Undergraduate commencement this year will be the first to follow a plan laid out in early 2020, and UC Davis staff volunteers can help make it happen.

The university is consolidating what used to be seven ceremonies in The Pavilion, into three outdoor ceremonies in UC Davis Health Stadium, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 10, 11 and 12. Organizers are looking for 300 staff members to help with day-of logistics, ensuring graduates and their guests get to where they need to be.

An estimated 12,500 people, including the graduates, are expected for each ceremony. Each will be from 8 to 10 a.m.

“As a volunteer, you play a significant role in celebrating our graduates’ educational accomplishments, and we appreciate your participation in the upcoming ceremonies for the Undergraduate Class of 2022,” the organizers said.

The signup form is here (volunteers can request assignments for limited mobility). The deadline is Friday, May 27. All volunteers will be given T-shirts.

If you’re not volunteering ...

Because of traffic and parking congestion during commencement, officials are encouraging employees who are able to work remotely during the undergraduate ceremonies to do so. (For most employees, this will apply to the Friday commencement.) If your job requires you to be onsite, then please consider choosing bike or bus or carpool — anything besides driving in alone.

Meanwhile, Transportation Services has posted information for graduates and their guests, on parking and getting to the stadium. First on the list is "Car-Free Commencement" — that is, coming by bike, bus or train, or carpooling, among other options.

Otherwise, people coming to commencement should review four color-coded tracks, each showing where to park in a specific area and how to get from there to the stadium, by walking (in three of the tracks) or shuttle bus (one track). Here are the tracks (each accompanied by a UC Davis icon):

• Purple Gunrock — Parking lots closest to the stadium and post-event festivities on Hutchison Field, with heavy congestion expected
• Yellow Water Tower — Parking areas near UC Davis Health Stadium that may require extra walking to event areas, but are near Highway 113 for a faster exit
• Red Rider — Less-congested lots in the Gateway District, with shuttles available to the stadium
• Green Squirrel — Probability of high demand for this track that is close to the University Credit Union Center, where each commencement will be available for viewing via livestream

Transportation Services also has posted information on parking and mobility assistance for people with disabilities.

Spring commencement

The spring commencement season began with ceremonies last Friday and Saturday: School of Medicine (May 13) and School of Law (May 14). Next up is the School of Veterinary Medicine, Friday, May 27. The full commencement schedule is available online.

More information — including featured speakers — is available in this previous article.