7:45 p.m. Graduates Line Up; 8:30 p.m. Procession
First enacted in 1930 under the guidance of the Alumni Association of the University, the Senior Torchlight Procession celebrates the culmination of the graduates’ four years.
To begin the procession, members of the graduating class gather in the academic quad for music and an address by the University president. The class members then process down the hill carrying torches as a symbol of the “light of knowledge” they have gained through their education as represented by the torch on the Colgate seal.
Families and other spectators may gather at designated areas (see map on pg. 8–9) to watch the procession before joining the class at the president’s reception under the Oak Drive Tent. For everyone’s safety: Spectators may not interrupt the procession and or toss objects to the graduates as they process.