University of Tasmania, Australia

Graduands set to celebrate

It’s the season of caps and gowns again and the annual Town and Gown processions are approaching.

The processions are a chance for graduands, staff and members of the community to share the excitement and achievement of graduations.

In Hobart, more than 300 UTAS graduands from the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Health Science, the Lord Mayor of Hobart and UTAS academics will be participating in a procession from Domain House to the Federation Concert Hall  on Wednesday 14 December 2011.

Town and Gown processions:

• Hobart (Wednesday 14 December - 2:30pm). The procession is held before the 3pm ceremony only, but all candidates graduating on the day are invited to participate. At 2.30pm the procession, with police escort and band, will move from Domain House through the rose garden, then proceed through the pedestrian underpass at the Brooker Highway roundabout and along Liverpool and Campbell Streets to arrive at the Federation Concert Hall.
• Launceston (Saturday 17 December - 10:30am). The procession is held before the 11am ceremony only, but all candidates graduating on the day are invited to participate. At 10:30am the procession, with police escort and band, will move from Civic Square south along St John Street, east along Brisbane Street, and then through City Park, arriving at the Albert Hall at 10.45 am.

A brief history of Town and Gown processions:  Town and Gown dates back to the Middle Ages. Town’ referred to the non-academic population and the ‘gown’ to the university community.

Students who attended European universities during this time wore academic long black gowns with a hood and cap, similar to what was worn by the clergy.

The hood was decorated with different colours dependent on the college they were affiliated with. This created a distinction between students and other citizens of the town, hence the term ‘town and gown.’

For more information on the Town and Gown processions and graduations, visit: http://www.utas.edu.au/graduation/