they will not be allowed to participate. All students must be dressed in business casual attire or better and prepared for this occasion.

Proper Attire
Suggested Attire for Men: Dress pants and shirts, tie is optional; dress shoes and socks; no sandals.

Suggested Attire for Women: Business casual dress or pants, cool fabric; low heel or flat shoes; no corsages or jewelry on the gown.

Approved Commencement dress consists of blue robe, blue mortarboard (cap), and the appropriate colored tassel and hood. Allowable gown adornments include Phi Theta Kappa or Alpha Beta Gamma regalia and Honors cords only. All other ornamentation, including but not limited to signs on the top of mortarboards, buttons, corsages, ethnic sashes and ribbons, etc., are considered extraneous and are not permitted. You will be required to remove these items. No sorority/fraternity scarves or other accessories may be worn.

Caps should be placed on the head so that the mortarboard is level. This would place the crown approximately one inch above the eyebrows. Caps should not be tilted to the back or side of the head.

Tassels should be worn on the right side of the cap hanging naturally over the right temple. Students earning multiple degrees or certificates should select which degree group they wish to march with and only wear the corresponding colored tassel. The tassel is switched from right to left in unison-on cue-when the President formally confers degrees on the graduating class. This act symbolizes each graduate’s new and well-earned status.

It is required that each graduate come to Commencement already robed in the appropriate attire and regalia. If the attire and regalia are not appropriate, you will not be permitted to remain in the Line of March.

You are permitted to carry only your Name Cards. You will not be permitted to carry anything else, such as balloons, flowers, food, handbags, etc. Please be prepared to leave these items with a family member or friend. You will not be able to leave items behind in the Student Assembly Area.

Persons with Disabilities
The Liacouras Center is fully compliant with all ADA accessibility guidelines. Community College of Philadelphia is furnishing sign language interpreters to provide communication access to the Commencement ceremony. Guests requiring seating near the sign language interpreters should identify themselves to The Liacouras Center staff, and they will direct you and your accompanying guest to your seat.

There will also be designated seating areas for guests who require consideration due to mobility concerns. Up to three family members who accompany guests with mobility considerations may sit with them in the designated seating area. All other guests will need to find other seating in the main auditorium. The Liacouras Center staff will be available to direct guests to designated seating areas.

Students who require accommodations to participate in Commencement should call the Center on Disability at 215.751.8050 as soon as possible.

Family Members, Guests and Children
You will not need tickets for your guests, and you are welcome to invite as many people as you wish. During the recessional, please ask your guests to remain at their seats until all graduates have exited the Center.

Family and guests will not be permitted to enter the Student Assembly area. If you wish to leave your belongings with them, do so before you enter the area.

Children will not be allowed to sit with or walk across the stage with graduates. Please make arrangements for their care during the ceremony. Remember, because of fire regulations, even young children must be seated individually. Do not leave young children unattended.

Please note that balloons are not allowed in The Liacouras Center.

Student Assembly and Procession
Students participating in the ceremony must report, already robed, no later than 9:00 a.m. to the loading dock. Look for Student Assembly Area and Line of March signs. The procession will begin at 10 a.m.

Students with disabilities should report to College personnel assigned to assist these students. If you wish to walk in the Line of March, please notify College personnel so that accommodations can be made for you.

You must have both Name Cards. One card will be given to the Commencement photographer, and the other card will be used to announce your name before you walk across the stage during the Commencement ceremony. If you lose your Name Cards, notify any College personnel in the Student Assembly Area so that they are immediately replaced. Be certain to verify and, if necessary, correct your address. On the Name Card used to announce your name, you may want to spell out your name phonetically if it is difficult to pronounce. It is important to write your name the way it sounds, not the way it is spelled.

You may not carry personal articles (e.g., handbag, camera, flowers, water bottle, etc.) during Commencement. No balloons are allowed in The Liacouras Center. Valuables should be given to a family member or friend for safekeeping during the ceremony. You must be robed and ready to begin the assembly of the Line of March at 9:00 a.m.

The procession will begin at 10 a.m. You will be lined up by the degree type you have earned. If you are earning two degree types, you will need to choose one as your primary degree and be in the appropriate line.

Commencement Photographs
Arrangements have been made with a professional photographer from Grad Trak Images to take photographs of you at the ceremony. Proofs of these pictures will be emailed to you or your family member at the email addresses you list on your Reader Card. You should receive an email containing your proofs approximately 48 hours after the ceremony. You may decide if you wish to purchase pictures.

You will receive a Grad Trak Reader Card that should be completed prior to Commencement. When your pictures are taken, the card will be given to the photographer. The photographer will only use this information to contact you regarding your pictures. Please give complete, accurate and legible information when completing this card.

If you require any information about your pictures or do not receive your proofs, please send your questions directly to Grad Images or call 1.800.424.3686.

Graduation Dates
Graduation dates are determined by the term you complete all courses required for your degree and not the date you attend Commencement. If you attend Commencement and have not completed all degree requirements, you should not indicate that you are a graduate as the College will not certify that you are a graduate until all requirements have been satisfied and your degree has been posted to your record. Listing yourself as a graduate before you officially receive your degree may be considered fraudulent information. Graduates should use the following dates as graduation dates or expected graduation dates when completing employment or college applications rather than the Commencement date:

Fall 2012: Dec. 15, 2012
Spring 2013: May 4, 2013
Early Summer 2013: June 27, 2013
Late Summer 2013: Aug. 22, 2013

Postcommencement

Enjoy Your Special Day Again
The 47th Commencement Ceremony for Community College of Philadelphia will be taped and rebroadcast on the College’s cable channel, CCPTV, Comcast Chanel 53 and FiOS Channel 21. Visit CCPTV to locate programming information.

Diploma Distribution
If you graduated in late summer or fall 2012, you should have already received your diploma. If you have not received it, please contact a graduation evaluator by email at grads@ccp.edu.

We expect to mail spring 2013 diplomas no later than the end of June, and summer 2013 diplomas no later than the end of September 2013. If you do not receive your diploma by these dates, please contact the Graduation Evaluation Unit at grads@ccp.edu.

It is the student’s responsibility to check with the Cashier’s Office, Financial Aid Office, Library and Athletics Office to make sure all obligations have been satisfied. Diplomas will not be issued to students with any financial holds on their records.

Curriculum Requirements
Students are graduated only after successful completion of all curriculum requirements. Participation in Commencement does not constitute evidence that you have graduated or that you will graduate.

Contact Information
Direct all graduation and Commencement inquiries to grads@ccp.edu.

Alumni Association

Keep in Touch
As a graduate of Community College of Philadelphia, you are a member of a large community—more than 650,000 people—who have completed educational goals at Community College of Philadelphia. We hope you will keep in touch and help us stay in touch with you. To stay connected, email your name, non-College email and phone number to alumni@ccp.edu.

We also invite you to join the Association of Former Students to receive periodic e-newsletters and invitations to College events. You can also take advantage of discounts and services exclusively available to graduates of the College. Click here to join the Association of Former Students and get your CCP Connect Pass, and don’t forget to like us on Facebook.

We are proud to be a part of the path to your future. We hope you will stay connected and always be a part of the College’s future.

Career Services Center

Graduate Resources
The Career Services Center provides services free of charge to alumni. We are located in Center for Business and Technology Building, Room C1-34.

You can open an online account at College Central, click on Alumni to open an account to post your résumé and search for jobs posted at the Career Services Center by employers. You can make an appointment by calling 215.496.6176 to develop your job search plan, conduct a mock interview, go over résumés and cover letters, or address career issues, such as making a career change or rebounding from a layoff. We also have online job fairs; the information is posted on College Central Network. Walk-ins are welcome 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. on Fridays during the academic year and on Thursdays during summer hours.