Spring 2021 Commencement Canvas Module
Congratulations, Graduates! This Canvas guide to Commencement will provide you with information regarding the upcoming Spring 2021 Commencement ceremonies at Camp Randall stadium on Saturday, May 8 at Noon and 4pm. The following information reflects the actual materials found in the Canvas module course. Graduates must successfully complete this course via Canvas to receive their ticket for the Commencement ceremony. Reviewing this material online will not result in ticket being issued. This published guide is for planning and informational purposes only.
Part 1: Commencement Details
Ceremony Details
Saturday, May 8, Noon
- Bachelor’s Degree Candidate Ceremony
- Keynote speaker: UW alumnus and Broadway star André De Shields
- Green Badger Badge Enforcement Area Begins at 10:00 a.m.
- Ticketed Gate Entry to Camp Randall Begins at 10:30 a.m.
- Ceremony is expected to last approximately one hour
Saturday, May 8, 4 p.m.
- Graduate Degree Candidate Ceremony (including Doctoral, Law, Medical, Professional, and Master’s Degree Candidates)
- Keynote speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient: groundbreaking psychologist John Gottman, PhD
- Green Badger Badge Enforcement Area Begins at 2:30 p.m.
- Ticketed Gate Entry to Camp Randall Begins at 3:00 p.m.
- Ceremony is expected to last approximately one hour
Options to Achieve a Green Badger Badge
Your Badger Badge can be green either by testing or proof of vaccination.
If your Badger Badge is red, or yellow, you will not be permitted to participate in-person at Camp Randall.
- Testing
Bachelor degree candidates must test at an on-campus testing site on either May 5 or 6 (and no later than May 7) and receive a negative test result to ensure your Badger Badge is green May 8. Please refer to the email you received on April 15 for more details.
Graduate and Professional degree candidates must test at an on-campus testing site the week of May 2, and no later than May 7, and receive a negative test result to ensure you Badger Badge is green on May 8. Do not wait until the last minute to get tested. Please refer to the email you received on April 15 for more details. (Calendar JPG)
- If you were diagnosed with COVID-19 through on campus testing on or after Monday, February 8, 2021 and before Wednesday, April 28th you will not need to test. Your Badger Badge will show green. If your positive test was through another testing center, you must submit proof of a positive PCR test, including the lab result and the result interpretation, via the Safer Badgers app.
- If you are in isolation or quarantine, you will not be permitted to participate in person at Camp Randall.
- Demonstration of Vaccination Status
- In order to be considered fully vaccinated, two weeks must have elapsed following the last recommended dose. If you receive your final dose in a vaccine series after April 24, your Badger Badge will not be green and you will need to test negative for COVID-19 on campus May 5 or 6 in order have a green Badger Badge.
- If you are fully vaccinated and record of your vaccination is on file and approved by UHS, your badge will turn green and you will be exempt from campus testing prior to Commencement.
- UHS will need proof that you have received the final dose in a vaccine series on or before Saturday, April 24, 2021. This includes the following:
- Single dose Johnson and Johnson OR
- Final dose of two dose Pfizer or Moderna OR
- Final dose of internationally approved vaccine OR
- Final dose of trial vaccines administered in the United States
- Documentation must be provided to UHS before May 3.
At Camp Randall
Graduates must follow the Carry In Policy
All graduates will have the opportunity to have their graduate portrait taken by Empire Photography prior to entering the ticketed stadium area. Class of 2021 facemask, as a keepsake for graduates, will be available for photo opportunities.
Tickets
Graduates will be assigned staggered arrival time based on where their assigned ticket location is. These arrival times are established to ensure a safe and steady flow of graduate arrivals so that physical distancing can be maintained at all times. Please follow the instructions associated with your ticket in regards to the arrival time, and gate assignment.
Tickets will be issued once a graduate has completed all parts of the Canvas module. Graduates can request seating in groups of up to 4, and can sit with roommate(s) or housemate(s). One graduate should complete the ticket request form on behalf of those that are being seated together. No groups larger than 4 can request tickets together due to physical spacing requirements. Graduates will not be seated by school, college, degree type or major.
Tickets will be electronic and sent to the email provided in the ticket request form. If you sign up for more than one ticket, each student must have a campus ID and email indicated so that everyone receives their own ticket. Any student who has not completed the Canvas module will not receive a ticket. Screenshots of tickets will not be permitted. One ticket per graduate is required for participation at Camp Randall.
Mobile tickets will be scanned at the gates to Camp Randall. Graduates must display their individual ticket in order to access the seating area.
Graduates will receive a bottle of water, individual sized bottle of hand sanitizer and a Class of 2021 rally towel once their ticket is scanned.
If you need accommodations or special seating assistance, please contact commence@chancellor.wisc.edu for assistance.
Diploma & Diploma Cover
Your Diploma and Diploma Cover will be mailed out after grades are entered by school and college, typically 6-8 weeks after finals are completed. Please check the address listed as your home address, or provide a Diploma Address in your MyUW Student Center.
Part 2: Commencement Webinar
Please watch the Commencement Webinar for important information about what to expect at Commencement.
Part 3: Commencement Expectations
Graduates must read through these expectations before registering for tickets in their online Commencement Canvas Module.
