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Don't get left out: know the requirements
by Trish Oliver
"Students need to fill out the graduation application and pay the $50 graduation fee at the
Cashier's Office, then return it back to the Enrollment Services Office,"said Janice Sauerwein,
coordinator of registration and records in Enrollment Services.
"The most common error is not applying for graduation. In order to be audited and receive a degree,
you must apply for graduation."
The graduation application is available at the beginning of open registration each semester.
The fall deadline was Sept. 28. The deadline for spring 2002 is Feb. 15.
"We have had people show up at the ceremony thinking that they are graduating just because they
paid the fee at the cashier's office,"Sauerwein said. "But they failed to return the application to
us."
Another step that is equally important to assure graduation is completion of all the requirements
for the degree plan.
"We only process the request for graduation,"said John Smith, executive director of enrollment
services. "It is the actual schools that are involved with the student in regards to preparing them
for graduation."
"The most important thing to do when a student first starts at UH-Clear Lake is to make an
appointment with their adviser to go over their Candidate Plan of Study and sign it,"said Ann
Hinojosa, advising coordinator for the School of Human Sciences and Humanities. "When this is signed,
the student is not held to any future changes in the degree plan, for example, if an additional class
is added to the list of requirements." Hinojosa added that each school has its own guidelines.
"No matter what school you belong to, be sure to check with them about your specific degree plan."
Each fall and spring, the university sponsors Graduation Fest, which offers shopping for class
rings, graduation announcements and graduation regalia, such as caps and gowns. The next Graduation
Fest is scheduled for Feb. 11, 2002. If one should miss Graduation Fest, all the items can be
purchased in the school bookstore.
"We currently have all the sizes for gowns and caps available, but we cannot guarantee that we will
have them the last week before graduation,"said Gale Smedley, bookstore manager. "People should try to
get these things as early as possible."
Smedley said that special needs for sizing is not a problem; special orders can be made at no extra
cost. The cost for cap, gown and tassel is $28.
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