Robing Process

Overview

The Assistant Director of Alumni Relations and Prospect Research coordinates Robing.  Other participants include staff from the departments of Advancement, Student Life and Maintenance.  It takes the coordinated effort of all participants to pull off a successful Robing event.  With that in mind, calling an initial meeting of team members about one month prior to Robing is important.  Robing is held on the same days as fall and spring graduations.  The following is a description of what Robing is per the Undergraduate Catalog:

“a unique and deep-rooted Texas Wesleyan tradition that began in 1927.  For this pre-commencement ceremony, graduating candidates select a faculty or staff member whose support was meaningful to them during their studies at Texas Wesleyan University to vest them with the cap and gown.  The ceremony demonstrates the strong bonds developed between faculty and students at the University.”

Students will follow the guidelines provided in the Student Handbook for selecting someone to robe them.  Effective with the 2006-2007 Catalogs and Student Handbook, the part of the policy stating whose eligible to robe will read as follows:  “Persons eligible include all faculty, full or part time, and staff who hold faculty rank.”

Process

Provided below are additional details regarding each part of Robing; however, the Robing Timeline/Checklist contain important details that may not be listed here and should be considered one of the primary sources for coordinating Robing.

Day of Robing

The hour-long Robing ceremony starts at 11:00 a.m. and is held in the sanctuary of the United Methodist Church on campus.  Following the ceremony, a reception is held in either the Louella Baker Martin Pavilion. 

Beginning at 9:45 a.m., staff and student volunteers are stationed in the McFadden hallway to direct graduates and faculty as well as provide each a copy of the program.  Beginning at 10:15 a.m., eight student volunteers are stationed around the sanctuary to hand out programs to guests:  four students in foyer by front entrance and four in the hall closest to the alter (to catch people coming in from the parking lot in the back).   Two additional student volunteers assist guests to seats to maximize the number of guests seated.

By 10:00 a.m., graduates are in the Science Lecture Theatre (SLT), with a program in-hand, and sat down according to the tags on the SLT chairs which are organized by group and seat.  The tags start with the odd numbered groups on the right side with seat one on the outside and working in.  The left side has the even groups with the last seat on the outside and working in. This is so that as the students file out they are in order.  For example, group 1 seat 1 leads them out; group 2 seat I follows out group 1 seat last, group 3 eat 1 follows out group 2 and so on. 

A staff person will call the students to order and instruct them on the following:

• How to process into the church,
• How to enter and exit the pews,
• How to stand, and
• How to be robed.

A staff member will call roll while a different staff member makes changes to the program; the Assistant Director then notifies the affected faculty.  Please do not be late to the Robing Ceremony as your name might be deleted from the list.

Faculty meet at 10:15 a.m. in the hall of McFadden where the faculty marshal puts them in processional order, based on the program.  Prior to this, the Assistant Director has posted the faculty order throughout McFadden Hall on the glass of each classroom on the E end of the hallway as well as provided it to the faculty marshal.  The Assistant Director is available to assist the faculty marshal with faculty and platform party questions.

The faculty grand marshal assists with arranging the platform party in order, as well as processing them into the sanctuary and sitting them down.  The platform party for Robing includes all speakers, President, Provost and the chair of faculty assembly.  All (except the President, Chair of faculty assembly, and provost) march double file with Trustees in front, followed by speakers with regalia, then student presenters.  Trustees sit in the front left pew of the sanctuary.

The Assistant Director ensures the faculty marshals for the platform party, faculty and graduates are synchronized to begin the procession into the sanctuary promptly at 11:00 a.m.  

Faculty/Staff/Other Participants

Usually, only faculty that have been selected to robe attend the ceremony; however, all faculty and staff are invited.  From the faculty, three are needed to serve as “marshals” for the Robing ceremony (grand marshal [for platform party], faculty marshal, and graduate or academic marshal).  Marshals’ duties are to ensure everyone is lined up correctly to process into the sanctuary. The marshal leads its charges to the proper seats and guides them in and out of seats during the ceremony.  The marshal also leads its group out at the conclusion. 

Staff and students are recruited by the Assistant Director and Dean of Student Life for various responsibilities for Robing.  Staff from the Advancement and Student Life offices are requested to assist with Robing.  Advancement staff assist by organizing graduates, giving them programs, handling the graduate roll call and giving instructions to graduates.  Student life staff rope off pews and place markers for faculty in the sanctuary to show them where to stand in addition to contacting the Bible and Cross bearer, mace bearer, and coordination of all student volunteers.  Student volunteers serve as ushers and distribute programs.  Members of the Student Government Association also play roles as referenced in the Robing Checklist.

Prior to the Robing ceremony, the Director of Development and Alumni Relations, who also acts as coordinator of the Golden Shears Award, selects a student to present the Golden Shears Award, one of Wesleyan’s oldest traditions for the recognition of students’ academic and extracurricular leadership.  Honorees are selected during the semester by the organizations executive committee and are listed in the program.

A student is also selected by the chair of the theatre department to call the names of graduates being robed.  This announcer can not be a graduate being robed.  The announcer works with the Assistant Director to ensure they know how to pronounce names prior to actually announcing them.

Graduates

Graduates who want to participate in the Robing ceremony complete and return a “Robing card” that is provided to them in their graduation packet.  A copy of the Robing card is included here.

From amongst the graduates, the Director of Development and Alumni Relations also selects two - one to read the invocation and another to present the graduating senior gift.  The Director of Development and Alumni Relations has a prepared invocation or the senior may write one with the final version being approved by the director.  The Director of Development and Alumni Relations also selects a graduate to present the Graduation Gift.  Information about the graduation gift program is included.