GRADUATE INSTRUCTIONS
The 33rd ANNUAL LATINO COMMENCEMENT CELEBRATION
The following information, instructions, and important dates and times are for students participating in The 33rd Annual Latino Commencement Celebration (LCC) on May 22nd, 2010. In order to plan and conduct a graduation ceremony that our graduates and their family members and guests can be proud of, YOU MUST READ THIS ENTIRE DOCUMENT CAREFULLY.
IMPORTANT SECURITY INFORMATION FOR MAY 23rd, 2009
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THERE WILL BE A $10.00 LATE FEE FOR APPLICATIONS FILED AFTER APRIL 17TH. PLEASE NOTE YOUR NAME WILL NOT APPEAR ON THE PROGRAM FOR LATE APPLICANTS.
2. Date, time, and location of Latino Commencement Celebration
4. Invitations for the Graduation
5. Instructions for the Graduate Message for the Class of 2009
6. Mandatory Graduate Rehearsal Session
8. Graduate instructions for mandatory rehearsal Thursday, May 21st, 2009
9.DVD recording of the Latino Commencement Celebration
10. The Sash
11. Second Sash
The money collected from the graduate application fee is used to pay the cost associated with the use of the Save Mart Center. Costs related to the use of the Save Mart Center alone are approximately $14,000. The LCC raises $14,000. to $15,000. in student application fees. Dr. Gonzalez raises additional funds to pay for the Mariachi ($1,000.),receptions (approximately $3,000.), use of video equipment (approximately $2,000.), Sashes (approximately $2,500.), Xeroxing, phone charges, etc. As you can see, graduates pay for the use of the facility only, Dr. Gonzalez raises additional funds to help cover thousands of dollars worth of additional expenses and secures volunteers to help organize and deliver a celebration worthy of our participation. Please write your check to CSUF, we also need your ID # on the check. Payable by cash, check or money orders only.
2. SCHEDULE FOR MAY 23rd, 2009
The 33rd Annual Latino Commencement Celebration will be held on:
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009, at the Save Mart Center.
Entertainment: 5:45 pm
Ceremony: 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Graduates are required to meet at 5:00 pm at the loading dock on the northeast corner of the Save Mart Center Building.
3. GRADUATION ATTIRE (Kennel Bookstore)
Academic regalia is required. Caps and gowns will be available for purchase at the Kennel Bookstore during the month of March.
LCC custom made announcements are NOW available for sale! These are sold on a first come first serve basis and sell out every year. Price: sets of 10 for $10.00
Click to view Front Inside of invitation insert
The invitations/announcements for the Latino Commencement Celebration are bilingual and custom made for the LCC event. Proceeds from the sale of the invitations are used to pay for the Mariachi, sashes, programs, Save Mark Center cost, etc..
(Please note: There is no limit of how many guests you can invite, announcements can be purchased as a personal invitation from you to your guests.)
5. APPLICATION FOR THE GRADUATION MESSAGE
Graduates interested in delivering the "Graduate Message" on behalf of The Latino Class of 2009 must compete for this honor. Candidates must have a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.5 and they must submit a three page (typed and double spaced) original essay written in English and/or in Spanish. Please include your name, phone number (s), and local mailing address and submit your essay to Dean Luz Gonzalez, College of Social Sciences, in Room #108, by no later than Friday, April 10th, 2009, before 4:00 PM. Essays will not be accepted after the deadline. NO EXCEPTIONS. Dean Gonzalez will contact the winners by Friday, April 24th, 2009.
The essays will be reviewed for originality, content, organization, and grammar. The graduate message should be one that is meaningful to the graduating class and not just the speaker (s). Think of yourself as a member of the "Class of 2009" who has been chosen to write a message on behalf of the entire class.
Please note that the essays only serve as an instrument for selecting the best-qualified students. The winners will not read their own original essays on stage; instead, the winners will work together in writing a graduate message that expresses the experiences of the Latino CLASS of 2009.
Important: The students selected to deliver the graduate message will be the voice of the CLASS OF 2009 and they will be presenting in front of their peers and approximately 10,000 guests. This is why they must be prepared to attend two mandatory rehearsal meetings with Dean Luz Gonzalez. Students who cannot attend or do not attend the rehearsal meetings will be automatically disqualified. The first rehearsal session will be on Friday, May 8, 2009, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. The second rehearsal session is scheduled for Saturday, May 9, 2009, from 10:00 to 12:30 p.m.
6. MANDATORY GRADUATE REHEARSAL SESSION
Rehearsal to be held at Save Mart Center on Thursday, May 21st, 2009.
Time: 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
We will meet at the loading dock located on the northeast side of the Save Mart Center Building.
One practice session has been scheduled for the LCC participants. It is mandatory for graduates to attend. If your final is scheduled at the same time as the rehearsal, try to stop by the Save Mart Center after your final if possible or if you have a friend attending, you will need to get that information from him/her.
Guest with WheelChairs- Handicapped seating is available throughout the arena, seek usher assistance. Due to a limited space, only one person is permitted to accompany a person in a wheelchair.
Guest with Hearing Impairments- An interpreter will be stationed at the lower section/rows of Section 111 (Shaw Avenue side).
Admission to the celebration is free and graduates may invite as many guests as they wish. There will be free parking available in the parking lots North of the Save Mart Center.
8. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAY 23rd, 2009
Graduates must arrive by 5:00 pm at the loading dock on the northeast corner of the Save Mart Center Building. LCC volunteers will be available to assist.
IMPORTANT: Graduates must be prepared to form the procession line by 5:30 pm. LCC volunteers will be available to assist in the process.
9. DVD OF THE LATINO COMMENCEMENT CELEBRATION
As was the case last year, we will be producing a DVD of the LCC. It will include segments of the event and will contain the entire recognition of graduates on stage. The recognition of graduates on stage will consist of hearing the graduates' name as it is read on stage and capturing a portion of the graduate walking across the stage as she/he is congratulated by the platform part.
The DVDs can be purchased for $30.00 (no refunds) and must be paid in advance.
The Sashes will be given to the graduates the day of the ceremony. In the past, students received the sash the day of the rehearsal. However, many took two, instead of one, and left other students without a sash. The decision was made to not allow this to happen again. Therefore, the sash will not be given to anyone prior to the day of the event.
Each year several graduates ask, "What is a sash?" In response to this question, the following information is provided:
The sash is an ornamental band, ribbon, or scarf worn over the shoulders or around the waist, often formerly as a symbol of distinction "Webster's Dictionary"
The sash, which has been used for the LCC since 1976, is custom made and approximately three (3) inches in width and two (2) yards in length. It is made by sewing together ribbons of different colors and is worn around the neck.
In the LCC, graduates have the opportunity to acknowledge their membership in American society while simultaneously taking pride in their ethnic and/or bi-cultural heritage. This prestigious distinction is accomplished in the following way:
a. The use of academic regalia and the Latino Commencement Celebration are only some of the many features of the LCC that serves to express the graduates' loyalty, dedication, commitment, and cultural pride as members of the American society.
b. By the same token, the sashes, give graduates the opportunity to distinguish themselves as Latinos and with pride, acknowledge their country of origin. Each graduate's sash colors coincide with the colors of the national flag identified by the graduate. For example, a graduate who can trace his/her family lineage to Brazil will wear a sash made of green, yellow, and blue colors.
Graduates who need or want a second sash are responsible for providing their own. This applies to graduates who have parents with different ethnic backgrounds (e.g., mother from El Salvador and father from Chile.) or who, for a variety of reasons, want to wear a second sash. Due to cost and time, the LCC cannot furnish a second sash for graduates. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Instructions for the Second Sash
Graduates must contact Dr. Luz Gonzalez by email at luz_gonzalez@csufresno.edu :
- inform her that they will be wearing two sashes at the Latino Commencement Celebration.
- verify which of the two sashes will be ordered through LCC.
- receive information on the required materials, measurements and designs for a second sash.
- to ensure uniformity and formality throughout the LCC, Dr. Luz Gonzalez must approve second sashes and/or other symbolic items.