Org Meeting

Congratulations – Commencement is just a few days away.

Diploma pick-up will be held on Friday, May 20th between 10 A.M. and 4 P.M. at the Registrar’s Office in North College. You must have a photo i.d. When you get your “real” diploma, you will also be given a number – REMEMBER YOUR NUMBER!!! The number determines (alphabetically) where you will stand in line for the Commencement procession. Tell your friends and relatives your number; there is a map that will show them which aisle you will walk down before you take your seats.

Please report promptly to the top of Foss Hill on Sunday morning, May 22nd by 10:00 A.M. You will be lined up in alphabetical order in 5 groups around the observatory. Look for numbered signs every 75 feet or so to help you spread out. For example:

Seniors Group # 1 (#s 1 – 118)

# 1- 40 Abe to Ben etc.

The number you were given will tell you where to line up. At each of the five major group signs there will be a faculty assistant marshal who will hand you a card (with your name and number on it). Keep the card, and follow the instructions on it! It will assist you in lining up correctly and as a control (for alphabetical order) as you line up to receive your diploma covers. Your name will not be read out during the ceremony without a card.

The procession will begin promptly at 10:45 A.M., moving down Foss Hill to Wyllys Avenue. When the first of the faculty reach the bottom of the hill, the faculty ranks will divide to create an aisle of honor through which you will march two-by-two. Follow your marshal down the hill and enjoy the professorial applause – job well done!

Once down the hill, continue to follow your faculty marshal towards the library, proceeding through the large tent. Different groups will split and proceed up different aisles for simultaneous seating. Return to a single file, and alphabetic/numeric order to take your seats. Please be seated once you are at your seat.

You will be awarded your degrees after the conferring of the graduate degrees. Nicole Stanton Provost of the University, will intone the phrase: “Mr. President, I have the honor to present these candidates to receive at your hand Wesleyan’s degree of Bachelor of Arts.” You will stay seated while the president confers the degree, ending with the words: “In testimony of your achievement, I am pleased and proud to present your diplomas.”

Guided by the faculty assistant marshals, you will then file up to the platform in alphabetical order to receive the diploma cover and a warm presidential handshake. As you go up the stairs to the platform, you will hand your card to the faculty marshals stationed there. He or she and Dean Guerrero

will then confirm that you are in order, and make sure it is your name that is proclaimed as you file past the president. Follow the person in front of you to the photographer, who will take your photo in front of Dennison Terrace. Then to return to your original seat.

The tossing of caps occurs after the Fight Song. At the end of the ceremony, only the platform party and faculty will form the recessional. Stay in your seats until they have exited, and then join in the reception on the front lawn.

In the unlikely event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held under the big tent on Andrus field. There will be an announcement made by email to that effect by Saturday afternoon. In this case, there will be no procession. Please report to the tent by 10 A.M. There will be numbered signs in the tent with faculty marshals standing nearby handing out numbered cards. After getting your card, go directly to your seat and sit down.

If you arrive late and have no card, you may still be able to have your name read. Place yourself alphabetically in the line and as you file up to the platform, tell your name to the faculty marshal at the bottom of the steps. He or she may be able to find your card and insert you into the list (No guarantees!).

Have a wonderful week and graduation.

Suzanne OConnell
Commencement Marshal

Congratulations on your upcoming graduation!

Diplomas will be available for pick up from the Registrar’s Office on Friday, May 20 from 10am-4pm.

Please note the following requirements for diploma pick up:
1. A photo id.
2. A student account in good standing.
3. A judicial record in good standing.

Graduating students can also pick up their diploma between 8:30am-4:30pm Monday, May 23 through Friday, May 27 from the Registrar’s Office. Diplomas not picked up by noon on Friday, May 27 will be mailed to the permanent address on file.

During diploma pick-up day, you may enter through the North College Andrus Field facing doors or the North College doors facing High Street. You are asked to stop at the check-in table to receive a personalized card with your contact information, which you may update if necessary. Be sure to visit the career center, alumni association and senior class gift tables—and have your card stamped at each table. Turn your stamped card in at the check-out table and you will be entered into a raffle with a chance to win a special prize!

Please let me know if you have any questions,

Thank you!

Dear Seniors,

There are 20 days until graduation and we know you are all very excited! To make this time more special for you, the week leading up to graduation will be filled with different activities! Details can be found on the attached poster.

In order to attend Senior Week events, students must buy tickets for the reduced price of $20. This cost is to create a budget for any accidents that might happen and have a cost to fix. Additionally, the Office of Advancement is hosting a Mimosa Brunch, which requires a $5 donation to the school to attend. The donation can be made at the time of ticket purchase or on the day of.

This is also a reminder that during Senior Week, dining halls are not open and paying $20 for a ticket will also buy you 4 meals served throughout the week!

If you have any questions, please reach out to the Senior Class Officers or the Senior Class Advisor, Shelissa Newball at involvement@wesleyan.edu

Best,

The Senior Class Officers + Advisor

Shelissa Newball

Associate Director, Student Activities & Leadership Development

(860) 685-2143

Happening Thursday: Alumni Panel with Wesleyan Watson Fellows, Justin Kim (’19), Momi Afelin (’19), and Mica Fisher (’17).

The Watson Fellowship provides $36,000 plus support toward health coverage and student loan payments for fellows to undertake an independent project during a full year spent outside the US.

Join us Thursday 4/28 at 1:30pm on Zoom to hear about the Watson Fellowships from Wesleyan graduates who’ve completed their Watson year. Hear about their travels, get inspired about what you might do, and ask questions! Register here (bit.ly/390znZ2)

Wesleyan students are only eligible to apply for the Watson Fellowship in the fall of their senior year, so if you’re in the Class of 2023, now is the time to learn about the Watson Fellowship! (If you’re in 2024 or 2025, you’re welcome to come hear about this opportunity and think ahead 😊)

Questions can be directed to fellowships@wesleyan.edu.

To ensure that your full legal name is spelled correctly on your diploma, we are asking you to confirm your diploma name.  Please confirm your name as soon as possible.

In your WesPortal under ‘My Information’ click on Diploma Name. The name that we currently have on file will be displayed on this page.  If your name is correct, please click on Confirm/Update button at the bottom of the page.  If your name is not correct, please make any necessary corrections before selecting the Confirm/Update button.

Please note that you will only be able to update your name once per day – if you confirm your name in error, you will need to return to the page the following day to make any corrections. If your name contains special characters or accents, please confirm the spelling of your name without the characters or accents.  In order to make sure that the special characters or accents appear correctly on your diploma, you will be asked to link to the Special Character Diploma Name Confirmation form and send it to the Registrar’s Office.

To make a correction to your legal name for all other university records, you will need to bring a form of legal identification (birth certificate, passport, driver’s license, or legal name change document if your name has been legally changed) to the Registrar’s Office.

In preparation for graduation clearance, it is time to certify all your majors, minors and/or certificates.

Go to your Academics bucket in WesPortal and click on the Major/Minor/Certificate Certification link. You will see a separate link for each major, minor, and certificate you have. You must first mark the courses you wish to offer in satisfaction of each requirement by checking the box next to the course.

Once you have offered the appropriate number of courses to satisfy each requirement, you must choose a Capstone Experience at the bottom of the form and click the Save button to update. Then return to the landing page where you clicked into the form and you will see a Final Submit button appear. Click it to electronically route your form to your faculty certifier.

If you wish to offer a course that does not appear on your form, you may click the “request override” link on the requirement line where you want the course to appear. Please note that you will not be able to submit your final form for certification until all override requests have been resolved, so you should submit those asap. The student deadline for submitting all Major/Minor/Certificate Certification forms is March 11. Faculty have until 4/1 to complete certifications.

It is the student’s responsibility to submit their forms for certification. Majors, Minors, and certificates that are not certified will be dropped from your academic record at the end of the term.

If you have not already done so, please give this your immediate attention.  If you need assistance, please contact Susan Krajewski, Senior Associate Registrar, at skrajewski@wesleyan.edu.

Would you like to share your Wesleyan experience at graduation?  If so, simply submit a 200-250 word essay answering the following question:

What has your Wesleyan experience meant to you?

The essay should be roughly equivalent to the speech you wish to deliver at graduation. Completed essays should be emailed to Dean Guerrero(mlguerrero@wesleyan.edu) by 12:00 noon on Friday, March 25.

All essays will be reviewed anonymously by the Senior Commencement Speaker Selection Committee, which will select several finalists for interviews from the pool.  Interviews will be conducted in mid-April, after which the speaker will be announced.

Speaking at Commencement is a unique responsibility that should be taken seriously.  If you are interested in becoming the senior speaker for Commencement, please don’t hesitate to submit an essay!

Best wishes,

Caps and Gowns for the Class of 2022

Commencement: Sunday, May 22nd

This year students will purchase their cap and gown regalia (via credit card) from the following Oak Hall website: https://wesleyan.shopoakhalli.com/purchasewizard/Welcome

Students will either choose a Bachelor Package, Masters Package, or Doctor Package. The website will guide you to the correct gown size by asking height and weight questions.

All Bachelor Regalia will be shipped to the Wesleyan R J Julia Bookstore and will be available for pick up starting Monday, May 9th. Students will have until Monday, March 28nd, to purchase their caps and gowns online.

Masters and PHD candidates will either elect to pick up their package at the Wesleyan R J Julia Bookstore or have it sent to their home address.

· Masters and PHD candidates who wish to have their regalia shipped to the Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore must order online by Friday, April 8th. Masters and PHD regalia will be available for pick up at the Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore starting Friday May 13th.

· Masters and PHD candidates who wish to have their caps and gowns shipped to a home address will have until Saturday, April 23rd, to order online.

Wesleyan R J Julia Bookstore: 413 Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457. (860) 685-3939.

Store Hours: Sunday through Wednesday 10 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.