April Commencement Update
TO: 2022 Senior Class
FROM: Karl Schonberg, Vice President of the University and Dean of Academic Affairs
Paul Redfern, Vice President for University Communications and Institutional Strategy
April 2022 Commencement Update
Dear Seniors,
We’re in the home stretch for Commencement! This email includes important business details to keep you on track for graduation. Most important, however, is our hope that your last few weeks on campus will be filled with great conversations with teachers and friends and that you think back on your four years here with the best memories.
Your Name
It’s special. Your family will be waiting to hear it. We want to do our very best with the pronunciation of your name. If anyone, ever, has mispronounced your name, stop by the Registrar’s office now to record your name for our faculty Commencement readers. Or you can email a sound byte to registrar@stlawu.edu . Your family will thank you. It means a lot.
How to Make Sure You Graduate and Receive Your Diploma
- Complete the Undergraduate Declaration to Graduate online in APR2.
- Check your transcript via the APR2 system to be certain that it is up to date and your major(s)/minor(s) are listed correctly.
- Check with your advisor to confirm that you have met all requirements for your major(s)/minor(s).
- Complete the Senior Survey from Institutional Research. This must be completed prior to picking up your cap and gown.
- Visit the online billing link on the Student Financial Services Page to review your bill. No student will be graduated, allowed to participate in the May graduation exercises or receive a transcript of their records if they have not discharged all financial obligations to the University. Students with questions regarding their bill can visit the Student Financial Services Office located in the Sullivan Student Center.
- Contact payroll if you close your bank account before you leave campus and make sure your address stays up to date for processing W2 information once you graduate.
- Make arrangements with the loan clerk at Student Financial Services (x5422) for an exit interview if you have federal loans as part of your financial aid package.
- Return all library books, clear out your mailbox, return any equipment you may have borrowed from the Health Center, Athletics, or IT.
- Purchase your cap and gown, $40, at the Bookstore during Senior Week or Commencement weekend.
Events
A full schedule of Commencement Weekend events is available here on the Commencement website. Please RSVP here for the Senior Class Social (Friday, May 20) and Dinner Dance (Saturday, May 21). Deadline for registration is no later than 8:00 am, Monday, May 9.
- Senior Dessert Social: Friday, May 20th, 7:00-8:30 pm; fireworks at dusk
- Adults 21+: $15
- Attendees under 21: $10
- No charge for Seniors who purchased a senior week bracelet
- Senior Dinner Dance: Saturday, May 21st, 5:30-10pm, dinner served at 6:30 pm
- Adults 21+: $40 (includes 2 drink tickets, after which a cash bar is available)
- Attendees age 10-20: $30
- No charge for children under 10
- Admission to Dance only (8-10 pm): $10
- Please note that Senior students are required to purchase a ticket.
Announcements and Caps & Gowns
The Brewer Bookstore Graduation section is up: https://www.brewerbookstore.com/graduation-information. St. Lawrence orders caps and gowns made of 100% recycled material! These will arrive during Senior Week. You do not need to order a personal size for yourself. The Bookstore orders a variety of sizes and will fit you when you stop in during Senior Week to purchase your regalia. Information is also available on the website for ordering announcements and class rings.
Live Broadcast of Ceremony
Commencement will be broadcast live online for your family and friends who cannot attend. Direct them to the Commencement website and a link will be posted there before Commencement Weekend. A fully-captioned recording will also be made available later for on-demand viewing.
Reminder about Housing
Accommodations
Seeking housing for your family members and friends for Commencement weekend? Due to limited hotel availability in the Canton area, St. Lawrence University offers you the opportunity to register guests to stay in a University room on Friday and Saturday nights, May 20 and 21. We always have plenty of room!
Reservations for accommodations must be made through the Residence Life office via our online reservation form. Please contact Mary Charleston, mcharleston@stlawu.edu, in the Residence Life office directly with questions.
Reservations will be taken from March 21, 2022, through May 18, 2022. The cost per night is $49 for age 14+, $25 for children ages 5-13, and free for children under the age of 5. Full payment must be made when you book your online reservation. Cancelled reservations will be refunded up until May 13, 2022. Please share with your guests that the University provides linen, as well as a pillow, towel, and blanket for each bed, but guests should bring any additional amenities to make their stay comfortable. No meals are included in this price. Check out is Sunday, May 22, by 6:00 p.m.
Housing assignments are made on a first-come, first-serve basis. Special arrangements may be made for some health problems (please be sure to reference this at the time of reservation). Please also note that Theme Cottages, Steiner Senior Townhouses, Hulett, Jencks, Sykes, Dean Eaton and Douglas will not be available for commencement housing due to the large number of seniors living in these buildings. Guest check-in will be in the Sullivan Student Center on Friday, May 20, and Saturday, May 21.
Seating and Special Access
Family Members with Special Physical Needs?
If you have family members who have physical limitations and require special access seating, contact Anne Chism, achism@stlawu.edu, 315-229-5585. Space is limited. We will offer one ticket in the Special Access seating area for the person with limitations, and one additional ticket for a family member to accompany that person. These Special Access tickets are the only tickets needed for Commencement, but these tickets are required if your guest has special access needs. We do not reserve personal golf carts for families. We will have a corps of drivers around campus throughout the weekend to help families move from place to place.
We have general seating for 4,000 people, among chairs and bleachers, for the ceremony in Newell Field House.
Keep in Touch
SLUNews, a bi-weekly digital newsletter, and the quarterly St. Lawrence magazine will be automatically delivered to your email and home address, respectively. That said, though your SLU email address will be functional for one year following graduation, be sure to update your email and address by simply emailing laurentians@stlawu.edu.
Visit the Alumni website for the latest on upcoming Laurentian events in various cities across the country, alumni travel programs, Laurentian Book Club and more! Plus, be sure to like and follow the Alumni Association Facebook page!