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End-of-Year FAQs

Where do I get Heritage stoles?

Heritage stoles are stoles with specific country flags. MSA no longer coordinates heritage stoles distribution. Please see the Commencement website for regalia information. Should you want a heritage stole order one when ordering your regalia under "International stole" 

Why are these dates/times during finals week?

As of 2021, senior week no longer exists at Northwestern. These are the dates and times available to offer a ceremony. 

What if I have finals during the ceremony?

Feel free to still register for the event(s) even if you cannot attend. Ceremonies will be recorded. You can pick up your stole on Saturday, June 11. 

Can I bring guests? How many?

We encourage you to invite friends, family, and community to celebrate with you. Tickets for each event will be available through the Northwestern Box Office from on May 13-June 6th.

If you are a registered participant, we have automatically reserved a ticket for you, whether you indicated that you plan to attend or not. You DO NOT need to reserve a ticket for yourself, but you can reserve tickets for your guests if you choose to do so.  

Tickets are free, and there is no limit on the number of guests graduates can invite. Guests are also able to reserve tickets on their own. Those not affiliated with Northwestern will first need to set up an account on the NBO site, which requires a phone number and an email address. 

In order to accommodate our full community, we ask that if you reserved a ticket for yourself or a guest and who is no longer able to attend the event, please contact msa@northwestern.edu so that we can release the ticket to others. 

What will the seating be link for the events?

For The JOY, Lavendar Graduation, APIDA Senior Send-Off, and Latinx Congratulatory graduates and ceremony participants (performers/stolers/speakers) will have assigned reserved seating. The remainder of Cahn will be open seating for all guests to sit where they like with whomever they choose. 

What if I already bought a stole through the regalia website?

MSA does not run regalia distribution other than the stoles associated with each of our ceremonies. If you already bought a Rainbow or Kente stole and are hoping to seek a return/refund or cancellation of your order contact the regalia vendor (540-387-0000 or customercare@oakhalli.com) to see if that is possible. 

How much does it cost for a stole in an MSA ceremony?

MSA provides our stoles free of charge to graduates that register for our events. 

I submitted my info and need to update something/change the information I submitted:

If this is during open registration, please fully re-registrar. Your most recent submission is what will be used for the celebration(s) you opt into.

If you need to do this AFTER registration closed (May 6th), please email msa@northwestern.edu. Information shared after the registration is NOT guaranteed to make program materials due to other planning deadlines.

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