Spring 2023 Convocation Instructions for CAPLA Graduating Students

CAPLA Graduating Students,

Congratulations! You’re almost there, and we are providing important additional information regarding Convocation and the CAPLA Convocation Showcase website.

This is a long and detailed list, so please hold onto it for your next steps and links. If you have any questions or concerns, please CAPLA Director of Marketing and Communications Simmons Buntin at sbuntin@arizona.edu.

Convocation consists of a reception for you and your family/guests on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at 5 p.m. at the CAPLA building, and the Convocation ceremony at 7 p.m. at Centennial Hall. All of your guests must have tickets to attend the Convocation ceremony at Centennial Hall. Read on for how, when and where to get those.

Need Accessibility Accommodations? Let Us Know ASAP!

If you are not able to walk over from the CAPLA Building to Centennial Hall or you are not able to walk up or down eight consecutive steps, please contact Simmons Buntin ASAP at sbuntin@arizona.edu—and also include that on your registration. We will of course accommodate you, but we’ll need to adjust how the procession proceeds, so need that info right away.

Registration Required - Deadline: May 4

Whether you plan to attend Convocation or not, please register by the deadline of May 4!

The information gathered here is required not only for our Convocation program and slides, but also for the CAPLA Convocation Showcase—and you are included in all those whether you attend the in-person events or not. The CAPLA Convocation Showcase launches on Friday afternoon, May 12.

When you register, you’ll need your personal photo and a single PDF of up to 3 project images which you may upload on the registration form. If you are unable to upload them on the registration form, or want to upload after you register (but still before the deadline), please do so at:

  • Student Photos and Project/Work Images (upload your headshot or other photo of you in one file, and no more than 3 photos in a single PDF, for the CAPLA Convocation Showcase; please ensure your name is part of the image and PDF file names)

If you have difficulties, please email Simmons Buntin your images (or a link to your images).

Can I Share Photos of My CAPLA Experience?

Yes! Please upload as many photos as you’d like, both for the CAPLA Convocation Showcase and for a slideshow that will run at Centennial Hall prior to the start of the official Convocation ceremony. Note that we reserve the right to crop, edit or decline any photos—and by providing these photos you also give permission for us to share the photos on CAPLA social media, including a Facebook #caplagrad22 photo album.

Convocation Tickets, Graduation Medallions and Honors Cords: How, When, Where?

Convocation tickets for Centennial Hall for your guests, graduation medallions (new this year!) and honor cords will be available at the CAPLA Dean’s Office front desk Monday-Friday from 8-10 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. two weeks prior to Spring Convocation. You must be registered to claim your tickets, graduation medallion or honors cord! Registration includes fields for how many tickets you would like, though it’s okay to request more or fewer tickets when you pick them up.

You may also pick these items up on Saturday, May 13, beginning at 4 p.m. at the reception at the CAPLA Building, and tickets will also be available at a table near the entry to Centennial Hall before the Convocation ceremony as a last resort.

Note that honors cords are provided only to undergraduate students. All graduating students receive CAPLA graduation medallions.

What About Regalia—Stoles, Tassels, Hoods, Etc.?

You are required to wear regalia—caps and gowns—which are available from the University of Arizona BookStores:

The CAPLA stole is lavender, and is completely optional.

Graduate students will be hooded on stage, so graduate students will need a master’s student regalia hood. All CAPLA master’s students wear the same “Master’s / Architecture / Blue/Violet” hood. Be prepared for your hooding: watch a graduate hooding how-to video.

What if I Can’t Afford Regalia?

For graduate students, the Graduate and Professional Student Council rents regalia for free. Contact gpsc@email.arizona.edu for availability.

CAPLA also has some caps and gowns (but not tassels) that are available for undergraduate and graduate student use. These may be borrowed and returned and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact Simmons Buntin at sbuntin@arizona.edu if you need to borrow a cap/gown or need a stole and cannot afford to buy or rent one.

We will also have a bin at Centennial Hall if you would like to donate your used cap and/or gown following Convocation.

Can My Work Be Displayed at the Reception?

Yes! We are working with the schools to display student capstone and master’s project/thesis projects in the Sundt Gallery, Foundation Studio, Underwood Sonoran Garden and/or other accessible locations so you may share this work with your guests at the reception (a single poster for each student). If you do not want your work exhibited, please contact Simmons Buntin at sbuntin@arizona.edu.

When and Where Do I Need to Be on Saturday, May 13?

If you and your guests are attending the reception, plan on being at the CAPLA West Building, Sundt Gallery, around 5 p.m.

If you are not attending the reception, plan to be at the CAPLA West Building, Sonoran Underwood Garden, by 6 p.m.

Parking is free on campus that day, but there is no available parking at Centennial Hall itself. We encourage students and guests to park in the lot just south of the CAPLA East Building or in the Park Avenue Garage. Convocation ceremony attendees can also park in these lots and walk over, or park at Tyndall Garage. View more info on Centennial Hall directions and parking.

No matter what, please check in at our check-in table at the west entrance to Sundt Gallery so that we may give you your required index cards, which will be used in the ceremony to ensure we show the correct slide when you cross the stage. On your cards, if you believe it is necessary, write the phonetic pronunciation of your name to help the name reader (Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Laura Hollengreen) correctly say the name.

Students will process over from the CAPLA Building to Centennial Hall together. We will make a reminder announcement at the reception at 6:20 p.m. and ask you to join us in the Underwood Sonoran Garden to line up at 6:40 p.m. At that time we will invite all guests to head over to Centennial Hall—whether they walk or drive.

Students will line up by degree program (look for your advisor), and the first person in each degree group will carry a sign that identifies your degree. We will process over at approximately 6:50 p.m. Graduate students will be led by Emilio Romero, and undergraduate students will be led by Tayler Mears.

It will be hot! We will provide water both before and after your walk over, but encourage you to wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to freshen up after you arrive (though there won’t be time to use the restroom except in urgent cases).

What Do I Do at the Ceremony?

Once the procession arrives at Centennial Hall, the first student in each program will hold up the sign that identifies your degree as you process into Centennial Hall. You will follow the dean/faculty procession and then sit in reserved seats in the center section. (The dean and faculty will process up onto the stage.) CAPLA advisors, other staff and student ambassadors will direct you.

After welcomes and dean and keynote speeches, the graduate student speaker will make a short speech. The speaker will then return to their seat at the end of the row and then graduate students will be invited up. Make sure you have your index cards ready! A staff representative will lead you to the west wall, row by row, where you will line up.* At his cue, the first graduate in the line will walk up the steps and hand a card to Ellen Worth, who will be standing at the top of the stairs. Once she has the card, she will prompt you to step over to the podium, where Laura Hollengreen is located, and you will give Laura the second index card. Laura will read your name and you will cross the stage to the center, where a riser is located. Your graduate program chair (or another faculty member) will be waiting for you there. Hand the faculty member your hood and stand in front of the riser facing the audience. The faculty member will place the hood over your cap and onto your shoulders. You may then turn around and shake the faculty member’s hand (or hug, as appropriate). Then walk to the other side of the stage and shake the dean’s, director’s and/or other hands. As you cross the stage, your individual slide will be shown. It includes your photo, degree, honors and quote.

When you reach the dean and school director, please stop and pose for a photograph!

You will then proceed over to the far end of the stage, where a staff member will hand you a packet that includes a graduation certificate and any award certificates. Take that packet back to your seat. Note that the university mails your actual diploma at a later date.

When all graduate students have been hooded and are back in their seats, the emcee will ask you to rise and face the audience and accept your well-deserved congratulations.

Undergraduates follow graduates in much the same process, though without hoodings. The undergraduate student speaker will make a short speech. The speaker will then return to their seat at the end of the row and then undergraduate students will be invited up. Make sure you have your index cards ready! Tayler will lead you to the west wall, row by row, where you will line up.* At her cue, the first graduate in the line will walk up the steps and hand a card to Ellen Worth, who will be standing at the top of the stairs. Once she has the card, she will prompt you to step over to the podium, where Laura Hollengreen is located, and you will give Laura the second index card. Laura will read your name and you will cross the stage to shake the dean’s, director’s and/or other hands. As you cross the stage, your individual slide will be shown. It includes your photo, degree, honors and quote.

When you reach the dean and school director, please stop and pose for a photograph!

You will then proceed over to the far end of the stage, where a staff member will hand you a packet that includes a graduation certificate and any award certificates. Take that packet back to your seat. Note that the university mails your actual diploma at a later date.

When all undergraduate students have crossed the stage and are back in their seats, the emcee will ask you to rise and face the audience and accept your well-deserved congratulations.

After a few closing words and a reminder for guests to stay in their seats until all faculty and students process out, the exit procession will begin. The dean and faculty will process off the stage first. Once they pass, students will be released to process behind faculty, row by row, beginning with the rows closest to the stage. Please wait for your advisor, other staff or student ambassador to give you the cue to exit.

We expect the ceremony to last about two hours.

* How students enter and exit the stage may be adjusted based on accessibility needs. Check this page prior to Convocation, and look for an email with any changes, also prior to Convocation.

Will Convocation be Livestreamed?

Yes, the Convocation ceremony will be livestreamed and recorded. The link for last year's livestream is:

https://vimeo.com/event/2080357 (link for Spring 2023 Convocation will be available in May 2023)

The livestream will also be embedded in the CAPLA Convocation Showcase at https://caplashowcase.arizona.edu.

Will I Get Photos from the Event?

Yes, all photos taken by our professional photographer at the reception, procession and Convocation ceremony—including individual student photos on stage—will be available for download for free from Box. We will send the link when the photos are available, which we anticipate to be about a week after Convocation.

What About CAPLA Social Media for Convocation?

We have created a custom SnapChat filter that will be available at the CAPLA Building and at Centennial Hall (and in the route between the two buildings) from noon until 10 p.m. Be sure to use it if you’re on SnapChat!

For other platforms, please use #caplagrad23.

Is there a graduating survey I should complete?

Yes. The University of Arizona has created a Graduating Senior Survey, which has additional, CAPLA-only questions as well. Please complete the survey at seniorsurvey.arizona.edu.

What If I Need More Information?

If you need more information pertaining to academic matters, including graduation criteria and approval, please contact your advisor.

If you need more information about the Convocation reception and ceremony, please contact Simmons Buntin at sbuntin@arizona.edu.

Thank you, and we look forward to celebrating your achievement!