UPDATE: As of May 3, tickets for seating at the Main Soccer Field are required.

Assistant News Editor

Changes to the CSU Bakersfield commencement procedures will make this year’s ceremonies different from those held in the past.

The graduate hooding and commencement will be held in the Icardo Center on May 18 at 6 p.m., while undergraduate commencement will be on the CSU Bakersfield’s main soccer field at 8 a.m. on May 19.

All students are encouraged to be on campus two hours before each ceremony begins: 6 a.m. for undergraduates and 4:30 p.m. for graduates.

Directional signs will be stationed around campus pointing undergraduates to the Roadrunner Softball Comlex and graduates to the old gym where they will line up behind their school signs and obtain their name cards.

Family members and loved ones are also encouraged to arrive on campus two hours early, as seating is available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Jenny Zorn strongly encourages that guests and graduates carpool with family and arrive together so they can all be seated together, as saving seats is prohibited.

“We are opening up as many fields [for parking] as possible, but it will be tight,” said Zorn.

Zorn also said that there will be shuttles carrying guests to and from the lots on campus.

Guests are prohibited from bringing objects such as air horns, signs and balloons to the ceremonies.

A full list of prohibited items can be found at www.csub.edu/commencement.

Anyone found with prohibited items will be asked to return them to their cars.

CSUB allowed all graduating students an unlimited amount of guests to invite their loved ones for this special moment in their lives.

“Many of our students are the first to graduate in their families, and this allows them to bring everyone to celebrate and give inspiration to their younger brothers, sisters and cousins,” said Zorn.

Due to the amount of requests for tickets, there will be overflow from the seating on the soccer field into the Icardo Center, and a second overflow will be stationed on the women’s softball field where jumbo screens will be set up for a livestream viewing of the commencement.

This year, there will only be one undergraduate ceremony. In past years, undergraduate commencement has been split into two separate ceremonies.

This decision, according to Zorn, was made with student opinions in mind in order to create a university-wide celebration.

This combination of ceremonies also allows graduates to share the experience with their friends in other majors and schools.

The overall ceremony will be the similar to those in the past, but with a limited amount of speeches in order to conserve time.

No guest speaker will be present, but President Horace Mitchell will be delivering the commencement speech.

All graduates’ names will be read as they cross the stage while a jumbo screen will display the students’ names, majors and photos.

Despite the changes, not many CSUB students are bothered with them.

Senior and upcoming graduate Kamen Sarratt claimed that he was all for the combination of ceremonies into one.

Other students are more concerned with the ceremony length and hot weather with being outside the entire time.

“I’m not bothered with having one ceremony,” said Senior English major Kezia Buxton.

After the ceremony, a reception will be held at the Student Recreation Center.

There will be food and beverages for all graduates and guests, as well as a DJ stationed on the SRC balcony for entertainment.

Faculty will also attend the ceremony and reception.