Commencement Day

What to Expect on Sociology Commencement Day

If you are participating in the ceremony you must be at Zellerbach Auditorium no later than 8:30 a.m. on Monday, May 20.  Please check-in at the table located next to the main entrance. You will be given your name card and instructions on where to sit and what to do on stage. There is no rehearsal. Please be on time!!

The doors at Zellerbach will open for guest seating at 8:00 a.m. (there are no seating assignments; it’s first-come, first-serve). The ceremony generally lasts about 2 hours, and the reception 1 hour. Zellerbach is not air-conditioned so you and your guests should dress accordingly.If you have a guest who needs special accommodations due to a disability, please notify Rebecca Chavez (rebeccaisme@berkeley.edu) as soon as possible and no later than 48 hours prior to graduation, so that she can make arrangements. For more information about special seating needs, please see here.

Commencement Day Instructions:  All graduates should see here for Commencement instructions. Honor students: please also see here for special instructions.

Student Speaker: Each year we select one student to present the Sociology Undergraduate Address during the ceremony. Any graduating senior in sociology may apply to be the speaker. If interested, you should submit a typewritten draft (more than an outline) of your proposed speech to the Sociology Undergraduate Advising Office in Barrows Hall in April. The speech should be no longer than 5 minutes. The Chair of the Sociology Department reviews the proposals and makes the final selection. For additional information, please see an Undergraduate Advisor.