Monday, 6/9/97 The graduating game TRADITIONS: Ceremony’s
solemnness and cheer date back to 16th century
By Judy Cha Daily Bruin Contributor With their heads held high,
graduating seniors decked in black caps and gowns will stride past
family and friends to receive their diplomas. Commencement ceremony
garb — the gowns, mortarboards, tassels, and hoods — represents
traditions adopted from European universities during the Middle
Ages. "The academic robing is a very significant event," said
Raymond Goldstone, a student affairs consultant. Since many early
European universities were tied to the church, academics donned the
holy wear of priests, long loose tunics layered one over another.
Students have worn the gowns at graduation ceremonies since then.
Each department has a different color which distinguishes them.
"The most significant coloration is that which is
discipline-specific," Goldstone said. Mortarboards – the tasseled
flat caps – used to be made of two parts: a soft, square cap worn
on top of a skullcap. Designers have recently stiffened the square
part to keep the corners from flopping over the face. The academic
procession, a custom dating back to U.S. colonial days, has been a
conventional part of the ceremony since the late 19th century.
After the procession comes the commencement address, candidate
presentation by department chairs, the conferring of degrees, the
turning of the tassels, the singing of the alma mater, and the
recessional. The highest honor at the commencement is the
presentation of the UCLA Medal. The award pays tribute to
individuals who have contributed to the university’s development
and recognizes leaders in government, education, science, industry,
the arts and culture. This year’s medal recipients include Dennis
Ross, a Middle Eastern special agent of the State Department; Fred
Wipple, an astronomer at the Harvard Smithsonian Observatory;
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a former Bruin athlete; and U.S. Rep. Jerry
Lewis, R-Redlands. Although UCLA used to hold its commencement
ceremony at Drake Stadium, it was not large enough for an enjoyable
ceremony, Goldstone said. He explained that the lack of seating and
the warm weather persuaded officials to change the location. The 13
schools and colleges now hold their own graduation ceremonies in
places such as Pauley Pavilion and the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
According to academic events coordinator Michelle Elliot, the
separate ceremonies helped the departments to personalize the
occasion and to recognize the unique character of the each
division. While departmental ceremonies mean a smaller crowd, it is
still hard for officials to maintain integrity when students play
with beach balls. "It kind of takes attention away from the stage,"
Elliott said. Goldstone said that although students focus more on
having fun than on reflecting on their accomplishments, officials
have kept in mind that the ceremony is not a funeral. "It is
difficult to monitor thousands and thousands of students that would
bring alcohol," he added. As efforts have been made to scale down
the size of individual ceremonies, it feels more like a
commencement, he says. These customs passed down from the 16th
century have made graduation ceremonies what they are. The
traditions reveal both the celebratory and solemn nature of the
ceremonies. "It seems to be a perfectly reasonable and sound
tradition to continue," Goldstone adds. Previous Daily Bruin
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