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34th ANNUAL COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES
GRADUATE INFORMATION


Half Hollow Hills High School East
Eugene Orloff Auditorium
50 Vanderbilt Parkway
Dix Hills, NY 11746
Saturday, May 17, 2008
9:00 a.m.

1. Attendance
Commencement is the culminating experience of your college education. Although attendance is not mandatory, you must be certified by the Registrar’s Office to participate. If you will be unable to attend the graduation ceremony, please contact the Registrar’s Office immediately at (631) 424-7000 x 2104.

2. Location
The 34th Annual Commencement Exercises will be held on Saturday, May 17, 2008 in the Eugene Orloff Auditorium located at Half Hollow Hills High School East, 50 Vanderbilt Parkway, Dix Hills, NY 11746. Directions and travel information are below.

3. Distribution of Academic Attire and Tickets
In order to obtain a cap, gown and tickets for graduation, prospective graduates must first complete the Online Blackboard Graduation Survey (Please see the instructions in next section) in the Registrar’s Office. Once a Clearance Form has been obtained from the Registrar’s Office, a graduate should present the Form first to the Bookstore Manager, who distribute a cap and gown and second to the College Box Office, where tickets to the Commencement Exercises will be provided. Caps and gowns will be available for pick-up in the College Bookstore from Monday, May 5th – Wednesday, May 7th from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Commencement tickets may be picked up on those days between 12 noon and 5:00 p.m.

4. August 2008 Graduates
Students who will be completing their degree requirements over the summer are required to register for their last courses during the 2008 Summer Semester in order to participate in these Commencement Exercises.

5. Graduate Survey
Graduates are required to complete a short Online Blackboard Graduation Survey on their future employment and educational plans. This survey is available only to graduating students and must be completed before a Clearance Form will be issued for cap, gowns, and tickets to the graduation. Students may complete the Graduate Survey from home or they may utilize computer terminals in the Registrar’s Office designated for this purpose. Questions regarding the Blackboard Graduation Survey should be directed to dean@ftc.edu.

6. Mandatory Rehearsal – Friday, May 16th at 9:30 AM
In order to ensure a smooth graduation ceremony, a mandatory rehearsal will be held on Friday, May 16 at 9:30 a.m. in the Five Towns College Theatre Auditorium. A picture of the graduating class will be taken at that time. All candidates for graduation are required to attend the rehearsal. Please report to the Auditorium on time. You do not have to wear your academic attire to rehearsal.
Remember: Rehearsal will be held at the College, not at the Eugene Orloff Auditorium.

7. Distribution of Tickets for Graduation
Graduating students are entitled to receive four complimentary (4) tickets for their guests. Graduates themselves are not required to have tickets, provided they are marching in the processional. Complimentary tickets must be picked up May 5–7, as set forth above.

Guest seating is unreserved-general admission. Seats will be given to guests on a “first-come, first-served” basis to ticket holders. Please alert the College in advance if any of your guests have mobility impairments or who will require assistance being seated.

COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN CLAIMED BY 6:00 PM ON FRIDAY, MAY 9TH WILL BE FORFEITED. REMEMBER TO PICK UP YOUR TICKETS!

8. Extra Tickets for Graduation
Extra tickets for Graduation will be on sale at the Ticket Office, located adjacent to the Five Towns College Theatre, beginning at 12:00 noon on Monday May 12, 2008. Extra tickets are $2 each. Five Towns College students who are not graduating but who wish to attend the ceremony may receive one (1) free complimentary ticket when they present a valid Five Towns College I.D. Card. The College does not guarantee the availability of extra tickets or complimentary tickets. The College reserves the right to limit the number of extra tickets that any one person may purchase. Any disputes regarding the distribution of tickets shall be resolved in a manner determined by the Vice President/Provost. The decision of Vice President/Provost regarding the distribution of tickets is final.

9. Guests Without Tickets
No guest will be admitted without a ticket. Please ensure that you have picked up your complimentary tickets by May 9th and purchased any additional tickets that you will need by 5:00 PM on Friday, May 16th. Tickets will not be available at the door.

10. Your Guests Must Arrive On Time
Seats for ticket holders will only be held until the ceremony begins, that is until at 10:00 AM sharp. Guests will not be seated once the ceremony has begun. Please advise your family to be on time. This ceremony will start on time.

11. Infants and Young Children
The Commencement Exercises will last approximately 2 1/2 hours. Most infants and young children are not ready to sit through this type of program. As a courtesy to your fellow graduates, we strongly discourage you from inviting infants and young children to the ceremony. When the presence of infants or young children cannot be avoided, they must be seated properly in their own seat and have a ticket. Please ask that guardians observe appropriate decorum by escorting crying babies or disruptive children from the theatre promptly.

12. Commencement Exercises
Commencement Exercises will be held on Saturday, May 17th. On that day you need to report to the Half Hollow Hills East High School no later than 9:00 AM dressed in your cap and gown. If you have been inducted into the Phi Sigma Eta Honor Society, you should also wear your honor society medallion to graduation. When you arrive, you will be lined up by degree level (associate, bachelor, master, doctorate) in the gymnasium and adjacent hallway. Please follow the directions of the faculty marshals who will organize the procession.
Promptly at 10:00 a.m. the academic procession will be led into the Orloff Auditorium by the Chief Marshal, Professor Peter Rogine, in the following order:

  • 1. Doctoral Degree Candidates
  • 2. Master Degree Candidates
  • 3. Bachelor Degree Candidates
  • 4. Associate Degree Candidates
  • 5. Faculty
  • 6. Platform Party (includes Board of Trustees, recipients of honorary degrees, dignitaries, Valedictorian, Salutatorian, and other speakers); and
  • 7. College President

13. During the Ceremony

13.1 Assignment of Seats
Guest seating is not reserved; general admission for guests is the order of the day. Graduates will be seated according to their degree level. A faculty marshal will direct you to your seat when you enter the Orloff Auditorium in the rows marked with white ribbon. Follow the directions of faculty marshals at all times.

13.2 Presentation of Honor Awards
In recognition of academic achievement or service to the College, Honor Awards will be presented at the ceremony. If you are receiving an award, you will be notified in advance. On the day of graduation, identify yourself to the faculty marshal, who will provide you with a seat on or near an aisle in the Orloff Auditorium. When you are called upon to receive your award, please move quickly to the stage, accept the award from the Vice President/Provost and then shake the College President’s hand before returning to your seat.

13.3 Presentation of Diplomas
When your row is asked to stand to receive a diploma, follow the instructions of the faculty marshal.

  • When you approach the stage, hand your name card to the announcer and wait until your name is called.
  • After your name is called, proceed across the stage and accept a diploma from the Vice President/Provost.
  • After accepting the diploma, proceed to the College President and shake his right hand.
  • After shaking hands with the President, proceed to the end of the stage where a photographer will take your picture.
  • After taking your picture, return to your seat.

13.4 Moving Your Tassel
When all the students have received their diplomas and returned to their seats, the Chief Marshall will ask the students to stand as a group. He will then instruct the students to move their tassels from the right to the left, counterclockwise.

13.5 Recessional
The recessional will reverse the order of the procession, with the Marshall leading the President, Platform Party, faculty and then graduates out of the theatre one row at a time. Please remain seated until asked to stand.

13.6 Cell Phones
Please remember to turn off all cell phones, beepers, and other electronic devices before the ceremony begins. Please remind your guests to do the same.

CONGRATULATIONS!

14. Other Important Information
Participation in Commencement Exercises does not necessarily mean that you have officially graduated. The award of a degree requires fulfillment of all the stipulations set forth in the College Catalog. Only “token” diplomas are handed out at the ceremony. Your actual diploma will be mailed to the address contained on your Graduation Application, after you have been certified by the Registrar as a graduate. This may take several weeks. If there is a change in your mailing address, please notify the Registrar at once. The cap and gown are yours to keep.

DIRECTIONS TO THE EUGENE ORLOFF AUDITORIUM
AT HALF HOLLOW HILLS HIGH SCHOOL EAST

FROM ALL DIRECTIONS:
The Eugene Orloff Auditorium is located at Half Hollow Hills High School East, 50 Vanderbilt Parkway, Dix Hills. It is situated on the easterly side of Vanderbilt Parkway, approximately 1/2 mile north of Half Hollow Rd.

TRAVEL FROM THE EAST:
Long Island Expressway (495) west to Deer Park Avenue (Exit 51). Turn right onto Deer Park Avenue, heading north to Vanderbilt Parkway. Turn left onto Vanderbilt Parkway. High School East is located on the left-hand side of Vanderbilt Parkway.

TRAVEL FROM THE WEST:
Long Island Expressway (495) east to Bagatelle Road (Exit 50). Turn left onto Bagatelle Road heading north. Continue to the end and turn right onto Half Hollow Road. Travel along Half Hollow Road to the first traffic light at Vanderbilt Parkway. Turn left onto Vanderbilt Parkway, traveling north to High School East on the right.

VIA PUBLIC TRANSIT:
There is no public transit service to the Eugene Orloff Auditorium. Connections from Five Towns College may be arranged in advance with the Commencement Coordinator Mr. Dennis Fields by calling (631) 656–2141 by May 12th.