Special Events Dress Code

Convocation, Baccalaureate and Commencement

Participation in Convocation, Baccalaureate, or Commencement is an earned privilege. Piedmont University students are expected to abide by the following guidelines for appropriate and acceptable dress. Participation is permitted at the sole discretion of Piedmont University.

Convocation: Freshmen should dress in appropriate attire, and it is suggested that attendees wear dress slacks, a button-up shirt and tie, or a day dress.

Commencement: Graduates should dress in appropriate attire under their academic regalia. It is suggested that graduates wear dress slacks, a button-up shirt and tie, or a day dress. Hoods and mortarboards are worn at Commencement. Mortarboards are to be worn squared, not tilted. Men remove their mortarboards for the invocation and again during the benediction. Women do not remove their mortarboards. Some institutions allow students to display symbols of ethnic pride and religious cloths. Piedmont’s decision is not to allow these types of cloth to be worn as stoles but to allow a graduate to display it flat on top of the mortarboard. Any unapproved enhancements to regalia will be confiscated and returned to the graduate after the service. Replacement robes and/or mortarboards will be provided.

Mortarboards

The current policy is to allow decorations on hats as long as they are two-dimensional.  E.g., glitter is OK, but a several-inch palm tree sticking straight up is not.  Lights, bows, feathers, action figures and flowers are also not acceptable. The policy will be enforced and noncompliant hats will be confiscated for the duration of the ceremony and the graduating student will be provided with a plain hat. Confiscated mortarboards will be returned to graduates after the ceremony.

Cords, Stoles, Tassels, & Pins

The tradition of moving the tassel signifies graduation. Undergraduate students wear the tassel on the right until the degree is conferred. Once the degree is conferred, the tassel is moved to the left. Since graduate students already have the distinction of achieving graduation, their tassels are worn on the left throughout the ceremony.

Stoles are used for undergraduate students who earn graduation with honors and are awarded by the Registrar’s Office.

Piedmont University permits the use of cords, stoles, and pins to distinguish a major and/or honor. You may not wear cords, stoles or pins issued by another institution’s society or organization.

Request for New Society or Organization

If there is an organization that falls outside of the guidelines above, contact your organization's advisor who can reach out to the Registrar's Office for consideration and approval. Organizations that fail to follow the established attire policy will jeopardize the organization's future ability to be represented with adornments in future ceremonies.