Last week, Sonoma State held a virtual grad fair on March 10 and 11 for all students that will be graduating at the end of Spring semester. The grad fair is usually held in person, however due to the pandemic, this year the grad fair had to be held virtually.

In years past, the grad fair was held in person at the bookstore to get students prepared for graduation. Sonoma State Alumni Thomas Gahan recalled his time at the grad fair pre-pandemic: “The grad fair was an exciting event for seniors to prepare for graduation,” he said. “We were allowed to see the tassel color for our major, take pictures in a cap and gown, and were surprised with a class of 2020 lanyard at the end. It isn’t much, but it’s something to get you excited for graduation.”

This year’s grad fair is more informative and will not include photo opportunities. According to the grad fair website, the fair will allow students to “get information on cap and gown and how to order… announcements, college rings, and grad accessories will be covered.”

The main thing that was discussed at this year’s grad fair was the options for grad packs and what they entail. At the grad fair, the representative from the bookstore, as well as the Herff Jones representative went over important information that students will need to know for when purchasing their grad pack for the upcoming graduation.

There are five grad pack options available, all of which include, “Cap, Gown, Tassel, Stole of Gratitude, and Zipper Pull.” The other packages have other options that can be added on including thank you cards, announcements, envelope seals, diploma frames, or other items like stoles, tassels, zipper pulls and keychains.

Other important information that was given at grad night was that the final date to order your grad pack is April 22 at 9:00 p.m. No orders after that date will be accepted. Another bit of important information is that the gown is a rental gown that has to be returned 6 weeks after the ceremony. Everything else students get to keep but the gown must be returned via mail to Herff Jones. There will be a return label that is shipped with your grad pack which you will use to send back the gown.

Sonoma State is planning on having a commencement ceremony for its graduating students, although it won’t be exactly as it used to be. Just like the grad fair, they have had to make adjustments to their ceremony due to the pandemic. According to the commencement webpage, “Sonoma State University will continue our celebration of the graduates of the Class of 2020 with a hybrid drive-thru and virtual commencement ceremony on campus the weekend of May 15-16, 2021.”

Although it may not be like normal, the fact there is a ceremony at all is a big plus for students. “After careful consideration of current public health guidance, the Commencement Logistics Committee thinks the best format for this important celebration is a hybrid drive-thru ceremony,” states the commencement page. “While current Sonoma County public health data indicates that large in-person gatherings such as commencement will not yet be feasible by May, a hybrid drive-thru format provides more of a community feel than a solely virtual format.”

People may be confused about what a hybrid drive-thru may look like. A drive-thru ceremony will involve students driving up in their cars to receive their diploma rather than walking across the stage like in a traditional ceremony. Here’s what the commencement page had to say about the ceremony. “Each graduate will have the option to attend in person in a vehicle accompanied by family and friends,” they said. “Graduates participating in the drive-thru ceremony will have the opportunity to exit their car to walk across the stage wearing regalia to receive their diploma cover and a commemorative program.” “

For students looking for information on commencement, take a look at commencement.sonoma.edu to stay up to date on new information. For information on grad packs and grad fair, sonoma.gradfair.herffjones.com will have all the necessary information laid out for graduating students.