Graduation Ceremony

Each graduate will receive (10) general admission tickets for their guests to attend the commencement ceremony. Tickets may be picked up at the following times/locations:

• Grad Fest – 4/22/19 from 2:00-5:00 PM – Aloha Tower Marketplace
• HPU Bookstore – Immediately following Grad Fest through 5/8/19 – anytime during normal business hours – Aloha Tower Marketplace
• All tickets must be picked up from the Bookstore by the graduate prior to 6:00 PM on 5/8/19. Any tickets not picked up by then become available to graduates looking for extra tickets. The allotment of extra tickets will be available on a first come, first served basis at the Information Booth located on the concourse between the Arena and Exhibition Hall on commencement day starting at 3:00 PM.

IMPORTANT: if you are unable to make it to Aloha Tower Marketplace prior to commencement day to pick up your tickets due to class or work obligations, please email commencement@hpu.edu and we will gladly hold your tickets. An email stating your request is required for this special arrangement.

The arena doors will open to ADA guests at 4:00 PM and general admission guests at 4:15 PM. ADA guests may request seats be held for them by emailing commencement@hpu.edu. For anyone that made a special reservation for an ADA accessible seat, please follow signage at the entrance to the arena. Someone from HPU Security will escort you to your seat.

For security reasons, the following will not be allowed in the venue. Please plan to leave the following in your vehicles or at home for after the ceremony. And arrive early as screening at all entrances will be increased. Each guest’s bags will be searched for the following prohibited items.

• Sticks or rods
• Balloons
• Tripods
• Laser pointers
• Outside food or beverage including alcohol
• Noisemakers or air horns
• Silly string, confetti or confetti cannons
• Strollers
• Ceremonial mats
• Drones
• Balls including beach balls
• Inflatables
• Selfie sticks
• Weapons of any kind
• Fireworks
• Smoking paraphernalia
• Wrapped gifts

Guests with any prohibited items are encouraged to leave them in their cars or check them in at the Bag Check Room located in Hawaii Room 1 adjacent to the entrance to the Exhibition Hall. The Bag Check Room will be open from 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM. After 8:00 PM, any unclaimed items can be found at the HPU Security Office at Aloha Tower Marketplace.

The ceremony is anticipated to take up to 2.5 hours. The ceremony is not complete until the recessional has ended. We ask that all graduating students stay for the entire ceremony and recessional.

Onsite parking is available at the Blaisdell for $6 per vehicle. The lot is open from 5:30 AM – 10:00 PM. Additionally, ride-share companies such as Uber & Lyft will have their own designated loading and unloading spots off Ward Avenue in the turnaround.

General Admission seating will be handled on a first come, first served basis. The arena will open to guests at 4:15 PM on event day. Please be mindful of signs indicating seats being held for graduates, faculty, and University leadership.

Should you need an ADA seat reserved for you, please email your request to commencement@hpu.edu by 5/6/19. Seats will be reserved for you and you may enter the seating area starting at 4:00 PM. Please follow signage at the entrance to the arena. Someone from HPU Security will escort you to your seat.

Following the ceremony, meet your graduate in the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall for lei greeting and photographs. For those guests wishing to only attend the lei greeting portion of the event, the venue will open to those without event tickets at the conclusion of the graduate recessional. You can locate your graduate under the sign of the first letter of their last name.

The ceremony will be webcast live at hpu.edu/stream. HPU does not guarantee the quality of webcast.

GradImages is the official photographer of Hawai‘i Pacific University commencement. Each walking graduate will have (3) individual portraits taken by GradImages when accepting their diplomas on stage. Photos will be available online at gradimages.com approximately (1) week following commencement.

To view your photos, visit https://www.gradimages.com/ and enter your last name, enter 'school' as Hawaii Pacific University, enter 'year' as 2019. Your photos should populate. If you need any assistance, please contact GradImages’ Customer Service Department at (800) 261-2576, online at www.gradimages.com, or via email at giservice@gradimages.net.

GradImages will be emailing each graduate photographed a coupon for a free 5”x7” matte print. You can use the coupon on whichever photo you prefer; it doesn’t have to be the handshake photo. Shipping and handling is not included.

Large signs, balloons, inflatable toys, noisemakers, and camera tripods are not allowed. Guests may not bring any items that may infringe upon the view of other guests. Guests who do not comply may be denied entry by ushers.