Academic Regalia

[MisterGrey]

I will be graduating from college next month with a BS in Psychology and was wondering if some of you ladies and gents could give me a hand in making a decision about some offers I've been given regarding my academic regalia.

Over the course of my time in college I've become affiliated with several honors organizations and done varying levels of work with each. Each of these three organizations has offered the opportunity to wear different articles representing membership/achievements in these organizations, including stoles and cords. My problem comes in the form of the stoles-- it seems like overkill to wear three different stoles, potentially four when considering there is also a college stole that can be worn by anyone. Traditionally, how would a situation like this be handled? I've done equal work with each organization, have no particular affinity for any one over the others, and each one is roughly equal in academic standing. I've heard that it is acceptable to wear multiple stoles, but I'm skeptical on this; and if this is the case, how many would be the appropriate number, and in what way would I wear them? (one over the other, one reversed across the shoulders, etc?)

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[flyfishark]

I will be graduating from college next month with a BS in Psychology and was wondering if some of you ladies and gents could give me a hand in making a decision about some offers I've been given regarding my academic regalia.

Over the course of my time in college I've become affiliated with several honors organizations and done varying levels of work with each. Each of these three organizations has offered the opportunity to wear different articles representing membership/achievements in these organizations, including stoles and cords. My problem comes in the form of the stoles-- it seems like overkill to wear three different stoles, potentially four when considering there is also a college stole that can be worn by anyone. Traditionally, how would a situation like this be handled? I've done equal work with each organization, have no particular affinity for any one over the others, and each one is roughly equal in academic standing. I've heard that it is acceptable to wear multiple stoles, but I'm skeptical on this; and if this is the case, how many would be the appropriate number, and in what way would I wear them? (one over the other, one reversed across the shoulders, etc?)

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If this is any help, when you have more than one terminal degree, you typically select among them. Only one hood is usually worn. I'm not certain if this helps with cords and stoles. I would assume the same tradition applies.

 

[flyfishark]

Oh, and Congratulations!

 

[MisterGrey]

Thanks for the input!

I tried to get more information today on campus, but the people actually in charge of organizing graduation and overseeing the dress are not listed as contacts anywhere on the campus homepage's "Graduation" section, and actually tracking them down on campus is a kind of puzzle game. And once you find them you can't actually speak to them but have to relay your questions through a secretary. Ah well.

Anyone else have any experience/input?

 

[rachelolive92]

thanks for sharing.

 

[MB5]

If you have no particular affinity for any one organization just pick the stole you think looks the best, and then get cords for the other organizations if you want them all represented. Alternatively, if you know you are going to be taking pictures with your friends, you may want to co-ordinate what stole to wear with them.

According to my school: "Unlike hoods, tassels and stoles, custom allows more than one cord to be worn at the same time."

http://yuma.nau.edu/services/Regalia.aspx

 

[carldelo]

From Wikipedia, with a grain of salt, as usual: "Unlike hoods and stoles, by tradition more than one cord may be worn at the same time."
The article is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor_cords

So it appears you could opt for one stole only, plus 2 cords, and eschew the 'college participation cord' that's available to everyone. The best way to figure it out is on the day you get dressed up - just try getting it all to work together somehow. If you're also going to be wearing a hood, it may get pretty busy-looking around your neck. Try to make sure someone with good taste is around when you're getting dressed. Oh, and congratulations....

 

[Guttersnipe]

As far as I know, multiple stoles are considered acceptable (or at least at my school they are). At my commencement fraternity/sorority members wore their organization's stole along with honors stoles. It looks pretty flashy but hey, if you earning it why not wear it, right?

I opted to only wear my Summa Cum Laude stole and Beta Gama Sigma honor society tassel even though I was entitled to wear more scrabbled eggs because those were ones had to do something to earn.

See, not too flashy.

 

[Oldsarge]

Trying to look sober and discrete in academic regalia, I believe, misses the point. Would you expect a highly decorated soldier to leave all his/her medals off the mess dress uniform? Of course not. Where honors are earned, they should be displayed just as a professor's entire academic lineage is after his name in the university catalog. Puffenstuff, Horatio H., Ph.D (Kings), MA, MS, BA, AA for example.

 

[flyfishark]

Trying to look sober and discrete in academic regalia, I believe, misses the point. Would you expect a highly decorated soldier to leave all his/her medals off the mess dress uniform? Of course not. Where honors are earned, they should be displayed just as a professor's entire academic lineage is after his name in the university catalog. Puffenstuff, Horatio H., Ph.D (Kings), MA, MS, BA, AA for example.

Actually, the terminal degree or degrees are listed after a professor/professional's name. Preliminary degrees such as A.B., or M.A. are not used professionally. (i.e., M.D., Ph.D.) The degrees leading up to a terminal degree are omitted.

 

[Edward]

Actually, the terminal degree or degrees are listed after a professor/professional's name. Preliminary degrees such as A.B., or M.A. are not used professionally. (i.e., M.D., Ph.D.) The degrees leading up to a terminal degree are omitted.

Ironically enough, I did do a term of arcaheology at university....

I think this is an area where US and European practice differs (and approaches differ wildly within Europe - French universities apparently have no gowns at all, which causes endless amusement among French colleagues with what they are offered to wear at our graduation ceremonies in London). Here in the UK, formally an academic would list all their qualifications after their name (BA, MA, PhD) as well as any title beforehand, thus: Dr X BA, MA, PhD. In less formal circumstances, most will simply use their title on its own - Dr X, or, if they hold a chair, Professor X (whether or not also the holder of a PhD, the titles of Dr and Professor are never used together).

In terns of academic dress, the UK practice is to wear the gown and hood pertaining to one's highest academic qualification, in the colours and cut as used by the awarding institution (My Queen's Belfast LLM gown and hood are completely different than the LLM gown and hood at the institution where I now work). We don't have any sort of equivalent of the cords and stoles. Personally, though, if we did I'd wear 'em all. If the stoles clash or cover over each other too much, I might opt to wear one standard, institutional stole and then cords for all the activities.

I realise full well that the original post date means the ceremony being asked about has long passed, but post here in the hope we can see some photos of it. That, and academic dress has recently been on my mind again since I processed at two postgraduate ceremonies last week (two of four ceremonies I do per year, the others being the July graduation, also in London, and a June ceremony in Beijing for our Chinese programme).

Given that gowns have change little in a very long time, what vintage style do folks opt for underneath them? I've worn vintage lounge suits in the past, though this year I opted for black lounge, which I enjoyed wearing.

 

[tropicalbob]

I always liked what James Joyce called the degree letters after a name: "Honourary Letters Trumperific."