Students
Assembly points have been designated near the Lawn for each school's degree candidates (see Assembly/Procession diagram, PDF format). Assembly begins at 9 a.m.; all students should be at assembly points no later than 9:30 a.m. Faculty and student marshals will organize degree candidates into columns.

Step-off time for the procession is 10 a.m. The grand marshal will proceed down the Lawn, followed by degree candidates led by their respective dean and faculty marshals.

After the degree candidates have processed, the faculty will march in, followed by the grand marshal (second trip down the Lawn) and the president’s party.

Alcohol is not permitted at the assembly points or on the Lawn during the Final Exercises.

Faculty
Deans and faculty marshals will meet at the assembly points designated near the Lawn for each school’s degree candidates (see Assembly/Procession diagram, PDF format). Faculty and student marshals will organize degree candidates into columns. Other faculty members are to assemble at 10 a.m. on the Rotunda’s southwest terrace above the Lawn.

Step-off time for the procession is 10 a.m. The grand marshal will proceed down the Lawn, followed by degree candidates led by their respective deans and faculty marshals. The deans, who have an active role in the exercises, will go to the platform. The faculty marshals will sit with the graduating students.

After the degree candidates have processed, the faculty will march in, followed by the grand marshal (his second trip down the Lawn) and the president’s party.

At the end of the exercises, the grand marshal, president’s party, and faculty will recess up the Lawn. At the end of the recessional, the graduates may leave their seating area.

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Caps & Gowns

Students

Caps and gowns for bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree candidates will also be available for pick-up at the University Bookstore during Finals Week at the following times:

These "one-way" caps and gowns do not need to be returned after the ceremony; they may be retained as keepsakes. Master’s and doctoral hoods as well as souvenir tassels are available for sale at the Bookstore. The Bookstore also offers academic regalia for purchase (deadline for ordering purchased regalia will be March 28).

* Darden, Law, and Medicine degree candidates will pick up their caps and gowns in their respective schools and will return them to those locations.

Faculty
Faculty in Architecture, Arts & Sciences, Education, and Nursing can pick up rented caps and gowns
(previously ordered - deadline for ordering rental regalia is April 15) at the University Bookstore,
at the following times:

Rented caps and gowns must be returned to the University Bookstore at the following times:

Faculty members are responsible for the cost of unreturned regalia.

Faculty in Commerce, Engineering, Graduate Business, Law, and Medicine will pick up their caps and gowns in their respective schools and will return them to those locations.

The Bookstore also offers academic regalia for purchase (deadline for ordering purchased regalia will be March 28).

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Diploma Distribution

Diploma ceremonies for individual schools and departments will follow the Lawn ceremony on May 18. Degree candidates not attending the ceremony may pick up their diploma at the University Registrar’s Office (UREG) in Carruthers Hall starting at 2 p.m. on May 19, and during regular business hours any day thereafter. Requests to have diplomas mailed can be made using the on-line form at www.virginia.edu/registrar.

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Invitations

Orders for "Personalized Announcement Packages" may be placed through the University Bookstore's web site at www.bookstore.virginia.edu (click on the Graduation Items & Information button at the bottom of the page). The deadline for ordering is April 4.

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Lodging (Places to Stay)

Many Charlottesville area hotels are booked months in advance of Finals Weekend. For information on area hotels and room availability, contact the Charlottesville/Albemarle County Convention and Visitors Bureau at (434) 293-6789/(877) 386-1102 or visit www.charlottesvilletourism.org. A list of local hotels can also be found at www.virginia.edu/placestostay.html.

The University offers on-Grounds housing for guests attending Finals Weekend. For the 2008 ceremony, limited housing is available in the Alderman Road Residence Area - only a 15 minute walk from the Lawn or the Corner. All reservations must be made by the graduating student. The deadline for reservations is Wednesday, April 30, 2008, at 5:00 p.m. - space is limited. Reservations will be on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, contact Conference Services at (434) 924-4479 or click on the "Graduation Housing" link at www.uvaconferenceservices.com.

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Animals
No animals other than service dogs will be permitted on the Lawn and at other sites.

Class Party Tickets
Each undergraduate may obtain a maximum of three tickets to the Fourth-Year Class Party. Tickets will be distributed at the University Bookstore May 15 through 17 (see distribution schedule). A ticket is required for admission to the party.

Finals Program Distribution
Programs will be available from ushers at designated points on the Lawn.

First Aid
The Emergency Medical Services treatment area, staffed jointly by the University of Virginia Emergency Department and the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad personnel, will be located on McCormick Road during the ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday. In addition, First Aid stations will be located in Lile and McGuffey Alleys during the ceremony on Sunday. Alert an usher, police officer, or bus driver if assistance is needed.

Food Service
Light breakfast items (doughnuts, pastries, muffins, fruit juice, soda, coffee) will be offered for sale Sunday morning. The food stands will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch items will be available at mid-morning. Food stand locations are:

Pavilion XI on the first floor of Newcomb Hall will be open from 7:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. C3, located next to Pavilion XI in Newcomb Hall, will also be open during that time, selling pastries and coffee in the morning and lunch items after 11 a.m. Java City, located in the University Bookstore, will be open from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Information Booths
Below are the information booth locations and hours of operation during Finals Weekend. In addition, the Newcomb Hall Information Desk will be open on Saturday, May 17 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Sunday, May 18 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Restrooms
Signs indicating restroom locations near the Lawn will be posted.

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Parking & Shuttle Buses

During Finals Weekend, public parking is unavailable throughout the Central Grounds. Degree candidates and guests are urged to park at the locations below. Free shuttle bus service will run continuously from Scott Stadium and University Hall to Central Grounds on Saturday and Sunday. For more detailed parking information visit the Parking Tips web page.

For Finals Weekend, parking will be available at the following locations:

Parking is also available in the Central Grounds parking garage (no shuttle bus service is provided to and from this location):    Saturday: limited spaces available at an hourly rate    Sunday: limited spaces available - $5.00 per vehicle

Shuttle buses will run continuously from Scott Stadium and University Hall as follows:

For shuttle bus routes before and after Final Exercises visit the Parking Tips web page.

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A live broadcast of Sunday's Lawn ceremony will be shown on projection screens at the following locations (closed captioning available at each site listed below):

Doors will open at 8 a.m. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required. All sites are wheelchair accessible, but assistance may be necessary in the Chemistry Building.

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Services for Persons with Disabilities

Parking
Guests with limited mobility or in wheelchairs are urged to park at University Hall and ride the shuttle buses to the Central Grounds (refer to Parking and Shuttle Buses section for schedule). Buses equipped with lifts to accommodate wheelchair users, persons with mobility impairments, and their companions will leave from the designated area in the northwest section of the University Hall parking lot. These buses will follow a special route dropping off guests on McCormick Road near Monroe Hall. Guests with disabled parking tags may park in the designated area near the north entrance of University Hall.

Restrooms
Wheelchair accessible restrooms near the Lawn are located in the following buildings: Garrett Hall, Bryan Hall, Cabell Hall, and Clemons Library.

Seating
Individuals using wheelchairs and one companion may sit in the designated area in front of Cocke Hall (limited seating available), or may select any other seat location and an usher will remove the folding chair. Signs designating accessible routes to the Lawn will be posted. Guests may prefer to watch the ceremony in one of the climate-controlled auditoriums nearby (see Remote Viewing section).

Severe-Weather Plan
If the severe-weather plan is followed, only guests with tickets will be allowed entry into the John Paul Jones Arena. Designated parking will be provided at this site for persons with disabilities.

Special Hearing Needs
Seating for guests who wish to use the services of a sign language interpreter will be available for Final Exercises and Valedictory Exercises. A limited number of assistive listening devices are available for the hard-of-hearing. To reserve a device, call (434) 243-5186 (v) or click here to e-mail. A live broadcast of Final Exercises will be shown with closed captioning available at nearby auditoriums (see Remote Viewing section).

Wheelchair Rental
Wheelchairs are not available through the University. They may be rented prior to Finals Weekend from the following companies:

For specific questions, contact the Coordinator for Services for Persons with Disabilities at (434) 924-3095 (or click here to e-mail).

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Telephone Numbers

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Tickets & Seating (Final Exercises)

Guest seating tickets for Final Exercises (three for each graduating student) will be distributed at the University Bookstore May 15 through 18 (same as cap & gown distribution schedule). Each graduate must pick up his/her own tickets from the University Bookstore with a photo ID.

Darden, Law, and Medicine degree candidates will receive tickets at cap and gown pick-up in their respective schools. Tickets are not required for most of the diploma ceremonies. However, please check with the school or department (Arts & Sciences) to determine if tickets will be required.

For Final Exercises, the graduates and the faculty will be seated on the lowest level of the Lawn. Guests with tickets will be seated on the next three levels of the Lawn on either side of the processional route (see shaded area on the Assembly/Procession diagram, PDF format). All seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Ushers will begin collecting tickets and seating guests at 7:30 a.m. If guests need to leave their seats temporarily, they should obtain return tickets from an usher in their area. All guests should be in their seats by 9:45 a.m.

Guests without tickets are welcome, but seating will not be available. They may stand behind the reserved seating area on the upper Lawn. This area will become quite congested; therefore guests may prefer to watch a live broadcast of the ceremony in one of seven climate-controlled auditoriums nearby (see Remote Viewing section).

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Weather Plans (Inclement & Severe)

If the inclement- or severe-weather plan is followed for Valedictory Exercises or Final Exercises, announcements will be made no later than 8 a.m. on local radio stations and the University's home page, www.virginia.edu. If in doubt, call (434) 924-SNOW (924-7669), (434) 243-SNOW (243-7669), or the graduation information line, (434) 982-2908.

Valedictory Exercises
In the case of inclement or severe weather on Saturday, May 17, Valedictory Exercises will be moved from the Lawn to the John Paul Jones Arena.

Final Exercises
For Sunday, May 18, the severe-weather plan will be followed only in case of thunder, lightning, high winds, or other conditions that make it unsafe to hold ceremonies outside. Rain alone does not constitute severe weather.

Inclement Weather Plan
Depending on the weather, the University may decide to hold Final Exercises on the Lawn but move diploma ceremonies inside. Under this plan, faculty and students and their guests will go to the inclement weather sites designated on the Diploma Ceremony Locations chart for diploma distribution.

Severe Weather Plan
If the weather is severe, there will be a central convocation in the John Paul Jones Arena for Architecture, Arts & Sciences, Commerce, Continuing and Professional Studies, Education, and Nursing. Faculty and students should arrive at the arena by 9:30 a.m. Graduating students will be seated on the main floor of the arena. Only guests with tickets will be allowed entry into the arena. A limited procession (faculty and the president’s party only) will begin promptly at 10 a.m. Faculty should be assembled no later than 9:45 a.m. in the Courtside Club located on the lower level of the arena.

Faculty and students of Darden, Engineering, Law, and Medicine and their guests will go to the severe-weather sites designated on the Diploma Ceremony Locations chart for both degree conferral and diploma distribution. Faculty and students should plan to arrive at rain sites 30 minutes prior to the start of their respective ceremony.

Alcohol is not permitted at any of these locations.

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