March Commencement Update

  1. Office & Department Directory
  2. Commencement
  3. March Commencement Update

TO:                        2023 Senior Class

FROM:                 Paul Redfern, Vice President for University Communications
                              and Institutional Strategy

RE:                        March 2023 Commencement Update

Senior Class Meetings:  We hold informational meetings for seniors and attendance at one of the meetings is mandatory if you plan to participate in senior week. You’ll hear more about these meetings soon from your advisor Alivia Sheffield.

On-Campus Accommodations: 

  • Commencement Guest Housing - Seeking housing for family members and friends for Commencement weekend? Due to limited hotel availability in the Canton area, St. Lawrence University offers the opportunity to register guests to stay in a University residence hall room on Friday and Saturday night, May 19 and 20. Reservations will be accepted from March 27 to May 17 and must be made online. Room reservations can be made here and the link is also posted on the Commencement website. Phone reservations cannot be accepted since full payment of $50.00 per person, per night, must be made at the time of the reservation. Please note we only accept payment by credit card.

    Guest check-in will be in the Sullivan Student Center on Friday, May 19 and Saturday, May 20. Cancelled reservations will be refunded up until Friday, May 12. Please share with your guests that the University provides linen, as well as a pillow, towel, washcloth and blanket for each bed, but they should bring any additional amenities to make their stay comfortable. No meals are included in this price. Checkout is Sunday, May 21 by 6:00 p.m. Housing assignments are determined on a first-come, first-serve basis. Special arrangements may be made for some health problems (please be sure to include this information under the “Special Request” section of your registration form). Please also note that Theme Cottages, Steiner Senior Townhouses, Kirk Douglas Hall, Hulett, Jencks, Sykes, and Dean Eaton will not be available for commencement guest housing due to the large number of seniors living in these buildings.
  • RV Parking and Rentals - Personal RVs may be parked on campus in the gravel lot by Appleton Arena. RV rentals are also available through Steve's RV Center in Potsdam. Rental arrangements may be made directly with them by calling 315-265-3211. Please register your personal or rental RV here so we can be sure to have enough space available. Note that this is a parking space only and no utilities are provided.

Family Members with Special Physical Needs:  The University designates a special seating area for individuals who have accessibility or other physical challenges, such as hearing impairment. If a family member has such challenges, please fill out this request form at least one week in advance for special seating tickets or contact Anne Chism, achism@stlawu.edu, 315-229-5585, to discuss your needs. We will reserve one seat for the person who has physical challenges and one additional seat for a family member. To accommodate those guests with physical challenges, we cannot seat entire groups in this section.

Graduation Announcements:  Non-personalized graduation announcements may be purchased by seniors through Brewer Bookstore in person or online. Personalized announcements may be ordered directly through Balfour.

Events: The weekend’s events begin on Friday, May 19, with a dessert social at the Sullivan Student Center and fireworks following at dusk. The afternoon of Saturday, May 20, features a Commencement concert by the Laurentian Singers.  That evening, enjoy an all-time-favorite Adirondack Dinner to celebrate the night before commencement, including live music outside of Dana Dining Hall. The link to register for the dessert social and dinner will be available on the Commencement website on Wednesday, April 5.

On Sunday morning, we hold a baccalaureate service of reflection at 8:00 a.m., followed by Commencement at 10:00 a.m. A punch and cookies reception follows Commencement, which generally lasts about two hours; Dana Dining Hall will host a luncheon at which Class of 2023 members are our guests and others will pay $9.75 per person for age 6 and older and free for those younger than 6.

The full schedule of events will be posted to the Commencement website.  Check back often for updates and Commencement news! 

Meals: The St. Lawrence website https://www.stlawu.edu/about/regional-accommodations provides information and links to the Best Western County Seat Restaurant and area restaurants through the Canton Chamber of Commerce and St. Lawrence Chamber of Commerce websites. Reservations for dinner and for lunch on Sunday are encouraged.

Residence Halls will close at 6 p.m., Sunday, May 21.

Photography:  Genesee Photo Systems captures the moment each student receives his or her diploma.  Genesee will send proofs directly to students’ homes (through postal mail or email) and families may elect to purchase photos directly from this firm.  Families are invited to photograph or videotape the awarding of degrees from the designated area at the left side of the stage and should not impede the academic procession.

Tickets and Guests:  Commencement itself requires no tickets. Graduates and families may invite as many guests as you wish to attend the weekend.

Reminders

  • Consult the Graduation Checklist that the Registrar’s Office has created. It outlines step-by-step everything you need to know to have all your requirements completed in time for Commencement. 
  • Majors/minors: If you need to add or remove a major/minor from your record please do so as soon as possible.
  • If anyone, at any time, has ever mispronounced your name, please stop by the Registrar's Office to record your name pronunciation for graduation. Or you can email a sound bite to registrar@stlawu.edu.  This is optional but recommended to ensure that your name is pronounced correctly during Commencement. Believe me, your mother will thank you!
  • Is your parent, spouse, or partner an employee of the University?  If so, you have the option to have that special person hand you your diploma cover as you walk across the stage.  Please contact Paul Redfern, University Communications, predfern@stlawu.edu, with your name and the name of the special employee to whom you are related.