• Commencement
• General Information

General Information

Airports

There are two main airports that serve Occidental. The closest is the Burbank-Pasadena-Glendale Airport, which is less than a half-hour from campus. Los Angeles International Airport is about an hour’s drive from campus, depending on traffic. Transportation is available from each airport to hotels and other accommodations in the Pasadena area.

Campus Shuttle Service

Limited shuttles for the elderly and physically challenged individuals will run from various campus locations to Hillside Theater before and after Commencement.

Handicapped Parking

Handicapped parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis, but you must display your official DMV handicapped placard if you park in a handicapped parking space on campus. When you arrive, you will be directed to the closest handicapped parking area by a Campus Safety officer. Shuttles will be available from all handicapped parking areas to take you and your guests to the entrance of the theater. If you have any questions regarding handicapped parking, contact Holly Nieto (323-259-2598, hnieto@oxy.edu).

Admission to Commencement

Wristbands are required to enter the theater on the day of Commence­ment. Please coordinate with your student, as he or she will be given seven wristbands for the ceremony when he or she picks up his or her cap and gown during the week prior to Commencement. No one without a wristband will be allowed inside the theater.

Cap and Gown Rental

At Grad Fair on February 14, prospective graduates can reserve their cap and gown (rental fee is not due until time of distribution in May). If a student cannot attend Grad Fair, he or she should stop by the Bookstore as soon as possible after February 14 to complete a reservation form. Graduation announcements may be ordered online at www.Cbgrad.com (key word: Occidental).

Flowers

Flowers will be available for purchase on campus at multiple locations near Hillside Theater on the day of Commencement.

Pets

Please note that no pets are allowed in Hillside Theater (except for seeing-eye and K-9 assist dogs).

Photographs

Grad Images, a commercial firm, will be at Commencement to photograph each graduate at the moment the diploma is presented. The taking of pictures or videos by individuals immediately in front of the platform is not allowed in an effort to eliminate crowding and confusion in that area. Several weeks after Commence­ment, proofs and an order form will be sent to your ­student’s address as shown on the College’s records. For more information, contact Grad Images at 800-628-4509 or visit www.gradtrak.com.

Commencement Ceremony DVDs

DVDs will be available for purchase from Pure Logic Video. To preorder, go to www.purelogicvideo.com or visit the Pure Logic booth in the Quad during the post-Commencement luncheon. For more information, contact Stan Thomas (805-405-9661, oxygraduation@purelogicvideo.com).

Clothing Suggestions

The terrain of the campus requires considerable walking to and from various events. Comfortable shoes are a must. Because Hillside Theater is an open-air venue, please use discretion and check weather reports as conditions in the theater may be uncomfortable for younger children and the elderly. If the weather is unseasonably warm, you will appreciate having water, a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen during the ceremony as most seats are in direct sun. On the other hand, should the weather be overcast, you should also bring a jacket.

Theater Seating

Please note that the seats in Hillside Theater are concrete and have no back support. Therefore, you may want to bring a blanket or seat cushion. No strollers are allowed inside the theater. The doors will open for seating at 7:00 a.m. No one will be admitted before then. Everyone needs to be seated by 8:45 a.m. for Commencement to begin at 9:00 a.m. sharp. (Cushions can be purchased at the Bookstore prior to the ceremony.)

You may also contact Kimberly Uribe at: (323) 259-2523, or kuribe@oxy.edu, to discuss any additional questions or concerns.

Additional Information

Commencement information is available online at www.oxy.edu/commencement. You may also contact Kimberly Uribe at 323-259-2523 or kuribe@oxy.edu to discuss any additional questions or concerns.

Commencement Ceremony Speakers and Honorees

Andrew H. Delbanco, director of American studies and Julian Clarence Levi Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University, will deliver the Commencement address at Occidental on May 19.

Joining Delbanco in receiving honorary degrees will be three distinguished Oxy alumni: David Burcham ’73, president of Loyola Marymount University; Sarah Newhall ’70, former president and CEO of Pact Inc., a nonprofit global development organization based in Washington, D.C., and current interim CEO of Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette in Portland, Ore.; and Soroosh Shambayati ’86, managing director and co-head of global markets for Renaissance Capital.

Named “America’s Best Social Critic” by Time in 2001, Delbanco completed his B.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University and joined the Columbia faculty in 1985. His essays appear regularly in the New York Review of Books, The New Republic, and other journals on topics ranging from American literary and religious history to contemporary issues in higher education. Delbanco’s books The Puritan Ordeal (1989) and Melville: His World and Work (2005) received the Lionel Trilling Award at Columbia University. His most recent book is College: What It Was, Is, and Should Be (2012).