‘Old time’ video teaches tricky commencement custom

The years of classes are over, the dissertations are approved and the diplomas are ready. Now don’t mess up while placing a colorful “doctoral” hood around your students’ necks during graduation ceremonies.

That’s the message of an unusual -– and entertaining -- new video created by UC Riverside. Titled “The Highlanders’ Hooding Process: A Demonstration,” the black-and-white video was made to look like an old-time silent movie, with faux film scratches and caption boards, and is accompanied by piano music. During its two minutes, several scenarios are shown of one or two faculty members draping the scarf-like symbol of doctoral degrees over the mortarboard caps and down the new graduates’ backs.

Getting the hoods on “can be a bit bulky and tricky to handle,” according to campus spokesman James Grant. And no one wants to witness fumbling or accidents in front of a huge audience. So the campus produced the video and is sending it out to faculty members who are to confer the doctorates, hoods and all, on 264 graduates in ceremonies June 15-17.

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larry.gordon@latimes.com | Twitter: @LarryGordonLAT