UNT students who are graduating this semester can finally rejoice: the over-priced textbooks, 8 a.m. classes, submitting assignments before 11:59 p.m. and SPOT evaluations are behind you.

Nevertheless, graduation is a big deal and The Dentonite is here to guide you to a stress free commencement experience for those attending the 2019 spring commencement ceremonies at the University of North Texas from Thursday, May 9  through Saturday, May 11, 2019.

UNT graduation announcements and flyers to expected grads say that this semester’s commencement ceremonies will be complicated due to major construction projects on the Denton campus.

With this being said, graduates assemble and read on for all the details on construction!

Parking

While at UNT, there’s a good chance you got a gray hair or two from stressing about finding a parking spot. So why not end your college journey the way you started it? Parking will be free — one of the only times parking is free on campus — but it is on a first come, first serve basis.

There will be over 10 parking lots stretched out all over campus to park at, so finding a spot won’t be an issue; however, finding a good spot will be. It should be noted shuttle buses will be driving around picking up and dropping off guests (and graduates) from lot to venue. This is why some of the roads are being blocked.

Here’s a list of the lots guests can park at starting from closest to the Coliseum:

• Parking lot 20/Special Events Parking lot.

• Lots 26 & 27. ADA parking is available here.

• The Highland Street park garage, also ADA accessible.

• Lots 36, 37, 39, 40 and 41. These lots are along Highland Street and near the the Greek Life Center.

• Lots 54 and 55 will also be open, at the intersection of Welch Street and West Sycamore Street.

Graduates are advised to park here:

• Lots 14, 15, 17 and 19. All along North Texas Boulevard.

• Lots 43 and 29 behind Mozart Square Hall.

• Lot 23 right behind Maple Hall.

Note that parking will be different for those attending the College of Music ceremony. Guests can park at Apogee Stadium and use the pedestrian bridge to walk to the Murchison Performing Arts Center Center. Shuttles will be provided.

And let’s not forget about the good ole everyday construction, because it’s not just about finding a parking spot, but getting to one too. The university recommends graduates and guests carpool to cut down on the onsite traffic, according to a grad flyer.  It is also recommended that graduates access the campus from the north side since this is where their parking lots are located.

According to the 2019 Spring Commencement Parking map, there will be several road closures:

• North Texas Boulevard between the Gateway Center and Highland Street (near Lot 20).

• Maple Street will be completely blocked for shuttle buses.

• Avenue C between Eagle Drive and Highland Street.

• Avenue B between Eagle Drive and Maple Street.

• Avenue A between Eagle Drive and Maple Street.

• Central Avenue between Eagle drive and Maple Street.

• On Friday from 4 to 10 p.m., Highland Street between Avenue C and Welch Street will be closed.

It should also be noted that we talked to a UNT officer on campus over the weekend when looking at the various parking lots, he mentioned the road closure at North Texas Boulevard between Gateway Center and Highland Street will be closed for south traffic, not north traffic. There will also be police help guiding traffic for grads and guests.

Timing

There’s a chance you were late to a lecture or even missed a class — or several classes — but this is not the time to show up late. I repeat, not the time to do so. Commencement lineup for graduates participating in commencement is to be at the designated venue one hour prior to the initial starting time. For example, if you are graduating at 8 a.m. on Friday, then you need to be at the UNT Coliseum west entrance at 7 a.m. because this is exactly an hour before your ceremony starts.

You should have already received papers in the mail with all the graduation details, such as where to park and what time you should be there. If you haven’t gotten any information sent to you then you should probably call and make sure you’re graduating and make sure you have the correct mailing address on your my.unt.edu account — the address on your account is where your official diploma will be sent to.

The world doesn’t revolve around you so don’t leave your house 10 minutes before you’re supposed to be at commencement and then get mad when your college doesn’t wait for you; plan your schedule wisely and accordingly.

If your ceremony is at 8 a.m., be wary of morning rush hour traffic. People still have to go to work and the Denton morning traffic is not a pretty scene. Noon commencements might be clear from road traffic but on-campus traffic is not going to be smooth. Remember, students are also moving out of dorms this weekend. Not to mention folks from the morning commencement will be leaving when you’re coming in.

For commencements at 4 p.m., heading to UNT might not be an issue but going back home might be. Take your time getting out of commencement and stop by Buc-ee’s to get a snack because you might get stuck in the afternoon rush hour traffic.

And last but not least, make sure you have everything before you head out to commencement. If you’re participating in commencement, all you need is your name card (which should have come in the mail) and your cap and gown on. Guests need their phones and cameras to take an excessive amount of photos and flowers, because why not?

The Dentonite wants to congratulate all those graduating this semester and to those who are still working on their degree. For images of lots and pictures of maps, check out this Twitter thread.

Header image courtesy of Unsplash.

Header by Kylie Phillips.