Commencement will be held on the National Mall rain or shine. However, if the weather becomes inclement – if it begins to thunder and lightning – the ceremony will be moved indoors.

The University hopes to use the Verizon Center as the alternate site location, however because the Washington Capitals hockey team is in the playoffs, the Verizon Center may not be available. In the event that both the National Mall and the Verizon Center are unusable, the University said they will use the Smith Center as the Commencement location.

Because the Smith Center cannot accommodate all guests, the University said they “will do everything possible to schedule the ceremony at a time convenient for graduates and their families.” The University said it is possible that the alternate site ceremony could take place on the evening of May 17, rather than the morning. While it is unlikely that this may happen, the University recommends that guests make their travel arrangements to accommodate this circumstance.

In the event that it is necessary to cancel or leave the National Mall ceremony due to life-threatening or emergency circumstances, attendees of Commencement should review the following information:

If the alternate site is the Verizon Center:

The Verizon Center is located at 601 F St., NW (on the Red, Yellow and Green lines at the Gallery Place-Chinatown station). It is home to the Washington Wizards, Mystics and Capitals, and is an air-conditioned space large enough to accommodate ticketed guests.

All graduates, guests, faculty, staff and platform party participants should proceed to the Verizon Center as discussed.

Be aware that only yellow tickets will be honored at the Verizon Center, gray tickets will not.