Seating of guests in the Coliseum will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The doors will be open to the public approximately one hour before the exercises are scheduled to begin. Guests unable to physically negotiate the steps in the Coliseum should enter through the Fourth Street North entrance for assistance. All guests and candidates for graduation with physical disabilities may contact the Office of Disability Studies at 601-266-5024.

There will be no rehearsal for the ceremony. Candidates should begin reporting to the Coliseum at 2:00 p.m. and must be in their seats by 2:45 p.m. (Candidates do not participate in a processional march). No one will be seated after the ceremony begins.

Candidates for graduation who use a mobility device (e.g. scooter, walker, wheelchair) are asked to provide this information on the RSVP Commencement seating request. This information is needed to ensure appropriate seating assignments on the Coliseum floor.

FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974)

According to FERPA policy, students with a FERPA restriction on their USM records will not be listed in the Commencement program.

Any changes in FERPA must be made prior to September 18, 2009 for printing deadlines.

Candidates should be seated in the designated areas on the Coliseum floor in the following order:

Candidates for all degrees must go by Barnes & Noble @ Southern Miss Bookstore (Box 5062) no later than November 1, 2009, for cap and gown rental. Orders placed after this date will be subject to a late fee. Barnes & Nobles @ Southern Miss Bookstore charges a fee for renting the cap and gown. Approximate rental fees are:

• Undergraduates - $41

• Masters - $66

• Doctoral - $40 (hoods are provided as a gift from Southern Miss)

Doctoral graduates have the option to either rent black caps and gowns or purchase the new University of Southern Mississippi custom doctoral regalia. Available for purchase by all holders of Southern Miss doctoral degrees (Ph.D., Ed.D., D.M.A., Au.D.), each custom doctoral gown and tam is made to the exact measurements of the graduate.

The custom doctoral regalia is made of stately Southern Miss Academic Gold crepe fabric and features the seal of the University embroidered on each of the velvet front panels. Interested graduates can purchase the gown and tam from Oak Hall Cap and Gown at 800-223-0429 or by calling the Bookstore at 601-266-4881.

Special Note: Doctoral graduates should not rent or purchase a hood. Doctoral graduates will be allowed to keep their hood as a gift from the University.

For more information, pictures and a full description of the custom doctoral regalia, visit the Doctoral Regalia section of SouthernMissAlumni.com

Questions regarding cap and gowns and the rental fee should be directed to the Southern Miss Bookstore at (601) 266-4381. You will need to know your chest, height, and cap sizes. All candidates must wear caps and gowns to participate in the commencement ceremonies.

Barnes & Nobles @Southern Miss Bookstore host a Grad Fest for each graduation ceremony in which graduating students can order caps and gowns, invitations, class rings in addition to purchasing USM memorabilia .

Grad Fest for the December 2009 Hattiesburg graduation ceremony will be held October 28 from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. and October 29 from noon - 6:00 p.m. at Barnes & Noble @ Southern Miss Bookstore. Grad Fest for Gulf Park students will be held October 27 from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the Advanced Education Center. For additional information on Grad Fest, call (601) 266-4381 or online at www.usm.bkstore.com.

Under their gowns, men should wear white shirts with dark ties, dark pants, and dark shoes. Coats are not necessary since gowns have long sleeves. Women should wear dark clothing and dark shoes. Women are advised not to bring purses to the seating area and will not be allowed to carry them across the stage when receiving diplomas.

Rental caps and gowns for all students should be left in the bins placed next to the tunnel exits at the close of the ceremony. Doctoral graduates will be allowed to keep their hood as a gift from the University.

Invitations to the commencement ceremony may be purchased through Balfour at 1-866-225-3687 or online at www.balfour.com.

Commencement related itemss will be available in Barnes & Noble @ Southern Miss Bookstore from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, December 8, 9 and 10, 2009.

Specialist's, master's, and bachelor's degree candidates must RSVP their seating online by November 30, 2009, so that seating assignments can be made. If you would like to attend the University Commencement Ceremony on Friday, December 11th and you have not submitted your RSVP, you will need to come to the Registrar’s Office, Kennard Washington Hall room 110, no later than Friday, December 4, 2009 for us to make you a reservation for seating.

Due to seating capacity for the coliseum, seating will be limited to the first 700 students per ceremony who RSVP. Candidates who fail to RSVP may not have seats at the ceremony. If seats are available, students making an RSVP late will be placed at the end of their college lineup.

Each specialist's, master's, and bachelor's degree candidate will have an assigned seat number. Name cards bearing the seat number will be prepared and placed with the caps and gowns at the Barnes & Noble @ Southern Miss Bookstore, 8 a.m.- 6 p.m. on December 8, 9 and 10, 2009.

YOU MUST HAVE A SEATING CARD TO WALK ACROSS THE STAGE.

NOTE: You will not receive confirmation in the mail that we received your seating reservation, nor do we mail you your assigned seating number. You may confirm your seat online at http://www.usm.edu/registrar/graduation/commencement/seating_confirm.