Students graduating this May began purchasing all of the items associated with graduating from college from the graduate fair on Wednesday.
The Campus Store conducted the graduate fair where soon to be graduates could purchase their cap and gown, take photos at a free photography sitting and buy invitations to send to friends and family.
This week is the last week students can charge these purchases to their student account. In the following weeks, students will still be able to purchase all of these items, however, charging it to their student account will no longer be an option.
Scott Harsh, Campus Store manager, said he expects 70-75 percent of those graduating this May to purchase their cap and gown Wednesday. He said that a lot of those not purchasing on Wednesday would be those who participate in the university’s online graduate programs.
In past years, the Campus Store had not sold cap and gowns until the week before graduation. The grad fair now takes place each fall and spring semester, 6-8 weeks before graduation in order to cut down on the chaos of students’ final week at the university.
“We used to do caps and gowns the week of graduation, and it’s just stressful for everyone,” Harsh said. “If they can go ahead and pick them up now, it’s one less thing they have to worry about.”