Spring 2008 Graduation Information

The Department of English and Comparative Literature is pleased to announce a ceremony and reception honoring May 2008 graduates will be held Saturday, May 10th at 2:00 p.m. in the Paul Green Theater in the Center for Dramatic Art.

We plan to honor:

• Students completing Ph.D., M. A., and B. A. degrees in English or Comparative Literature (including double majors)

• Departmental award winners, and

• Students receiving honors and highest honors in English, Comparative Literature, or Creative Writing

All graduates will be presented with a certificate of congratulations.  English, Comparative Literature, and Creative Writing honors students will also receive their honor cord during the ceremony.

All graduates planning to attend the ceremony were required to RSVP to 2008ECLgrad@unc.edu no later than 7:59 a.m. Monday, April 28, 2008. Graduates who did not RSVP but would like to attend the ceremony should send a message to 2008ECLgrad@unc.edu immediately. We'll do our best to recognize you during the ceremony, but we unfortunately cannot accommodate any guests you may bring.

All guest tickets to the department's ceremony must be picked up by 4:45 p.m. Friday, May 9th from Jen Bolanos in the reception area of the English and Comparative Literature Department suite (Greenlaw 204). Graduates are responsible for picking up their own tickets (friends, roommates, family members, etc. cannot pick up tickets).  Please let us know if this policy creates a serious hardship for you.  Plan to have a photo ID with you the day you pick up your tickets ( UNC One Card is preferred).

Tickets are available only to those students who sent an RSVP request to 2008ECLgrad@unc.edu and received a confirmation message from Anita Braxton.

Graduates do not need a ticket to the ceremony, but they will need to check in with us when they arrive at the theater.  We'll have a personalized name card ready for you when you check in -- please keep this card and review the important information we've provided.  After you check in you will be directed to the graduate entrance (the proper entryway will be marked for you).  You should show your personalized card to the attendant at this door, but be sure to keep your card with you as you make your way to the seat number you've been assigned.  Your card contains important information you will need during the ceremony.  Graduates and award winners have reserved seating in the theater and will sit together as a group, arranged alphabetically.  The graduate check-in table will open at 1:25 p.m. Graduates should plan to check in with us no later than 1:45 p.m. 

All other entrances to the theater will open at 1:30 p.m. Guests are free to sit in any theater seat that has not been reserved (reserved seats will be labeled).  Remember, your guests must have a ticket to enter the theater.  We expect every seat will be filled.

Disability seating will be available at floor level for those guests who are in wheelchairs or have difficulty climbing steps (please note guests must climb a small set of stairs to enter the theater). If one of your guests has difficulty climbing stairs or is in a wheelchair, he/she should enter through the wheelchair/disability access entrance.  This entrance will be to the left of the general public entrance and will be clearly marked.  A ticket will also be required at this door.   

Paul Green theater Drive has been designated as a disability drop-off area, and disability parking will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis in disability spaces or regular spaces in the Cobb Deck directly behind the theater. Parking for the general public and faculty members will also be available on a first-come, first-serve basis in the Cobb Deck or Highway 54 lot.

Students do not need to wear their cap and gown to the ceremony (business casual dress is recommended).  

We hope you find this information helpful as you make plans for graduation weekend.  If you have any questions about our ceremony feel free to contact Mark Richardson via email (richardm@email.unc.edu) or telephone (919-962-5484). 

We look forward to honoring our graduates on Saturday, May 10th!

Anita Braxton
Mark Richardson
2008 Graduation Coordinators
Department of English and Comparative Literature

Department of English and Comparative Literature | Greenlaw Hall, CB #3520 | University of North Carolina | Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3520
phone: 919.962.5481 | fax: 919.962.3520