Associated Student Government (ASG)
Academic Regalia
Clovis Community College honors the diverse achievements and identities of our graduates. Celebrate your unique journey with a variety of approved cords and stoles.
All ceremony participants are required to wear full academic regalia consisting of a traditional black gown and mortarboard (cap) with tassel. Additional items including stoles and cords are optional, however they must be approved by the Commencement Advisory.
Approved Cords
LGBTQIA+
Veterans
Approved Stoles
Athletics
Black & African American Student Engagement (BAASE)
Clovis Community College (CCC)
Dreamers (DACA)
Extended Opportunity Programs & Services (EOPS)
First Generation
Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society
Leon S. Peters Honors Program Hood
Latino Faculty & Staff Association (LFSA)
Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA)
Phi Theta Kappa
TRIO
Veterans
Additional stoles and cords
Please complete the Academic Regalia Approval Form to request approval of additional stoles and cords.
Approvals are considered on a 4-year review cycle. If anything changes within the 4-year approval cycle (logo, color, status of program, etc.) you must resubmit the form indicating the changes that have occurred.
Understanding the Academic Regalia
The robes, hats, and hoods worn by faculty, graduates, and administration have historical origins and significance. It means the wearer holds a university degree and, in some ways, is distinctive to the institution from which the wearer graduated. English traditions originating at Oxford and Cambridge led to the development of American academic regalia. By the twentieth century, institutions of higher learning in the United States had adopted a well-defined code of academic costume, which now includes the identification of the different academic degrees by distinctive gowns, hoods, and colors.
Most robes are black, regardless of what academic degree (bachelors, masters, or doctoral) the wearer holds, though some schools use robes in the school’s colors. Doctoral gowns display three velvet bands on the sleeves and velvet facing running down the front of the gown. Gown trim can either be black or the color designated for the field of study in which the doctorate was earned. The associate in arts and bachelor’s gowns have pointed sleeves and are worn closed. The master’s gown has oblong sleeves, open at the wrist. The doctor’s gown has bell-shaped sleeves, that can be worn open or closed.
The shell material of the hood, that colorful cloth draped over the robe, must be black regardless of the color of the robe being worn. The interior lining of the hood, usually silk, displays colors in a pattern prescribed by the institution from which the wearer received his or her degree. The opening of the hood is trimmed in velvet or velveteen, and its color is distinctive of the academic field to which the degree pertains.
No academic costume is complete without headwear, which will vary with the level of academic achievement. For headwear, the code recommends mortarboards, with the material required to match the gown. The doctor’s degree headwear is the exception – coming in the form of a multi-sided tam made of velvet.
The tassel worn on a mortarboard or tam provides the greatest opportunity for creativity in academic dress. It can be black, gold, the colors of a specific college, or the academic discipline of the degree. The gold tassel indicates that the student is graduating with honors.
Clovis Community College holds all of its graduates in high esteem. In addition to the traditional cap and gown regalia, some graduates are honored with cords to signify service, affiliations, or academics. A cord consists of twisted cords with tassels on either end. By tradition, more than one cord may be worn at the same time.
The graduation stole, also known as a graduation sash, is worn over the shoulders during graduation ceremonies to signify achievements, affiliations, or cultural identity. They can be worn to recognize academic honors, extracurricular involvement, or membership in organizations.
