Sept graduation update - all about your academic regalia

As graduation day draws closer, you might be starting to think about what to wear for your big day!     

You might also be wondering about how to pay for the hire of your graduation regalia (regalia is the word we use for your gown and trencher).   

Please remember that you need to pay for your regalia before you can collect it from the Gown Room (which opens on Wednesday 13 September at 3.00pm).    

Paying for your regalia    
You can pay by any of the methods below:    

• Pay online via Eventbrite  
• Pay with cash or EFTPOS at Customer Services (The Hub, Dunedin Campus)
  • Monday-Friday, 8.30am-5.00pm 
  • Wednesday 13 Sept, 8.30am - 7.00pm
  • Thursday 14 Sept, 8.30am - 7.00pm    
• Pay with credit or debit card over the phone by ringing 0800 762 786.   

Gown cancellations    
Please try to let us know as soon as possible if you’re not coming and need to cancel your gown order (email graduation@op.ac.nz). The processing of refunds into your bank account takes up to 10 working days. If you have to cancel your order quite close to graduation day/on graduation day, please be aware that your refund may take a little longer to process.       

Wearing your regalia    
Each qualification level has a different combination of academic regalia. For example, if you’re graduating with a New Zealand Certificate you wear a blue gown but no facing, hood or trencher. If you’re graduating with a bachelor’s degree, you wear a blue gown, facing, hood and trencher. If you’re keen to see the range of hood/sash colours and which study areas they represent, you can check that out here.     

Facing   
This is buttoned onto your gown by shoulder buttons and lies flat down either side of the gown opening.    

Hood   
This is buttoned onto the gown by shoulder buttons over the top of a facing. 

Trencher (headwear)   
Certificate and Diploma graduands do not wear a trencher. For all other graduands, your trencher is worn with the shorter peak at the front and the longer peak at the back. This means the front is higher compared to the back. You also need to wear your tassel hanging to the left.    
  
We’ll run through the capping process on the day so you know what to expect.     

Remember: You must wear the regalia for the highest qualification you will receive on graduation day. If you’re getting a double qualification of the same level, you may choose one colour to wear, not two.    

What to wear with your gown  
There’s no prescribed dress code for graduation but it’s a formal celebration of your achievement and graduates in the past have chosen to dress quite smartly.      

We welcome you wearing special items such as korowai or lei but please do not wear or add anything further to your gown (such as other types of sashes or badges etc.)  

Remember, if you want to take part in the parade, you’ll need to walk from First Church on Moray Place to the Town Hall. During the ceremony, you also walk up and down a few steps on the stage – so, shoes that you can walk easily in that are comfortable might be a good idea.      

You can wear a face mask if you’d like to and we provide hand sanitiser at the venue.      

Bags, phones etc.    
Please don’t carry anything with you into the main Town Hall stage area (no handbags, certificates, mobile phones, flowers etc). 

You need both hands free when crossing the stage. 

Please either give your items to a family or whānau member to keep for you or hand them in to our property minders who are stationed in the foyer of the Glenroy Auditorium. They will keep them safe, and you can collect them after the ceremony.        

In next week’s update, we’ll talk you through the Gown Room details (opening times, location etc).     

And remember, you can head to our graduation webpages for all the info you need anytime.