Grad Grounds: Post Commencement Celebrations

Please read through all the guidelines and policies carefully; they are provided to assist you with planning a successful and memorable post-commencement reception.

All applicants must be undergraduates eligible to graduate and participate in Commencement on Friday, May 22, 2026 (aka graduands). 

If you are coordinating a reception site for a number of your fellow graduates, please be considerate of their needs and ability to participate in this reception, as it is their celebration as well.

You must plan your reception for the space you have been allotted by the Office of Meetings, Events, & Conference Services (MECS); you may not negotiate or enact a site change without the express written permission of MECS. No other spaces other than the designated space through MECS will be permitted for use on the day of Undergraduate Commencement. If you have the consent of another group to consider a relocation of your reception site (a trading of), you must both make a formal written request through MECS.

Agreements and Insurance

Reception site assignments are not guaranteed until all of the following documents are electronically signed via the DocuSign envelope and payment is complete: 

1. Facility Use Agreement
2. Certificate of Liability Insurance
3. Alcohol Responsibility Form
4. Site Policy Acknowledgement
5. Catering Vendor Agreement

All undergraduates and their guests attending Grad Grounds on Friday, May 22, 2026 at Saint Mary's College of California are responsible for following all conditions outlined in the signed Facility Use Agreement, Site Policy Acknowledgement Form, Alcohol Responsibility Form and Catering Vendor Agreement.

Guidelines and Procedures

Additionally, the following guidelines and procedures must also be followed:

• Set up for Friday receptions may begin as early as 12 pm on Thursday, May 22, 2026, and no sooner. Plan accordingly; the College cannot guarantee the security of your reception site and/or any items (i.e., canopies, barbecues, tables, chairs, etc.) left at your plot.
   
• Catering vendors are allowed to set-up at a site location or a designated vendor location, the cost is included in the Site Fee per individual/group. All catering vendors who want to be on site the day of Commencement must register in advance with the Office of Meetings, Events, and Conference Services. Catering vendors that are not registered will not be allowed on campus.
   
• Receptions begin after the official conclusion of the Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 22, and all receptions must end by 5 pm the same day. Failure to do so will result in a $150 fine for each graduate. 
   
• All reception furnishings (i.e., canopies, tables, buffet tables, etc.) must be chosen carefully to fit within the confines of the space allotted to your reception. All reception furnishings must be removed before 7 pm on Friday, May 22. You will be provided with a clean reception site for your graduation reception, and you are required to return the site to its original state. Failure to do so will result in a $150 fine for each graduate of the group. 
  • The College does not provide reception furnishings (tables, chairs, & canopies), as they will already be in use for Commencement. If any College equipment and/or furnishings are moved from a campus area to or from a reception site, the group will be charged a minimum fine of $150.
  • If you are assigned an area with existing tables, BBQ equipment, chairs and/or other amenities, you may use them. Please be considerate and share them amongst all groups assigned to that specific reception site.
  • Only open canopies with a maximum of 10' in length by 20' in width are allowed; no enclosed tents and none larger may be utilized. 
    • Canopies MAY be spiked into the ground with 12” or shorter stakes. Please use weights/sandbags whenever possible. Groups failing to secure their canopies may cause safety hazards which may result in removal of canopies and a $150 fine for each graduate.
• Please be aware that the space you are assigned for your reception is largely decided by your reception site request and takes into consideration the number of graduates in your group. 
  • Occupancy for all reception sites must be maintained; do not add additional graduates and their guests to your reception group without prior written clearance from the Office of Meetings, Events, and Conference Services. The addition of another graduate also implies the addition of their guests and this could result in a fire code violation resulting in a shutdown of your reception.
• Undergraduates are solely responsible for the contracting of vendors and/or caterers, reception provisions, site set-up, reception management and clean up. 

Alcohol Consumption

• All Grad Grounds participants must follow California state law and College policy regarding alcohol consumption and use at post-Commencement receptions. Common-source alcohol is not allowed. Only wine, beer, and champagne may be served. Hard alcohol is prohibited. 
  • No common-source of alcohol is permitted, including but not limited to party balls, beer bongs, kegs, cocktail machines, beer pong tables and ice sluices. Common-source of alcohol is also defined as a quantity of alcohol more than can be responsibly consumed by an individual. 
• Violation of the terms in the Alcohol Responsibility Form will result in immediate closure of the reception site and a $250 fine per graduate.

All Required Documents will be sent through DocuSign beginning April 17, 2025 to the SMC email address in the Grad Grounds Application.

All SMC Grad Grounds communications with Plot Assignments and Payment Links will be sent from gradgrounds@stmarys-ca.edu. 

Each location area is limited to a designated number of reception sites. Each designated reception site has an established maximum number of guests that can be accommodated. Group sites max out at six graduates.  Each reception site is approximately 18-25' x 18-25' and is allowed a maximum of 15 guests per undergraduate.

• If a site location has 30 max guests, this means there is space for 2 undergraduates with 15 guests each.
• For Groups of six undergraduates, a total of 90 guests is the maximum allowed (15 per undergraduate). 

You must plan your reception for the space you have been assigned. If you have the consent of another group to consider a relocation of your reception site (a trading of), you must both make a formal written request to the Office of Meetings, Events, and Conference Services. You may not negotiate or enact a site change without the written permission of the Office of Meetings, Events, and Conference Services. 

Multiple reception sites are designated in each location, so keep in mind the areas are shared with other groups. 

Final assignments will be posted online no later than April 30, 2026.

All fees must be submitted as one payment through the online payment form via credit card or e-check. Online payment information is provided after applications are submitted. DO NOT pay through GaelXpress; cash or checks will not be accepted. 

• Site Fees: The range for participating is between $175-$275 per undergraduate based on "plot" size and location and the number of undergraduates in the Group. Reception site fees are applied to the costs associated with Grad Grounds set up and clean up (i.e., portable restrooms, trash cans, chalking and/or painting designated sites, etc.). Since the Graduate & Professional Studies Commencement is the following day; the campus must be returned to pristine condition overnight.
• Catering Fees: Catering fees are included in the Site Fee. Each Caterer must be registered prior to being permitted on campus. Undergraduates will receive the Catering Registration Form link once payment is complete.
• Insurance Fees: Each group is required to provide the College with a Certificate of Insurance naming Saint Mary's College as additionally insured for $1,000,000. The rate for a one-day policy arranged by the College is $100 per reception group, and it is included in the Contract.

All required documents and payment must be submitted online by 5 pm on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. All Grad Grounds emails with Plot Assignments, Payment Links and official documentation will be sent from gradgrounds@stmarys-ca.edu. 

After processing the required documents and fees, the Office of Meetings, Events, and Conference Services will send an email to the undergraduate and/or group leader confirming the reception site location. 

• Site locations are confirmed only after all required forms are completed and payment is received. In the event that an undergraduate/group does not submit all required documents and fees by the due date, the Grad Grounds reception site will be forfeited.

Questions? Contact Meetings, Events & Conference Services at gradgrounds@stmarys-ca.edu.