By Janet Huseby

The graduates first appear at the beginning of May - decked in caps and gowns; carrying flowers, balloons, and teddy bears; and trailing a proud entourage of family and friends. They can be spotted in clusters or swarms - crossing Oxford Street, posing on Bancroft, jamming the parking lots. It's Cal's graduation, we are told day after day and week after week. Wait a minute. When is this graduation, anyway?

Well, here's the scoop. Unlike most universities, UC Berkeley does not have a single commencement ceremony to celebrate the culmination of academic endeavors. Instead it has a month-long graduation season, featuring 62 separate degree-awarding ceremonies and scores of receptions and festivities.

This year, the first graduation event is May 4, when the Health and Medical Science Program honors 13 new graduates. The master's candidates - many of whom have volunteered their time serving the needs of the homeless at the Suitcase Clinic - are completing the first half of a five-year M.S./M.D. program run jointly with UC San Francisco.

At the last event, on May 31, four seniors in Naval Science will receive their commission in the U.S. Navy. In between, approximately 8,000 students will receive degrees in subjects ranging from Ancient History to Aerospace Studies.

In the early years, following the University of California's move from Oakland to Berkeley in 1873, commencement was often held outdoors beneath the ancient oaks that dotted the campus grounds. In 1903, President Teddy Roosevelt addressed graduates and their families from the unfinished stage of the Greek Theater. Eventually the ceremony was moved to the 74,000-capacity Memorial Stadium. Commencement was preceded by a series of traditional events. These included the Senior Pilgrimage, which featured a grand march through campus, and evening banquets - the men in San Francisco and the women at Hearst Hall - highlighted by the announcement of betrothals.

In the tumultuous 1960s, traditions that had once united the campus grew out of fashion. The once-popular Senior Pilgrimage was attended by a dwindling few; the senior banquets were discontinued; and the large commencement ceremony - an irresistible magnet for protest and disruptions - was cancelled in 1970.

The 80 departments and schools stepped into the void to create their own ceremonies and receptions. While the last decade has seen a growing interest in a university-wide celebration, campus departments are no longer enthusiastic about consolidating their events. "Sheer folly," scoffs one department organizer at the idea of ever returning to one comprehensive commencement. "It's much more meaningful this way."

As a compromise, in the last decade the Commencement Convocation, part of an event-packed Senior Week, has grown in importance. In 1990, 1,500 people attended convocation. This year, 7,000 are expected to attend the May 17 event in the Greek Theater. Graduation 2002 will also see the first-ever Senior Scoop, co-sponsored by Dryers Ice Cream, and the third annual revival of the Senior Pilgrimage.

"It's quite an achievement to graduate from Berkeley," says Jason Simon, a staff member of the California Alumni Association. "If community members know any seniors, we hope they will join us in helping them celebrate."

For a schedule of graduation events, visit www.urel.berkeley.edu/commencemen

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