ACADEMIC COSTUME CODE AND CEREMONY GUIDE

Historical Overview:
The origin of Academic dress dates back to the first universities in the world, presumably starting with Gondi Shapur in South Persia. Evidence suggest that both the faculty and the student body of this university wore special apparel more than 1500 years ago to indicate institutional deference. The tradition was largely revived in 12th century Europe, where universities as we know them today, were taking form. Probably under the influence of the Christian Church, to which a number of scholars of the time belonged, long gowns and hoods were worn until superseded by the skull cap of the Jewish and Moslem teachers of renaissance Spain.
European institutions have always had great diversity in their specification of academic dress, resulting in a rich variance of color and shape to the degree of becoming a source for confusion. The tradition in the United States of America was subjected to a basic uniform modification, mostly through the intervention of Gardner Cotrell Leonard, whose article on academic dress published in 1893, formulated the code adopted by the Intercollegiate Commission in 1895, which besides regulating the cut, style and material of the gowns, prescribed the colors which were to represent the different fields of learning.
The present code has been adapted from the recommendations of the Committee on Academic Customs and Ceremonies, appointed by the American Council on Education in 1959, and the subsequent changes and updates of the same.

The Academic Costume Code:
Gowns
The material of the gown is normally poly-cotton. Although black is recommended for ease of ability to rent, but in the event of a campus or study center deciding uniformly to adapt the Navy Blue color of the University, this is permissible. Gowns recommended for use in the ceremonies of InterAmerican should have the following characteristics:
The gown for Bachelor's degree has pointed sleeves, designed to be worn close.
The gown for Master's degree has an oblong sleeve with the rear part cut square and the front part with an arc cut away, open at the wrist, the sleeve base hanging down in the traditional way.
The gown for the doctor's degree has bell-shaped sleeves.
All gowns are supplied with front fasteners, and may be worn open or closed.
Gowns for bachelor or master's degrees are untrimmed.
Gowns for doctorate degrees are faced down with velvet or velveteen and three bars of the same velvet or velveteen are used across the sleeves over the upper arms. The facings and sleeve cross bars may be of velvet or velveteen of the color distinctive of the discipline to which the degree pertains, thus agreeing with the binding or edging of the hood appropriate to the particular doctor's degree in every instant.

For all academic purposes, including trimmings of doctor's gowns, edging of hoods and tassels of caps, the colors associated with the different disciplines are as follows:

Arts, Letters and Humanities White
Commerce, Accountancy and Business Drab (Brownish Yellow)
Economics Copper
Education Light Blue
Engineering Orange
Fine Arts, including Architecture Brown
Journalism and Mass Communication Crimson
Law Purple
Medicine Green
Music Pink
Nursing and Paramedical Apricot
Philosophy Dark Blue
Public Policy, including Diplomacy Peacock Blue
Public Health and Natural and Alternative Medicine Salomon Pink
Sciences, including Computer Science Golden Yellow
Social Sciences and Social Work Citron

Hoods
Only worn by the faculty during ceremonies and also presented to Postgraduate students at graduation.
The color of the hood is black in all cases and should be as similar to the material and fabric of the gown worn as possible.
Members of faculty with a Bachelor's degree will wear a hood in the simple pattern three feet (90 Cms.) long.
The hood for a master's degree is in the simple pattern, three and one-half feet (105 cms.) in length.
The hood worn by a doctorate holder or for recipients of a doctoral degree ONLY should have panels at the sides, and with a length of four feet (120 cms.)
The hoods are to be lined with the official Navy Blue color of the University, with one chevron of 5 inches (18 cms.) in width, indicating the subject to which the degree pertains (see above) added to the lower part of the lining, with the apex of the chevron pointing down.
Trimmings are applied to the hood in the form of a binding or edging of the hood. The material is to be velvet or velveteen in the color of the discipline pertaining to the degree.
The trimming for a Bachelor's degree hood will be two inches (5 cms.) wide.
The trimming for a Master's degree hood will be three inches (7.5 cms.) wide.
The trimmings for a Doctorate degree will be five inches (12,5 cms.) wide.
The trimmings for a Doctorate of Philosophy degree will be in a DARK BLUE color, showing mastery of discipline and general scholarship in nay field, and is not intended to represent the field of philosophy.
No academic hood of the University should ever have its border divided to represent more than a single degree or discipline.

Graduation Cap (mortarboard) with Tassel
Graduation cap is made of a hard square cardboard, 9.5x9.5 inches (24x24 cms.) covered with the same material as the gown and with a matching button in the center of the topside for attachment of the tassel. A simple hat of the same material is secured to the lower side in such manner that it positions the cap DIAGONALLY and securely on the head of the wearer when worn.
Tassels are made of silk or silk-like thread, of heavy braided type, 11 inches long, to form a loop with two equal parts of 5.5 inches (14 cms.) each, the folded top of which will be attached to the button on top of the cap. To the free end a bind of 1 inch (2.5 cms.) is applied by collecting the top of around 50 strands of the same thread together and sewing or clamping it with a black metal ring, and from which the free ends in form of a fringe of 14 cms. will hang, . All in black or the Navy Blue of the University only according to the color of gown worn.
The only permissible exemption is in the case of holders or recipients of a Doctor of Philosophy degree, when a black velvet cap with a gold tassel and gold clamp may be used.

Other Apparel
Shoes and any other visible articles of apparel worn by the faculty or the graduates should be of dark colors (black, navy-blue, charcoal-gray, dark brown, etc.) that harmonize with the academic custom. No ornaments may be worn on the academic gown.

Miscellaneous Permissible Exceptions
· Members of the Board of Trustees, and the Senate of the university, regardless of their postsecondary education, are entitled to wear a doctoral gown (with Navy Blue velvet). Those holding a university degree may choose to wear their appropriate hoods, or the simple hood prescribed for the members of the governing bodies of the University.
· The Chancellor, Vice Chancellor and President, and the Provost of the University may wear a specially designed costume, approved by the Academic Committee of the University.
· The members of the Governing Bodies of the University and members of the faculty and recipients of honorary degrees may wear the official national and international honors that they may have received (such as decorations and medals) in an appropriate way and in the manner prescribed by the pertinent ordinance of the honor bestowed.
· Invited dignitaries, members of the governing bodies and the faculty of the University, and recipients of honorary degrees who hold degrees from other institutions of higher learning may wear their entire appropriate academic custom, including cap, gown and hood.
· Members of religious orders may suitably wear their customary habits. The same principle applies to persons wearing ceremonial military uniforms or special attire of a distinctive civil office.
· In those campuses and study centers of the University and articulated or affiliated institutions that an Associate Degree is offered the gown worn by the graduates will be the same type as worn by recipients of a bachelor's degree, but that the color of the gown will be light gray in every instant.
· In case of graduates of interdisciplinary areas or emerging disciplines using the color of the discipline most nearly indicative of the new field is recommended.
· Visitors to a graduation ceremony who will appear with the officialdom of the University on the rostrum, if not wearing a ceremonial gown, should be provided with a simple black gown.

Official Class Rings
The official InterAmerican University rings, customized with yeardate, degree and Major details are crafted from either Ultrium or 10,14 and 18 karat gold, can be worn to the graduation ceremony.

The Academic Ceremony Guide::
The following is a guide on academic ceremony. It should be noted, however, that in the case of a Multimedia and Global University like ours, it is impossible and probably improvident to lay down enforceable rules without respect to national and regional cultures and customs. Furthermore, many factors such as the constitution of the campus, study center or articulated and affiliated institutions, the size of the graduating class, the weather and the physical location of the ceremony, etc. will effect the details of various kinds of ceremonies that can be held. Institutions associated with the University have wide latitude in relation to the prevailing conditions.

Academic Procession in General
The procession is led by the Chief Marshal of the ceremony, who has been responsible for arrangements, and who is normally a senior authority of the University, such as Provost or Senior Vice President of the University, Rector of a Campus, Regional Director or Administrator, Dean of a Study Center, Vice President of an articulated or affiliated institution, and so on.

Commencement Exercises : :

The General (Preliminary) Procession
The commencement procession is composed in the following manner:
· Chief Marshal
· President of the University
· President of the articulated or affiliated institution
· The speakers, including students' representative(s)
· Trustees and Members of the Senate of the University
· Trustees and Members of the Governing Bodies of the articulated or affiliated institutions
· Regional Directors, Administrators and Deans
· The Faculty
· Candidates for degrees, with candidates for advanced degrees in the lead, and others in groups according to the degrees for which they are candidates.

At some institutions there may be more divisions in the procession than are indicated above, e.g. local officialdom and religious dignitaries. Such groups will have their own special place in the procession, dictated by local tradition.
With the entrance of the Marshal into the locality of the ceremony all present will stand up.
The rostrum party will reach their seats and standing up, will wait for the candidates to reach their seats.
When the members of the procession are all in place, the most senior official presiding over the ceremony will first bow to the rostrum party, who bow back.
He/She will then Bow to the floor, and invites them to be seated. With the floor in their seats, the rostrum party will take theirs, with the presiding official the last to be seated. The presiding official will then bow to the Chief Marshal first, while seated, who will invite the first speaker to the podium, and the ceremony will officially begin.

The Commencement Ceremony
The essential elements of the ceremony are the commencement addresses and the conferring of degrees. The most junior speaker will start first and the most senior speaker will address the convocation last. Earned degrees are conferred in the ascending order, with the baccalaureate degrees first, and professional doctorates and doctorates of philosophy last. The Chief Marshall calls out the names of recipients in the order of Grade Pont Average, and the called candidate will present himself/herself at the rostrum to receive his/her diploma, honors and hood if applicable, presented by the presiding official and helped with the most senior academic personage present.
Honorary degrees are conferred, with individual citations, after the earned degrees, and each recipient will have a maximum of three minutes to convey his/her reflections at the podium, immediately upon being admitted to the degree.

The Baccalaureate Service
The preliminary procession for the baccalaureate service differs from that for commencement exercises in that the candidates for degrees are not required to march in a special order determined by degrees to be conferred.

The Final Procession
The ceremony will come to an end when the presiding official arises form his/her seat. All present will stand up.
The rostrum party and the faculty leave the hall in the same order of entry. Recipients of degrees are permitted to disperse from their seats when these two divisions have left the ceremony locale.

Inauguration Exercises
1. Chancellor of the University
2. Vice Chancellor and President of the University

The office of the Chancellor of the InterAmerican University is an honorary position, bestowed on a global personality for a period of four years.
The office of the Vice Chancellor and the President of the InterAmerican University is for life, meaning that a replacement is only selected upon the volitional retirement or demise of the incumbent.
When a new Chancellor or a Vice Chancellor and President is to be inaugurated, the tradition for the academic procession dictates that at least the following divisions be included in the given order:
· Delegates of Colleges of the University and Campuses, Study Centers, Regional Offices and Affiliated and Articulated Institutions according to the dates of establishment in relation to the University, with the most recent leading the procession.
· Delegates of Learned societies and institutions in accordance with order of seniority, with the latest to have been established leading
· Invited local officials and dignitaries
· The Faculty
· Members of the Senate of the University
· Members of the Board of Trustees of the University
· The Speakers and other dignitaries in the elected official's party
· The person to be inaugurated marching alone at the very end of the procession

The Ceremony
The essential components of the ceremony are the installation, usually by the chair of the Board of Trustees of the University, and the inaugural address by the newly elected official.
With the entrance of the Inaugural Procession into the locality of the ceremony all present will stand up.
The rostrum party will reach their seats and standing up, will wait for the members of the procession to be all in place. The most senior official presiding over the ceremony will first bow to the official to be installed, and then to the rostrum party, who bow back.
He/She will then Bow to the floor, and invites them to be seated. With the floor in their seats, the rostrum party will take theirs, with the presiding official the last to be seated. The presiding official will then take the podium and the ceremony will officially begin. This is followed by the response from the inaugurated official.
Representative of governments, churches, other institutions, alumni, students' union, etc. may make additional addresses preceding the inaugural address as appropriate.

The Final Procession
The ceremony will come to an end when the inaugurated official arises form his/her seat. All present will stand up.
The rostrum party leaves the hall in the reverse order of entry, with the newly inaugurated official leading the procession, followed by the presiding official, the speakers and so on.
· Rectors of Overseas Campuses and Similar Positions
The inauguration ceremony for the newly appointed rectors of overseas campuses of the University will follow the same guidelines as above, except that :
· Vice Chancellor and President, or Provost, or Senior Vice President of the University will preside
· The rostrum party will be limited to national and local personages

The Ceremonial Dress Guide::
Beyond observing the content of Academic Costume Code, participants in the University's ceremonies are given certain indicators as to the dress etiquette for such occasions, as follows:

Caps
Those wearing academic costumes always wear their caps in inaugural and academic processions and during the ceremony of conferring degrees. Men may remove caps during religious prayers if so dictated by tradition, and the playing of the national anthems and the alma mater of the University and the associated institutions. Such actions should be done in unison, and hence plan for each ceremony should be carefully prepared in advance. The participants should be notified beforehand to observe the cues given by the Chief Marshal of the ceremony for removing and replacing caps. Caps will not be removed during the course of baccalaureate sermons or the commencement addresses.
There is no general rule for the position of the tassel on a mortarboard. However since the InterAmerican University has dispensed entirely with bachelor's hood, it is required of the candidates for a bachelor degree to wear the tassels on the right front side before the degrees are conferred, and to shift them to the left at the moment when the degrees are handed to the them by the presiding official, and before the departure handshake or bowing, whichever the local custom dictates. This rule substitutes for individual hooding.

Gowns
All persons wearing an academic gown to the ceremonies of the University should wear the gown appropriate to the degree received or to be received.

Hoods
If a person holds more than one academic degree, he/she may wear only one hood at a time. The hood should be appropriate to the gown.
A candidate for a degree should not wear the hood for that degree until the actual conferral. The candidates are normally hooded during the commencement ceremony, and should not wear the hood prior to being hooded by the presiding official.
In the event of en masse conferrals, when a large number of individuals will receive their diplomas without time for individual hooding, the candidates will be informed by the Chief Marshal prior to preliminary procession to wear their hoods, which they will keep on during the procession and throughout the ceremony.

Beyond observing the content of Academic Costume Code, participants in the University's ceremonies are given certain indicators as to the dress etiquette for such occasions, as follows:

Caps
Those wearing academic costumes always wear their caps in inaugural and academic processions and during the ceremony of conferring degrees. Men may remove caps during religious prayers if so dictated by tradition, and the playing of the national anthems and the alma mater of the University and the associated institutions. Such actions should be done in unison, and hence plan for each ceremony should be carefully prepared in advance. The participants should be notified beforehand to observe the cues given by the Chief Marshal of the ceremony for removing and replacing caps. Caps will not be removed during the course of baccalaureate sermons or the commencement addresses.
There is no general rule for the position of the tassel on a mortarboard. However since the InterAmerican University has dispensed entirely with bachelor's hood, it is required of the candidates for a bachelor degree to wear the tassels on the right front side before the degrees are conferred, and to shift them to the left at the moment when the degrees are handed to the them by the presiding official, and before the departure handshake or bowing, whichever the local custom dictates. This rule substitutes for individual hooding.

Gowns
All persons wearing an academic gown to the ceremonies of the University should wear the gown appropriate to the degree received or to be received.

Hoods
If a person holds more than one academic degree, he/she may wear only one hood at a time. The hood should be appropriate to the gown.
A candidate for a degree should not wear the hood for that degree until the actual conferral. The candidates are normally hooded during the commencement ceremony, and should not wear the hood prior to being hooded by the presiding official.
In the event of en masse conferrals, when a large number of individuals will receive their diplomas without time for individual hooding, the candidates will be informed by the Chief Marshal prior to preliminary procession to wear their hoods, which they will keep on during the procession and throughout the ceremony.