See the Result of Your Work as Staff: Volunteer for Commencement

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Students in caps and gowns, entering commencement, with sun behind them
Give our undergraduates one last little bit of guidance, as a commencement volunteer, June 10, 11 or 12 (or two or three days if you can). (Gregory Urquiaga/UC Davis)

As staff members we see and assist our undergraduates day in and day out, from their first year (or third year if they are transfer students), so why not be part of their UC Davis experience all the way through commencement?

NOT VOLUNTEERING?

Remember, the campus is advising you to work from home, if possible, during the ceremonies, especially Friday, June 10.

The campus is seeking more volunteers — staff, students, alumni and others from the greater community — for one, two or three of our new-format undergraduate ceremonies: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 10, 11 and 12, at UC Davis Health Stadium. The larger ceremonies, each with a distinguished speaker, are a consolidation of what used to be seven ceremonies in The Pavilion.

Each of the new ceremonies will run from 8 to 10 a.m., but volunteers will need to get here by 5 a.m. Parking will be at the Hopkins Service Complex on Hopkins Road, west of Highway 113, with shuttle buses starting at 4:30 a.m. to take you to Biggs Field next to the stadium, where coffee and grab-and-go breakfast will be available at 5 a.m.

Volunteer shifts will run from 5 to 10:30 a.m., when you are invited for lunch at the Activities and Recreation Center before hopping a shuttle to take you back to your car.

What will you be doing as a volunteer? Assignments include student registration and logistics (organizing students into lines, assisting students with their caps and gowns, and promoting positive conduct); campus guide; ticket scanner; greeter and usher; stage support team; post-event support on Hutchison Field; and floater (“I’m up for anything!”). Drivers (with training) are needed for golf carts to carry limited mobility students and guests. See all the volunteer roles here.

Interested? Please complete this form by Friday (June 3). Organizers said supervisors may grant exempt employees time off in recognition of service with no loss of pay or accrued leave.

Orientation in two parts is required:

  • Online — 10-11 a.m. Monday, June 6; or 2-3 p.m. Tuesday, June 7
  • On-site — 3-4 p.m. Wednesday, June 8; or 11 a.m.-noon Thursday, June 9

During in-person orientation, you will receive your assignment(s) and learn about your duties. You will also receive a commencement lanyard, T-shirt and clear cross-body storage bag to wear while volunteering (as there will be no place for you to keep your belongings).

See the Commencement Volunteers webpage for more information, including orientation sign-up.

Media Resources

Dateline Staff: Dave Jones, editor, 530-752-6556, dateline@ucdavis.edu; Cody Kitaura, News and Media Relations specialist, 530-752-1932, kitaura@ucdavis.edu.

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