The Class of 2022 Commencement ceremony is fast approaching, and it “will be held rain or shine,” according to a Wednesday email from the University sent to members of the Class of 2022.
Stanford’s 131st Commencement Weekend will take place in person from June 9 to June 12. The University will hold a Commencement ceremony for the Class of 2020 on June 11, and the ceremony for the Class of 2022 will take place on June 12. Both ceremonies will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Commencement Weekend is returning with reduced COVID-19 precautions after a virtual ceremony in 2020 and a limited-capacity ceremony in 2021. This year, unlimited guests are welcome and no reservations are required for most Commencement weekend activities, according to the email. Though face coverings are not required during the weekend, they are “strongly recommended on campus,” the email reads.
Celebrations for the Class of 2022 are set to begin on June 9 with a Senior Dinner on the Quad, followed by Bacceluerette on the morning of June 10 at Frost Amphitheater. This year’s Baccalaureate speaker will be Executive Director of the Inclusive America Project Simran Jeet Singh, according to the Commencement website. The President’s Reception will then take place on the afternoon of June 11. A full schedule of the weekend is available online and will be updated as the weekend approaches.
Students walking for graduation are required to bring their student ID to Stanford Stadium on the day of the ceremony, according to the email. Student IDs will be scanned at the graduate lineup area located at Gate 12, and students who do not have their ID will have to check in at the solutions desk. Only eligible graduates will be allowed in the lineup area, in the ceremony procession and on the field, according to the email. Tickets are not required for guests attending the ceremony.
Those who cannot attend Commencement ceremonies in-person will be able to choose from a host of virtual options, including a broadcast by Stanford radio station KZSU on FM 90.1.
Academic attire is required for graduates to participate in the Commencement ceremony and the Baccalaureate, according to the email, and the University prepared suggestions for attire for various events that will take place during the weekend. Students can order their cap and gown for rent or purchase from the Stanford Bookstore. Undergraduate students can participate in the long-standing Wacky Walk tradition, in which they dress up in costumes as they enter Stanford Stadium for the ceremony, according to the email.
The University encouraged attendees to dress for warm weather, citing that the stadium has little shade. Guests who wish to watch the ceremony from an air-conditioned space can watch a livestream of the ceremony in Maples Pavilion, according to the email.
School and department celebrations, as well as community center Commencement ceremonies, are slated to take place at various times throughout the weekend. Asian American Commencement will take place on June 10 at the second floor of Old Union. Commencement celebrations for first-generation and low income students, Black students and Chicanx/Latinx students will all take place on June 11 at the Tressider Oakroom, Memorial Auditorium and Stanford Memorial Church, respectively.