Commencement Information for Guests

General guidelines

• Please silence your cell phones and all other electronic devices.
• CCBC is a tobacco-free and smoke-free college. Use of tobacco products is permitted ONLY outside the perimeter roadway in designated tobacco-use shelters.
• Keep all aisles open and be courteous to guests requiring the spaces reserved for wheelchairs. This is especially important in the event of an emergency, in which case Public Safety will direct you on how to safely evacuate the tent.
• Leave strollers in the designated stroller drop-off area outside the tent. Please do not leave children unattended in the strollers.
• Please do not block anyone’s view with balloons, flowers or other expressions of admiration for your graduate. Do not stand in the aisles or in front of other guests.
• Each graduate will be photographed receiving their diploma cover during the ceremony. Services are provided by GradImages®.
• Remain seated and keep the center aisle clear as our graduates will use it to process in and recess out at the close of the ceremony.

Prohibited items

As a safety precaution, the following items will not be permitted under the tent. Guests with prohibited items will be asked to either discard these items or return them to a personal vehicle.

• Alcoholic beverages – opened or unopened
• Balloons or large signs
• Chairs
• Drones or flying devices
• E-cigarettes & vapes
• Large or golf-type umbrellas
• Laser pointers

• Noisemakers of any kind, including air horns
• Non-ADA compliant support and comfort animals
• Selfie sticks, GoPros, tripods or monopods
• Sticks or poles

• Weapons of any kind

Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis to accommodate guests with wheelchairs, walkers, oxygen and visual impairments, etc. Due to the nature of the event, we recommended that guests arrive early to ensure the seating of their choice. The aisle seat in every other row will have a space to accommodate a wheelchair.

There will be a reserved area for guests using ASL interpreter services. If you need special seating arrangements for deaf or hard of hearing guests, please contact Michael Shaw at mshaw2@ccbcmd.edu or call 443.840.5617 at least one week before commencement to reserve. If you do not notify us in advance, we cannot guarantee adequate seating.

Guests with limited mobility may use the drop-off area near the graduation tent as well as the designated parking area for cars with valid state disability plate or placards. Guests must provide their own wheelchairs.

Note: There will be live broadcasts of the commencement ceremony in the Romadka College Center (lower level, F. Scott Black Theatre) with indoor seating. This may be a good option for elderly guests and guests with mobility issues, for whom walking to the ceremony tent may be challenging.

• If you’re looking for last-minute gifts, flowers, snacks and more, vendors will be located on Parking Lot #3 and behind the Commencement tent. A limited menu of food and drink items will also be available for cash-only purchase. Bottled water and fresh flowers will be available for purchase in the CCBC Athletics tent, located behind the Commencement tent. All proceeds benefit CCBC Athletics.
• The Barnes & Noble at CCBC Bookstore Commencement Shop, also located behind the commencement tent, is the place to go for last-minute graduation gifts and mementos, as well as candy and snacks.
• The CCBC Alumni tent, located near the Wellness & Athletic Center, will have CCBC diploma frames available for purchase. Commemorative alumni t-shirts can be found for sale in both Parking Lot #3 and behind the Commencement tent.

There will be live broadcasts of the commencement ceremony in the Romadka College Center (lower level, F. Scott Black Theatre) with indoor seating to view the graduation. This may be a good option for elderly guests and guests with mobility issues, for whom walking to the ceremony tent may be challenging.

Portable restroom facilities are located in the area behind the Commencement tent Follow the path around the back of the tent and look for signs directing you to the portable restroom area. 

Additional restrooms are available in the Wellness and Athletics Center.

Tickets are not required for the Commencement ceremony. Family and friends are welcome to attend in person. A live-stream link will be provided prior to the event for those who prefer to view the ceremony from the comfort of their homes.

Prior to and during commencement, members of CCBC Public Safety and Plant Operations will be evaluating weather conditions.

Light rain or drizzle will not be a factor, but high winds or lightning may cause changes to the schedule or an evacuation of the tent. In the event of severe weather or other circumstances that require a tent evacuation, the ceremony emcee will ask that people move promptly to their cars; to the College Community Center; or the Arts and Humanities Hall.

Public Safety officers on duty will assist in guiding guests to those locations. Cars are the preferred destination, as building capacities are limited. The decision to continue the event will be made as soon as conditions allow. Public Safety and event staff will announce updated information by moving through the buildings and parking lots.