Queensborough Community College
The City University of New York
The Committee on Ceremonial Occasions
A Standing Committee of the Faculty Senate
Meeting Minutes
February 19, 2008
1:00 p.m.
L 414 - Conference Room
In Attendance: M. Conte, H. O’Donnell, S. Kincaid
The meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m. The minutes from the previous meeting
were reviewed and unanimously approved by the attendees.
The first order of business was the 2008 Commencement Guide. This is the second year
in which the guide has been used to replace the previous practice of graduation rehearsal,
and all agreed that it was quite successful last year. Based on previous discussions of the
committee, several changes were implemented in the 2008 guide, including:
a. The addition of a reminder to graduates that family members and children are
not allowed on the stage during the presentation of diplomas.
b. A disclaimer stating that vendors outside college property are not approved by
the college, and directing students and families to officially-licensed
vendors on college grounds.
There was general agreement that the guide to graduates is a significant improvement
over the previous practice of holding a rehearsal and distributing informational leaflets.
M. Conte also noted that the volume of calls and e-mails to the graduate helpline was
down significantly over previous years, and that Susan Agin deserved special
commendation for her work on the voice-mail system.
After a brief discussion of the performances of the National Anthem and the Alma Mater,
all agreed that after the wonderful job done by the faculty and students of the Music
Department, any suggestions and recommendations they might have should be
incorporated into this year’s ceremony. The committee also agreed that the musical
interlude of previous ceremonies should be dropped in the interest of time…
At the time of the meeting, details regarding seating, chair counts, and faculty and student
participation numbers were still being worked out, yet it was agreed that there might still
be ways to speed the processional in the interest of keeping the ceremony under our twohour time limit. These topics included seating faculty as the last of the students were
seated, as well as revising the overall seating plan.
Costs continue to remain a concern. This is a very expensive ceremony, and the
Auxiliary Budget allocation continues to cover only about half of the costs of the
ceremony itself. However, any attempts to cut costs create problems in other areas.
Having faculty pay for regalia rental would seriously compromise participation, and
while the college might consider purchasing (instead of renting) chairs and the tent as a
long-term cost saving measure, the availability and viability of on-campus storage is a
major concern.
Finally, as was discussed in previous meetings, increased participation by student
volunteers, particularly by the Student Government Association, might be an option in
helping staff information booths and in assisting as ushers and other non-security
graduation personnel. However, this possibility must be explored with the SGA and must
address issues of reliability and turnout.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:20 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Shannon Kincaid
(May 8, 2008)