Commencement 2020 Updates

Dear Class of 2020,

I hope this email finds each of you safe and healthy. As you know, we’ve been working hard to come up with an alternative Commencement experience for you all to celebrate your remarkable achievements. We very much appreciate your patience while we put together the details, but for now, I wanted to provide you with an update.

We are going to hold a virtual Commencement ceremony on May 9, the original date, which will begin at 9:30 a.m. The ceremony will include various speakers along with a slideshow of the graduates. We will send more detailed information as the date approaches.

In the meantime, we are asking for your help in compiling the slideshow that will be played during the ceremony. I’ve included further details below, along with an update regarding regalia:

• Graduate Slideshow
  • We are working with StageClip to compile a slideshow of all of the graduates to be played during the ceremony. Each grad will have the opportunity to submit a short message along with a photo or video (up to 12 seconds).The portal to submit your details will open the week of April 20 and you will have a week to upload your information. Please look out for an email with the portal link in the coming days.

• Phonetic Spelling
  • Please submit the phonetic spelling of your name by April 16. Your names will be read as the slideshow plays.

• Regalia Update
  • At this time, we are not able to offer any regalia rentals due to all of the restrictions in place for COVID-19. We apologize for this inconvenience. I will begin refunding all of those who have not already reached out to me and you should receive a full refund within the next couple weeks. Again, we apologize for this inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
  • Although we cannot provide regalia rentals, we will be mailing out a tam or cap along with a tassel to each graduate. These items should arrive just prior to the virtual ceremony and there is no charge to you. You should have already received an email from Dean Schroeder requesting your mailing address for this purpose. Please submit your address no later than tomorrow, April 10, at noon.

We are also discussing the possibility of holding a celebration sometime in the future. We will be sure to inform you of any updates as we receive them.

Please feel free to reach out to me should you have any questions. We look forward to celebrating you on May 9!

Warm Regards,

Jillian

Jillian Henry | Events Manager

Dear about-to-be-grads,

I hope each of you is safe, as are your loved ones.  We will be sending you a much longer email tomorrow about our plans for a Virtual Commencement.  A lot of thought has gone into how we can make this a very special occasion for our very special grads and their families, even though we can’t be together physically.

As part of the celebration, we want to send you a tangible memento of graduation that arrives before the Virtual Commencement. We know that many of you left campus and are now sheltering in place all over the world.  We’ve arranged to have your tam and tassel mailed by the vendor directly to you – for you to keep – but in order to do that we need your mailing address by Friday at noon. 

Please fill out this survey no later than Friday at noon so we can send you this special keepsake of Commencement in time for the virtual ceremony.  The survey can be found here:  https://uci.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e4YJujurEtwyk3b.

With best wishes,

Liz Schroeder

Elizabeth Schroeder | Assistant Dean for Student Services   

Dear Class of 2020,

We are saddened to share that UCI has announced that Commencement Ceremonies will not take place in the same way as previous years. Families and guests should not make arrangements to come to the campus for Commencement. We are working with the main campus commencement team on alternative ways to celebrate your achievements and will be in touch in the coming weeks with more details.

In the meantime, we do know the following:

1. Ticket Registration: This form will be closed at this time. There is no need to collect information for tickets since we will not be hosting an event at the Bren Center.      
2. Regalia Rentals: We will refund money to anyone who wants to cancel renting regalia. However, we recognize that some of you may still want to rent the regalia in order to take photos. We are working with main campus to see if this is a possibility and will be in touch as soon as possible with an update.

If you have already requested a refund and would like to hold off until we have more details, please notify me right away.

We will continue to update our website with new details and we will keep you informed as plans develop. 

Kind regards,

Jillian

Jillian Henry
UCI Law Events Manager

Dear students,

As you just learned from Vice Chancellor Banks’ email, all UCI Commencement Ceremonies will not take place in the same way as previous years.

This news is incredibly disappointing. I wish the situation was different.

I know that I speak for all of us when I say that we would have loved to spend that special day celebrating with you and your loved ones in a traditional commencement ceremony.  I am so sorry that we cannot do that.

We are working with the main campus commencement team on alternative ways to celebrate your remarkable achievements.  We will be in touch as things develop.

Thank you so much for being a part of our UCI Law community and know that we will do everything within our power to find a way to honor your time here. In the interim, I hope you and your loved ones stay healthy and safe.

All my best,

Dear UCI Students,

I am writing as a follow-up to Chancellor Gillman’s email sent on March 10, 2020 regarding the change in campus operations to minimize the spread of COVID-19 to our UCI community. As the Chancellor mentioned in his message, the efforts we are undertaking are based on our concern for the public’s health and safety. We do not take these changes lightly and appreciate your understanding as we navigate this evolving environment.

Student Housing and Meal Plans
Students in all campus housing, including the American Campus Communities, are strongly encouraged to go to their permanent residence if they are able. If you are a financial aid recipient and decide to leave campus, federal law requires us to change your financial aid award.

For students that decide not to continue their room & board or rental agreements for Spring Quarter 2020, there will be no penalty to cancel your lease. A separate message to lease holders will be sent with instructions on informing us of your decision. You will need to inform us of your decision to continue or cancel your lease by Wednesday, March 18, 2020, at 5 p.m. PDT.

Student Life
All events and student activities scheduled on campus with 100 or more attendees are cancelled until further notice. If an event is less than 100 attendees, event organizers are strongly encouraged to deliver the event in an alternative format. It is also important to note that gatherings of less than 100 attendees may also be inconsistent with the practice of social distancing if not properly organized. Therefore, we strongly encourage that all events, even those with less than 100 attendees, be delivered in an alternative format and, if not possible, canceled or postponed.

The UCI Student Center and Anteater Recreation Center remain open at this time. Student services such as the UCI Counseling Center, UCI Student Health Center, Disability Services Center, and FRESH Basic Needs Hub remain open to support students, but will be reassessed in early spring. While campus services remain open, students should know that offices may implement procedures to minimize contact, such as providing services remotely. We recommend that students visit their websites first for information on accessing services.

UCI Commencement
We are saddened to share that the UCI Commencement Ceremonies will not take place in the same way as previous years. We advise families not to make arrangements to come to the campus for the Commencement celebrations. We are actively looking at alternatives to celebrate our graduates in an appropriate manner. We understand that commencement is an important part of the UCI experience and we want to honor our students while still keeping our community safe. Graduating students should look for a separate message from the UCI Commencement office with details and information in the coming weeks.

Given the dynamic nature of travel restrictions and quarantine requirements, we advise students leaving campus for spring break that they take along any course materials they would need to keep up with classes that are being taught remotely from an off-campus location. We strongly advise students to refrain from non-essential travel during spring break.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during these difficult times. Information on COVID-19 will be posted on https://uci.edu/coronavirus/

Sincerely,

Willie L. Banks Jr., Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor
Student Affairs

• Elizabeth Schroeder, Dean of Students
  lschroeder@law.uci.edu
• Stephanie M. Santoro, Registrar
  ssantoro@law.uci.edu

Detailed information about diplomas can be found here.

You may purchase UCI Law mementos through the online UCI bookstore.