The Office of the Registrar implemented a new ticket requirement for this Friday’s graduation ceremony.

Over the past two years, ACU’s graduation ceremonies underwent numerous changes. Because of COVID-19 and Moody Coliseum renovations, the ceremonies were either held in Wildcat Stadium or the Taylor County Expo Center. Though this is the first year since 2020 the ceremony will be back in Moody, it faces a new change: a ticket requirement for the ceremony’s attendees. Registrar Dr. Eric Gumm helped implement this new requirement.

“Each graduate is allowed to request seven tickets,” Gumm, director of the first-year program and academic development center, said. “They could request up to four additional ones if we had enough tickets remaining. Based on the requests that we received, we were able to give students whatever they requested up to that full eleven.” 

Moody’s limited number of seats influenced this new requirement. After renovations, Moody Coliseum can seat 3,600 people instead of the previous 4,100. For this December’s graduation ceremony, there will be around 3,100 seats available for guests. The ticketing requirement helps ensure that all guests will have somewhere to sit. 

“There’s nothing more disappointing than to show up to watch your family member graduate and not be able to actually attend,” Dr. Gumm said.

The Office of the Registrar contacted students, staff and faculty about the new requirement, so they are aware of the change and have access to a ticket request form. All tickets are general admission and must be presented in their physical form at the ceremony. Tickets are available for pick-up in ADMIN 309 until Thursday. On Friday, the tickets can be secured at Moody’s will call window.

“It’s the student’s responsibility to pick up the tickets and distribute them to their family members and friends,” Dr. Gumm said. “We are requiring you to show your ACU ID when you pick them up.”

Assistant Registrar for Graduation & Degree Advising Misty Tom handed out tickets in the Campus Center on Tuesday.

“It’s been going pretty smoothly,” Tom said. “This is just mostly for the residential students, the online students will pick theirs up probably at the ticket window on Friday or at the ACU Online reception that they’re having on Friday if they RSVP’d to that event.”

The graduation ceremony will be held this Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Moody Coliseum. There will be a little over 360 students graduating.