Tassel talk November 2008

This Year's Ceremony  |  Photo Gallery  |  Cool Grads!  |  You Said It...  |  Tassel Talk  

Here’s some trivia about Convocation

Did you know?

• The Mount Royal class of November 2008 is made up of 409 graduates, roughly 200 of who crossed the stage.
• This number includes 95 Continuing Education graduates and 10 Athabasca University transfer graduates.
• Mount Royal’s Convocation ceremonies originally took place in churches — from 1910 to the mid-1960s.
• In 1913, a beautiful Shetland pony was awarded as a prize for "General Proficiency in a Junior Department" at Convocation. It was donated by W.J. Trotter.
• Despite the fact that Mount Royal was a Christian college, the school started awarding the B’nai B’rith bursary and the Jewish Women’s bursary in 1933 and 1934.

Gowns

Mount Royal graduates have been dressing in blue robes since the late ’60s or early ’70s, but the sea of Mount Royal blue is peppered with other gown colours. This is because faculty members wear the gown of the university where they graduated.

Hoods

Mount Royal students crossing the stage will be wearing a gown with different coloured hoods which distinguish which faculty they are graduating from. Historically, the hood was a functional garment, used as protection from the weather.

Caps

There is some debate as to the origins of the cap worn at graduation. The square cap dates back to the 16th century and some say its shape was inspired by books. Caps should be worn parallel to the ground and should not be tipped back.