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May 16, 2008 11:11 pm US/Central
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Good Question: Graduation Questions Answered
(WCCO)
Thousands of Minnesotans getting ready to flip that tassel and enter the "real world," but many have no idea why they're wearing a cap and gown, and why we hear the same song at every graduation.
Why do graduates wear a cap and gown? It's a tradition that dates to 12th Century England, the birthplace of the modern University. In those days, most scholarly activity was connected to the church.
"It goes back to monasteries and monks. They first wore the robes because it was for warmth," said Martha Hoppe, Assistant Director of the University Bookstore.
Hoppe processes the graduation garb for nearly 7,000 graduates every year.
Churches were very cold places, so the early scholars wore the garb to stay warm. When the University developed, the tradition of a gown and cap became attached to graduation.
In 1894 a group of leading American educators met at Columbia College to draft a code. In 1895 this commission presented the Intercollegiate Code and provided for a Depository for the Intercollegiate Bureau of Academic Costume, recognized as the authority on academic dress.
What do the colors mean? Each college and university has latitude to set their own codes, but the University of Minnesota goes along with the
Intercollegiate Code. White is for the College of Liberal Arts, Crimson is journalism, yellow is science and at the University of Minnesota, copper is the College of Design.
What's that graduation song that sounds like "Here Comes The Bride?" It's called "Pomp and Circumstance," and it was composed in 1901 by Sir Edward Elgar. The title comes from William Shakespeare's "Othello" and it was originally intended to be the march for the coronation of King Edward VII.
In 1905, Yale University gave Elgar an honorary doctorate, and they played his song as a recessional. After that, Princeton used the song, then the University of Chicago, and then it spread all over the country.
What are those fancy "cum laude" things all about? Harvard College started using designations for degrees with honors in 1869. "Cum laude" is a Latin phrase, meaning "with praise." "Magna cum laude" translates to "with high praise" and "Summa cum laude" means "with highest praise." Each school sets its standards for each category; typically they correspond to a certain grade point average.
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