Instructions to Graduates - Houston

Congratulations on your graduation. Please read ALL of the information below to better enjoy the day with your family and friends.

Graduates and their guests MUST perform a COVID self-screening prior to leaving their homes. Do not come to the commencement events if you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.

Please maintain social distancing at all times during the ceremony. All TWU staff members working the events will be wearing masks. It is your choice whether to wear a mask or not when you exit your vehicle for photos.

Be prepared for up to an hour's wait once you arrive. No restroom facilities are available onsite.

What Graduates Need To Bring

Plan to meet the second car in your party prior to arriving at the event. The two cars will only be admitted together.
Be in your regalia when you arrive. There is no place to put your robe on at the event.
Place your car placards on the driver's side dashboard in both cars.
Bring your name card mailed to you by the Registrar's Office. Feel free to add the phonetic spelling of your name if you feel it will assist the name reader.

What Will Happen at HCSS?

Each graduate may bring two vehicles of family and friends (including the graduate's vehicle) to the event.
At the assigned time, the two vehicles will enter the Fort Bend Church parking lot from Eldridge Road with the graduate in the lead vehicle. Cars will be lined up in the church's parking lot before entering the HCSS campus. Please arrange to meet your second vehicle prior to entering the graduation lineup. The cars must travel together to the HCSS campus where the ceremony will occur. Driving directions to the HCSS ceremony
Each department is assigned a time to arrive; graduates need to arrive at their specific assigned time—not the ceremony time—in order to ensure the steady flow of vehicles and to avoid a long wait time.
Graduates - sit on the passenger side of the car. This will make it easier to exit the vehicle to participate in the ceremony.
The Registrar's Office is sending each graduate an email that includes 2 windshield placards (for driver's side dashboards) and the graduate's name card. All of these must be brought to the event.
TWU and Sugar Land Public Safety officers will check-in vehicles prior to joining the event car line-up in the church parking lot.
Once admitted, follow the line-up to the HCSS campus.
When you are the next person to exit your car, a TWU staff member will approach your vehicle with an outstretched arm to receive your name card. Please extend your arm with the name card to provide it to the TWU staff member to ensure social distancing.
When directed by TWU Public Safety officers, the two cars will move into position. Put your car in park.
Then, you will immediately exit the car; all other occupants must remain in their vehicles. (Please see special instructions below for doctoral graduates and undergraduate nursing graduates.) You will walk to the diploma cover table and pick up a diploma cover as your name and degree are announced.
Be sure to stand on the marked spot on the pavement for a picture with the diploma cover. Then walk a few steps to the right and pose for a photo in front of a photo backdrop. Both photos will be made by professional photographers.
Then, immediately return to your vehicle so that the two vehicles move in preparation for the next graduate. Please be aware of the need to move forward because over 200 graduates will be exiting their vehicles during the ceremonies.
The two cars will be directed to exit the HCSS campus.
The events will be livestreamed.

Special Instructions for Doctoral Graduates

Doctoral graduates will be hooded by one family member or friend (“hooder”). The Graduate School has prepared a video on hooding which you and your hooder should watch in preparation for the ceremony.
The hooder should also be seated on the passenger's side of the car for quick exit.
The hooder should have the hood on his/her left arm; please be sure the hood is not buttoned because the hood cannot go over your head if buttoned.
You and your hooder should walk up the finish line. Directly in front of the diploma cover table, you need to stand perpendicular to the table as the hooder places the hood over your head. The hooder then returns to the car.
You will then pick up a diploma cover from the table and follow the instructions listed above for all graduates.

Special Instructions for Undergraduate Nursing Graduates

Undergraduate Nursing graduates may choose to participate in a pinning immediately before receiving the diploma cover.
You will receive the pin from one family member or friend (“pinner”). Add the name of the pinner and relation to you to your name card.
The pinner should also be seated on the passenger side of the car for quick exit.
The pinner should have the sash on which the pin is mounted.
You and your pinner will walk to the balloon arch where the pinner will place the sash around your neck. A photo will be made by a professional photographer. (Note: Dr. Rochelle Schultz and Dr. Vy Wyatt can answer questions about pinning.)
The pinner then returns to the car.
You, then, walk to the diploma cover table and follow the instructions for all graduates above.

Page last updated 10:56 AM, October 25, 2021