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Yes. Each student will receive six (6) guest tickets for family members and friends attending Commencement exercises. Tickets will be handled electronically. Tickets are required the day of the event and must be presented by guests at the Reilly Center.

Note: Securing guest tickets is the responsibility of students. An RSVP link to attend Commencement is sent to students' SBU email accounts at the end of February. Students who plan to attend receive their tickets when they RSVP, and then may send them to their guests.

Commencement is held in the air-conditioned Reilly Center Arena. Guests sit in "the reds" (chair-back seating in the upper level) and in designated lower-level blue seats. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The arena will be open to guests at about 8 a.m. 

Yes, accessible seating and parking is available. To request accessible seating or parking, the student graduating must email the Commencement Committee at commencement@sbu.edu so proper arrangements can be made prior to your arrival on campus. We are unable to guarantee accessible parking, if not notified in advance.

Yes, parents and family members are welcome at both events. Tickets are not required.

All visitors to campus for Commencement will be directed to parking lots on the west side of campus, behind Plassmann Hall and the Walsh Science Center. 

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Yes, the University Bookstore in Reilly Center will be open throughout the three-day Commencement weekend:

• Friday, May 16: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, May 17: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Commencement Sunday, May 18: 8 a.m. to - 2 p.m.

A number of dining facilities will be open at various times on the days leading up to Commencement, including Commencement Sunday. A tentative schedule appears below. Please check back regularly for updates.

Friday, May 16

• Starbucks in Café La Verna: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  Special $2 hot-drip regular-size coffee
• Rathskeller: 4 p.m.-midnight
  Nerds Gone Wild show at 10 p.m.
• Fairway View Pavilion at the SBU Golf Course: 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Saturday, May 17

• Starbucks in Café La Verna: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  Special $2 hot-drip regular-size coffee
• Rathskeller: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Fairway View Pavilion: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Sunday, May 18

• Reilly Center Café: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Yes. Photographers from GradImages will photograph each graduate at the stage-crossing ceremony.

There is no need to register with GradImages before Commencement. Approximately three to seven days after the event graduates will receive an email with instructions for accessing and ordering photos. 

SBU photographer Danny Bush will also be taking photos at Commencement and at many other events leading up to Commencement. These will be uploaded to St. Bonaventure's Flickr photo-sharing site: .

Yes. Guests are welcome to take photos throughout the ceremony, although access to the arena floor is restricted.

Jostens, the well-known American company specializing in school-related products, offers personalized graduation announcements, thank-you notes, note cards, diploma seals and other products. To learn more, go to 

Flowers may be ordered ahead of time and picked up in the Reilly Center lobby when you arrive for Commencement. Commemorative T-shirts and sweatshirts with the names of graduates may also be ordered in advance. To learn more and place an order, go to .

The Office of Safety & Security will provide security services throughout the day. Please note that purses, backpacks, camera bags, binocular cases and other such personal carry-in items are subject to inspection. 

Prohibited items include:

• coolers
• alcohol of any kind
• controlled substances
• laser pointers or weapons of any kind
• noisemakers of any kind.

Permitted items include:

• purses and diaper bags
• backpacks, large bags or packages of any kind (all subject to inspection)
• cameras
• binoculars
• cell phones