DECEMBER 2009 COMMENCEMENT GENERAL INFORMATION

VIDEOS AND PHOTOGRAPHY:

Registering your graduate with GradTrak(r) provides them with the information that they need to deliver your graduation proofs to you in a timely manner. Giving them an accurate mailing address and email address will allow them to get your proofs to you on the first try. You may also provide them with email addresses of up to six friends and family members to allow them to celebrate in the accomplishment.

To order your Commencement Video, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 843-349-ALUM (2586) or send questions to: alumni@coastal.edu.

Videos are available for $25 in DVD or VHS formats, please specify on order (price includes tax, shipping and handling). Videos from past years can also be purchased upon request.

Grad Trak® by Graduation Images is the official photographer of our commencement. Proofs will be sent to your home and via email within three to five days after graduation, and pictures can be ordered online, by phone or by mail. Graduation Images can be contacted at 800-424-3686 or via email at www.gradimages.com.

TICKETS:

General admission tickets are required for the ceremony. Seating is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Fall 2009 graduates will be allowed up to eight tickets. Tickets will be available for pick up by the graduates at the Wheelwright Box Office from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. beginning November 16. In addition to the eight (8) commencement tickets graduates are allotted and may have already picked-up, there may be a limited number of additional "Rush Tickets" available. These additional "Rush Tickets," if available, will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis on Friday, December 11, 2009, from 12:00 p.m. (noon) until 4:30 p.m. only. There will be a limit of four (4) additional tickets per person while they last. Tickets must be picked-up in-person (no phone calls) at the Wheelwright Box Office and a CCU Student ID or Drivers License is required.

DIRECTIONS & PARKING:

The Myrtle Beach Convention Center is located at the intersection of Oak Street and 21st Avenue in Myrtle Beach.  From Coastal Carolina University, travel down Highway 501 towards Myrtle Beach and exit onto Highway 17 North. Take a right onto 21st Avenue and then a left onto Oak Street. The Convention Center will be on your left. Parking is available in the Convention Center's main parking lot. Please do not park in front of the building entrance.

REGALIA:

Student regalia permissible for commencement exercises includes official Coastal Carolina University honors regalia and stoles of officially recognized student organizations approved through the Office of the Provost. Other stoles may be worn upon approval of the Office of the Provost.

Faculty are asked to wear appropriate academic regalia representative of their highest degree earned. Tams are not required to be worn, but may be worn if a faculty member so desires.

GUIDELINES:

Students: Commencement at Coastal Carolina University is an important event for you, your family and friends, as well as the faculty and staff. The ceremony brings together all involved to celebrate your achievements. Graduates are encouraged to remember that this is a time when the graduating class and the University are being observed by our most important public: family, friends and colleagues. As a graduating student, you are celebrating the successful conclusion of earning your degree. Commencement is a formal celebration of academic accomplishments. It is a ceremony steeped in academic ritual and the traditions of the University, complete with procession, academic regalia and other elements of pageantry. No one except the graduate can ensure that the celebration will be safe, dignified and memorable.

As this is a ceremonial event, we ask that all graduates conduct themselves befitting the occasion. Alcohol is expressly forbidden. Fireworks, glassware, bottles, weapons, signs and other items that could contribute to hazardous conditions are not allowed and will be confiscated. Anyone with items deemed to be unsafe or to be safety hazards will be ejected from the ceremony. Because they detract from the ceremony, balloons, balls or blow-up objects of any kind are prohibited. Cell phone use, including texting and picture taking, is prohibited during commencement. All graduates’ cell phones should be turned off and put away or given to a friend or family member prior to joining the graduate line. Any student who fails to comply with the rules of commencement may be requested to leave the line and the ceremony.

The ceremony should last approximately two hours. If you should need to leave your seat, please notify one of the aisle ushers for assistance.

Dogs and other animals, other than service animals, are not permitted at Commencement or on the University grounds on Commencement day.

To ensure a quick and safe exit, graduates are urged to make arrangements before Commencement to meet family and friends after the ceremony at a designated location.

NOTE: Graduates are not to bring purses/valuables to commencement as there are no secure areas for storage.

Families and guests:  As this is a ceremonial event, we ask that all guests conduct themselves befitting the occasion.  Alcohol is expressly forbidden.  Fireworks, glassware, bottles, weapons, signs and other items that could contribute to hazardous conditions are not allowed and will be confiscated.  Anyone with items deemed to be unsafe or to be safety hazards will be asked to leave the ceremony.  Because they detract from the ceremony, balloons, balls or blow-up objects of any kind are prohibited.  Guests are not permitted in the graduate seating area and are to remain seated during the entire Commencement service.  Taking pictures and videotaping is allowed, but tripods and monopods are not permitted.  Cameras must be battery-operated and patrons must remain seated while taking photographs and videotaping.  No strollers, car seats, or baby carriers of any kind will be allowed in the seating area.

SPECIAL ASSISTANCE:

Students: If you require special seating, disabled access, etc., you should contact Chris Dye immediately at 843-349-2025. 

Families and guests:  Special seating is limited only to those requiring assistance on a first-come, first-serve basis; please plan accordingly.  For questions regarding special seating you may contact Porter Medley at 843-349-2131.  Disabled persons can have no more than one family member assisting in special seating, if available.

GRADUATION TALES:

Do you have a story about your efforts to earn your degree that you want to share with others? Have you overcome unusual circumstances, tried an unusual path to a degree, returned after many years, or are sharing the experience with a family member? We want to hear about it and what it means to you. Submit your story of about 300 words to events@coastal.edu, and we will post it to the Graduation Tales website.

ACCOMMODATIONS:

There are many hotels in the resort area of Myrtle Beach to accommodate you during your visit to Coastal. For information or a listing, contact the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce at 800-356-3016 or www.myrtlebeachareachamber.com. You may also want to visit the Conway Chamber of Commerce site at www.conwayscchamber.com. For accommodations offering our visitors special rates, please contact the following hotels:

IMPORTANT DATES: