Frequently Asked Questions
Last updated: May 17, 2022 at 4:23 PM
Last updated: May 17, 2022 at 4:23 PM
Undergraduate and graduate alumni from the Brandeis Classes of 2020 and 2021 are invited to attend [Re]Commencement.
All graduates must arrive at the [Re]Commencement staging area at the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center by 3 p.m. on May 22. The ceremony will begin at 5 p.m., and it will end at approximately 7:15 p.m. Shuttles will leave for the celebratory afterparty at Time Out Market in Boston’s Fenway immediately after the ceremony ends, and the party will end at 11 p.m.
The classes of 2020 and 2021 will process into Gosman. There will be traditional commencement remarks from the President of the University, the Chair of the Board of Trustees, and the President of the Alumni Association, as well as addresses from two graduate speakers, and a keynote address. Each graduate will also get your long-awaited ceremonial moment to cross the stage and hear your name announced.
The Brandeis Alumni Association covered the cost to rent regalia for all. If you ordered your regalia ahead of time, don’t forget to bring it with you! If you are attending the party after the ceremony, wear your party attire under your commencement robes. You must return your rented regalia immediately after the ceremony, as you leave Gosman.
After the ceremony, you must immediately return your regalia as you leave Gosman, before going to the afterparty. Do not plan to take photos on campus in your rented regalia; you will not have time to do so before shuttles depart for the party.
For the safety of our community at [Re]Commencement, we have instituted a Clear Bag Policy for all ceremonies. To prepare accordingly, please make note of the following:
Approved bags include:
Bags not permitted include:
Do not bring a bag to Gosman with a change of clothes for the post-commencement celebration. Bags of that size are not allowed, and you will not have time after the ceremony, since shuttles to the party depart immediately afterward.
If you are local enough to Brandeis to take an Uber/Lyft, you are encouraged to do so, especially for graduates planning to return to their overnight accommodations after the celebration. If you are arriving by car, all [Re]Commencement attendees should park in the 51 Sawyer Rd. parking lot. After the post-commencement celebration, returning shuttles will only drop off at the Sawyer Rd. lot.
Graduates are encouraged to contact friends and family in the area to stay with them or consider local hotel options.
Each graduate is welcome to bring up to four guests to the [Re]Commencement ceremony. Guest tickets can be claimed by logging in to the MarchingOrder platform with the name and password you created. Upon arrival, guests should have their etickets up on their phones (or printed) to help expedite entry into Gosman.
The ceremony will be livestreamed for friends and family who cannot attend in person. Only 2020 and 2021 graduates are invited to attend the celebratory afterparty.
No! The afterparty is free of charge. Each graduate will receive two drink tickets and a dining card for food from any of the vendors at the venue.
While there was an initial need for a waitlist, all registered alumni are now fully welcome to attend the afterparty.
Buses will depart from Brandeis immediately following the [Re]Commencement ceremony. If you miss the shuttles, you must find your own way to the celebration. An early-return shuttle will leave Time Out Market at 10 p.m. The last return buses will depart from the venue when the party concludes at 11 p.m. All shuttle buses will drop off only at the Sawyer Rd. parking lot at Brandeis.
Brandeis strongly encourages [Re]Commencement participants and audience members to wear masks at the ceremony. Masks will be available if participants accidentally leave theirs at home. Please be aware that Middlesex County is currently considered a high-transmission location in Massachusetts and masks are recommended indoors. If the City of Waltham reinstates an indoor mask mandate prior to [Re]Commencement, masks will be required to attend the ceremony at Gosman.
In recognizing our graduates as they walk the stage, we will offer an elbow bump, a tip-of-the-hat gesture or a hand on the heart, instead of the traditional handshake or hug. Thank you for your understanding as we continue to put safety first.
If you are no longer planning to attend [Re]Commencement, please notify us at recommencement@brandeis.edu, so that we have an accurate attendance list. Please remember that if you cannot attend [Re]Commencement, you are always welcome to walk in any future Brandeis Commencement as well. You are also invited to return to campus June 10-12 for Alumni Weekend 2022, whether you attend [Re]Commencement or not.
Please email recommencement@brandeis.edu for additional information.