The 28th ANNUAL
LATINO COMMENCEMENT CELEBRATION
Go to our webpage at www.csufresno.edu/lcc for answers to all your questions
The following information, instructions, and important dates and times are for students participating in The 28th Annual Latino Commencement Celebration (LCC)
on May 22, 2004. In order to plan and conduct a graduation ceremony that our graduates and their family members and guests can be proud of, YOU MUST READ
THIS ENTIRE DOCUMENT CAREFULLY.
PLEASE NOTICE THAT WE ARE MOVING TO THE SAVE MART CENTER AND WE ARE STILL
TRYING TO ESTABLISH THE TIME FOR CEREMONY, WHICH WILL BE HELD ON MAY 22,
2004, AND THE DATE AND TIME FOR THE REHEARSAL. AS THIS INFORMATION BECOMES
AVAILABLE, WE WILL POST IT ON THE WEB-SITE.
Below you will find information on:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Application fee
Date, time, and location of Latino Commencement Celebration
Graduation Attire
Invitations for the Graduation
Diploma Casing and Graduation Certificate
Instructions for the “Graduate Message” for the Class of 2004
Mandatory Graduate Rehearsal Session
Information for guests
Graduate instructions for rehearsal date (TBA), 2004
Latino Graduation Yearbook: Class of 2004
The Sash
Second Sash
1. $30.00 APPLICATION FEE
A large portion of the each student’s application fee is used to pay for graduation items that she/he will need for the day of the celebration. These items include such
things as the sash, diploma casing, graduation certificate, printing, etc. After these and other items are paid for, there is only a few dollars left from each application fee.
The left over money is used to pay for part of the cost of postage, Xeroxing, printing, phone bills (cost varies each year), receptions (cost varies with the number of
graduates), entertainment, etc. The $30.00 application fee does not cover the entire cost of the graduation ceremony. Dr. Luz Gonzalez, the Coordinator of the Latino
Commencement Celebration, is responsible for raising additional funds for the event.
2. SCHEDULE FOR MAY 22, 2004
The 28th Annual Latino Commencement Celebration will be held on:
Saturday, May 22, 2004, at the Save Mart Center.
Entertainment:
Ceremony:
To Be Announced.
To Be Announced
Graduate Reception (Graduates Only):
To Be Announced
Graduates are required to report to the Save Mart Center at To Be Announcement.
3. GRADUATION ATTIRE (Kennel Bookstore)
Appropriate academic regalia are required. Caps and gowns will be available at the Kennel Bookstore during the month of March.
4. GRADUATION INVITATIONS
The invitations are custom made and bilingual. They will be available on March 3, 2004, in the Social Science Building, Room 108.
5. DIPLOMA CASING AND GRADUATION CERTIFICATE
Each Graduate will receive a diploma case on stage the day of the graduation. The diploma case will be empty. Graduates will receive certificates of participation
during the scheduled rehearsal sessions.
6. APPLICATION FOR THE GRADUATION MESSAGE
Graduates interested in delivering the "Graduate Message" on behalf of The Latino Class of 2004 must compete for this honor. Interested students must submit a two
page (typed and double space) original essay written in English and/or in Spanish with their name, phone number and local mailing address to Dr. Luz Gonzalez, Dean
ad interim, College of Social Sciences, Room #108, by no later than 4:00 PM on April 9, 2004. Essays will not be accepted after the deadline. The essays will be
reviewed for originality, content, organization, and grammar.
The graduate message should be one that is meaningful to the entire graduating class and not just the speaker (s). Think of yourself as a member of the "Class of 2004"
who has been chosen to write a message on behalf of the entire class.
Please note that the essays only serve as an instrument for selecting the best-qualified students. The winners will not read their own original essays on stage; instead, the
winners will work together in writing a graduate message that expresses the experiences of the Latino CLASS of 2004.
Dr Gonzalez will contact the selected students on April 23, 2004.
Important: Please note that the students selected will be the voice of the CLASS OF 2004 and they will be presenting in front of their peers and over 16,000 guests.
This is why they must be prepared to attend two mandatory rehearsal meetings with Dr. Luz Gonzalez. NO EXCEPTIONS!!! Students who do not attend the
rehearsal meetings will be automatically disqualified. The meetings will be in the Social Science Building Room #108 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 6,
2004, and on Friday, May 7, 2004.
7. MANDATORY GRADUATE REHEARSAL SESSION
Rehearsal to be held at Save Mart Center on:
To Be Announced
We will meet at the Save Mart Center at (To Be Announced ).
One practice session has been scheduled for the LCC participants. It is mandatory for graduates to attend.
8. FAMILY MEMBERS AND GUESTS
Admission to the celebration is free and graduates may invite as many guests as they wish. There will be free parking available in the parking lots around the Save Mart
Center.
9. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAY 22, 2004
The LCC will host a reception for the graduates from To Be Announced at the Save Mart Center (location To Be Announced). LCC volunteers will be available to
direct the graduates to the location of the reception.
IMPORTANT: Graduates must be prepared to form the procession line by (To Be Announced). LCC volunteers will line up the graduates in preparation for
the procession.
10. THE LATINO GRADUATION YEARBOOK: CLASS OF 2004
Graduate Portraits & Yearbook Instructions
Please note that the application fee does not cover the cost of the yearbook. In the past, the yearbook was a gift made possible by several university sponsors and
advertisers. This year, due to budget constraints, graduates may purchase a copy of the yearbook for a $5.00 fee the day of the ceremony.
For our graduates' convenience, we will be photographing students for the yearbook on campus. Please read the following information carefully:
Digital Portrait sittings for the yearbook will be done by appointment only. Please call 559-278-5097 to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.
Phone:
559-278-5097
Dates:
March 22-25, 2003
Times:
3:00 PM to 6:00 PM daily
Location:
To Be Announced
Fee:
Digital Portrait---Free
(Go to www.csufresno.edu/lcc for map)
11. THE SASH
The Sashes will be given to the graduates the day of the ceremony.
Each year several graduates ask, “What is a sash?” In response to this question, the following information is provided:
The sash is, "an ornamental band, ribbon, or scarf worn over the shoulders or around the waist, often formerly as a symbol of distinction (Webster's Dictionary)."
The sash, which has been used for the LCC since 1976, is custom made and approximately three (3) inches in width and two (2) yards in length. It is made by sewing
together ribbons of different colors and is worn around the neck.
In the LCC, graduates have the opportunity to acknowledge their membership in American society while simultaneously taking pride in their ethnic and/or bi-cultural
heritage. This prestigious distinction is accomplished in the following way:
a.
b.
The use of academic regalia and the Latino Commencement Celebration are only some of the many features of the LCC that serves to express the graduates'
loyalty, dedication, commitment, and cultural pride as members of the American society.
By the same token, the sashes, give graduates the opportunity to distinguish themselves as Latinos and with pride, acknowledge their country of origin. Each
graduate's sash colors coincide with the colors of the national flag identified by the graduate. For example, a graduate who can trace his/her family lineage to
Brazil will wear a sash made of green, yellow, and blue colors.
12. SECOND SASH
The $30.00 application fee covers the cost of one sash per graduate. Graduates who need or want a second sash are responsible for providing their own. This applies to
graduates who have parents with different ethnic backgrounds (e.g., mother from El Salvador and father from Chile.) or who, for a variety of reasons, want to wear a
second sash. Due to cost and time, the LCC cannot furnish a second sash for graduates. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Instructions for the Second Sash
Graduates must contact Dr. Luz Gonzalez by email at luz_gonzalez@csufresno.edu
no later than April 16, 2004 to:
a.
b.
c.
d.
inform her that they will be wearing two sashes at the Latino Commencement Celebration.
verify which of the two sashes will be ordered through LCC.
receive information on the required materials, measurements and designs for a second sash.
to ensure uniformity and formality throughout the LCC, Dr. Luz Gonzalez must approve second sashes and/or other symbolic items.