HAYS – Almost 450 graduates will cross the stage at Fort Hays State University’s first-ever fall commencement ceremony, which begins at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, in Gross Memorial Coliseum on the FHSU campus. 

The ceremony is free and open to families of graduates and to all friends of the university. No tickets are required. All seats in Gross Memorial Coliseum are first-come, first-served and are normally filled one hour before the start of the ceremony. Graduates and faculty will be seated on the main floor of Gross Coliseum. 

Handicapped parking will be on the east side of the coliseum, and VIP parking will be on the west side. If the main parking lot fills up, the unpaved parking lots will be used, unless rain or snow makes them unavailable. 

Individuals with disabilities should enter through Gates 2 and 3, on the northwest and southwest corners. Seating arrangements for the disabled are available on the main floor on either side in front of the stage. If necessary, one person will be allowed to accompany an individual in this seating area. A sign language interpreter will be available in Section C of the main floor. 

If overflow parking is needed and the unpaved lots are not available, attendees will be directed to the main campus parking, where shuttle service will be available. Shuttle buses will stop in parking lots and wherever drivers see people walking to or from the coliseum. 

The doors to the coliseum will open to the public at 11 a.m. Persons other than degree candidates attending Commencement are asked to enter through the four coliseum gates and not through Cunningham Hall. 

Graduates can pick up name cards, caps, gowns and tassels in Gross Memorial Coliseum from 11 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. Students will begin lining up in Cunningham Hall at 12:15 p.m. The procession will begin promptly at 1 p.m. 

Traffic in the Gross Coliseum area is generally extremely heavy for Commencement. Parking lots adjacent to Gross Coliseum typically fill up quickly, but ample parking is available on the main campus. In the event of rain or snow, unpaved lots near Gross Coliseum will be closed, making it necessary to park on the main campus.   

For more information about Commencement, visit: https://www.fhsu.edu/commencement/. 

Commencement will be streamed live on Tiger Media Network at: https://bit.ly/2XQn5sz. 

The ceremony will also be live on Eagle Cable Channel 17 and Nex-Tech Cable Channel 102.