Commencement

Please find below helpful general information about Sarah Lawrence College's 85th Annual Commencement. If you have any questions or concerns, you are welcome to contact the Office of College Events at (914) 395-2412 or collegeevents@sarahlawrence.edu.

Commencement Ceremony: May 24, 2013
The Commencement Ceremony will be held Friday, May 24. The ceremony takes place under a tent (rain or shine) on Westlands South Lawn. The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. and generally lasts 2 to 2½ hours. A light reception on the North Lawn follows the ceremony.

Commencement Seating
Space at Commencement is very limited: we can accommodate four guests for each graduate and each graduate will receive only four invitations. Each invitation will include a ticket, which is required for admittance to the ceremony. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis and begins at 7:30 a.m. Graduates will be notified when tickets are available for pick up in the Office of College Events. This is usually in late April.

Live broadcast of the Commencement ceremony will be available in Reisinger Auditorium. This open, general seating will be available at 10:05 a.m., after the processional has entered the tent.

Sarah Lawrence College works to ensure that appropriate accommodations and services are provided for students and their guests at commencement in accordance with The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If you anticipate needing accommodations for a ticketed guest, please contact College Events at collegeevents@sarahlawrence.edu or by mail. All requests must be made in writing prior to May 3. Ticketed guests must be pre-registered for special seating. There will be sign language interpreters. If you are in need of this service, please send an e-mail to collegeevents@sarahlawrence.edu.

The entire Commencement tent is ADA accessible.

Arriving on Campus
On Commencement Day, you may park in any Sarah Lawrence parking lot. College Security will direct you to parking areas when you arrive on the campus. Once all lots are full, there will be a designated overflow parking area at the Cross County Mall and shuttle service to/from the Sarah Lawrence campus. Please note that parking on any side street or Kimball Avenue may result in a ticket from the City of Yonkers.

There will be shuttle service to/from the Metro-North Bronxville station before and after the ceremony.

Photographs
Because we know how important this day is to students and their families, the College has arranged for a professional photographer to take a video of the entire ceremony as well as two pictures of every student. The first picture is taken as the student receives their diploma case from the president, and the second after the student has exited the stage, diploma case in hand. These pictures and a DVD of Commencement will be available for purchase in a few weeks after the ceremony; an order form for the DVD and one for the still photographs will each be mailed to the student’s home address. We hope that this will enable families to sit comfortably in their seats with the reassurance that they will have a professionally produced photographic recording of this very special moment. We ask that those parents and guests who feel they must take a photograph with their own camera be considerate of those around them and make note of our guidelines:

• Parents and guests should not stand up in their row, as this will block the view of those seated behind them
• Please do not block or stand in the aisles

Commencement Speaker
Our 2013 Commencement speaker will be announced in March.

Commencement Week Activities/Residence Hall Closings
Traditionally, Commencement Week is a wonderful opportunity for graduates to relax and spend time with their fellow graduates and faculty at events like the Senior Lecture and the Graduates Dance. Seniors are welcome to remain in their residence halls during this week but students must vacate their rooms before 8 p.m. on Friday, May 24. There can be no exceptions. Residence halls close on May 19 at 5 p.m. for students who are not graduating.

Families are welcome to visit campus Thursday, May 23, from 4-6 p.m. There will be an informal reception in the afternoon in the Heimbold Visual Arts Building and the President’s House Garden.