Commencement

BAGS AND BACKPACKS
Bag restrictions are in place at Sloan Park. Hard-sided coolers (regardless of size) and bags or backpacks larger than 16 x 16 x 8 inches are NOT permitted at Sloan Park. Other bags (such as wallets, purses, drawstring bags, fanny packs, lunch bags, briefcases and soft-sided coolers) smaller than 16 x 16 x 8 inches in size are permitted. Exceptions will be made for medical bags and diaper bags that accompany guests with young children. Bags are subject to inspection. 

Note: Faculty are allowed to bring their regalia in garment bags

BAG/LUGGAGE STORAGE
The Cubs do not offer large bag or luggage storage, so please plan accordingly.

STROLLERS
Collapsible strollers that can be stored underneath the seat or placed flat on the grass are permitted at Sloan Park. The Chicago Cubs and Sloan Park are not responsible for lost or damaged items. Strollers will not be permitted to be left unattended on the concourse or anywhere outside of the designated stroller parking area or folded at the guest’s seats.

PROHIBITED ITEMS
Guests are prohibited from bringing the following items into Sloan Park:

• Aerosol cans (including sunscreen)
• Air horns or other distracting noisemakers
• Alcohol
• Animals, except service dogs to aid guests with disabilities
• Any device that may interfere with and/or distract any event participant, other guest, audio or audio/visual telecast, or recording of the event
• Bags larger than 16 x 16 x 8 inches
• Banners/signs/flags with an inappropriate message, those that are commercial in nature, those that are political in nature, those causing a disturbance and/or those obstructing sightlines
• Brooms, poles, staffs or sticks
• Cameras that are professional grade – this includes extended and removable lenses and camera attachments like microphones
• Cans, glass containers and flasks
• Clothing with obscene, indecent, profane and/or inappropriate language or visuals
• Firearms, knives or weapons of any kind
• Fireworks
• Full-sized baseball bats
• Firearms
• Folding Chairs (including lawn chairs and stadium seats)
• Hard-sided coolers (regardless of size)
• Illegal drugs or substances
• Inflatables (including beach balls)
• Laser pointers
• Luggage or car seats
• Marijuana
• Mono/tripods or other professional camera equipment
• Nets
• Non-factory sealed plastic containers (permitted if empty)
• Selfie sticks
• Skateboards, hoverboards or other personal recreation vehicles, with the exception of ADA-required devices
• Tripods
• Umbrellas with metal tips and umbrellas larger than 10 inches (small, collapsible umbrellas are permitted)
• Unmanned aerial vehicles (including drones)
• Weapons
• Wrapped packages
• Any other items deemed inappropriate by ballpark operations personnel.

All bags are subject to inspection. To ensure fan safety, the club reserves the right to refuse admittance of any item deemed hazardous or suspicious, including any item capable of being used as a projectile.

BOTTLES, CANS AND OUTSIDE FOOD AND BEVERAGE
Factory-sealed plastic bottles, empty refillable bottles, as well as a personal amount of food (in a small, disposable bag) can be brought into the ballpark. No glass bottles, cans, flasks, alcoholic beverages or hard-sided coolers of any kind may be brought into Sloan Park.

BOTTLE FILLERS
Sloan water bottle filling stations are available throughout the ballpark, with three locations inside the venue.

DRINKING FOUNTAINS
Drinking fountains are located throughout the ballpark, outside each restroom location.

CONCESSIONS
Levy Restaurants proudly manages food, beverage, and merchandise sales at Sloan Park. Concession stands will be open during the Commencement Ceremony.

Guests are also welcome to bring food prepared at home into the ballpark in clear bags or containers.

CASHLESS POLICY
All purchases are cashless. Available payment options include a credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or mobile wallet. Reverse ATMs are available for fans to convert cash to a card that can be used for purchases at Sloan Park and elsewhere. A reverse ATM is located inside the Home Plate Gate.

GATES
Home Plate Gate will open at 5:00 p.m. for students and dignitaries. First Base Gate will open at 5:00 p.m. for faculty and all guests.

TICKETS
Tickets are not required for this event.

ENTERING THE BALLPARK
For your safety, Sloan Park requires all guests, staff, and media to be screened prior to entry. Using our touchless entry process, guests will not have to remove items such as mobile phones, wallets, and keys before passing through the metal detector. Guests may be subject to additional screening as determined by security and Sloan Park personnel.

RE-ENTRY
There is no re-entry allowed at Sloan Park.

PARKING
Students and guests may park in the Blue Lot, located on the south side of the stadium. Parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Staff/volunteers and faculty will park in the Brown Lot on the north side of the stadium.

ACCESSIBLE PARKING
Parking for persons with a valid disability license plate or placard is available in the Blue Lot. All parking is subject to availability.

TEXT TO SECURITY
For assistance during the event, please contact the nearest Sloan Park associate for assistance or text us at 773-839-0282 with the keyword "SLOAN" and a description of your seat location and issue. Standard message and data rates may apply. We will respond to your request as soon as possible.

FIRST AID
The First Aid station is near the Home Plate Gate, behind Section 111. Signage identifies this area. Guests in need of first aid may ask the nearest Sloan Park associate, security guard, or Cubs associate to request first aid or medical personnel.

CODE OF CONDUCT
In conjunction with the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, the Chicago Cubs are committed to keeping Sloan Park a safe, comfortable and enjoyable environment for all fans. Our associates have been trained to proactively intervene where necessary to respond to unacceptable behavior such as:

• Unruly behavior including but not limited to foul/abusive language or obscene/threatening gestures, fighting, taunting or making threatening remarks;
• Intoxication or other signs of impairment related to alcohol consumption or any illegal drug;
• Smoking in any form including electronic cigarettes;
• Displays of affection not appropriate in a public, family setting;
• Obscene or indecent clothing or signs;
• Any disruption of the event, including throwing objects or trespassing on the playing field or in other restricted areas;
• Sitting in a location other than the guest’s ticketed seat; or
• Entering the field of play as prohibited by Arizona law.

Any guest not adhering to the above code or behaving in an unruly manner may be subject to removal from Sloan Park. The Chicago Cubs and Sloan Park reserve the right to determine what is unruly or unacceptable behavior and to take any and all actions permitted by applicable law, including without limitation removal and prosecution.

If anyone is interfering with your enjoyment of Sloan Park, please contact the nearest Sloan Park associate for assistance or text us at 773-839-0282 with the keyword "SLOAN" and a description of your seat location and issue. Standard message and data rates may apply. We will respond to your request as soon as possible.

Credit students must apply to graduate regardless of ceremony participation.

Yes, graduates (clock and credit) will receive communications by email to their Maricopa email account with invitations to participate in the ceremony. Information will also be posted on this webpage when available. Graduates will receive information on how to register and what information is needed to participate in the ceremony. Deadlines to register will be included in the communications.

No. If students choose not to take part in any ceremony and their academic requirements are met, similar to prior years, students will receive their diplomas in the mail.

At the end of the term, all graduation applications are reviewed to ensure all academic requirements have been met. Once the review is complete, the award will be posted to the student account and will be posted the student transcripts. Diplomas will be printed and mailed 4-6 weeks after final grades are posted. Graduates will receive an email notification via their Maricopa student email account when the award has been posted to their account. Diplomas are mailed to the graduate’s home address. Graduates are requested to keep their home address in their Student Center at portal.maricopa.edu current and accurate.

*Please note, diplomas are printed with the primary name on your student record. Please visit gatewaycc.edu/students/registration-forms if you need to update your primary name.

Honor cords are presented to graduates who participate in the in-person commencement ceremony. Honor Cords are distributed based on graduating GPA:

• Distinction: 3.5-3.69
• High Distinction: 3/7-3.89
• Highest Distinction: 3.9-4.0

Please note: Honor cords are for students who are applying for an Associate Degree, Certificate Programs are not eligible.

There is no fee for applying to graduate. The commencement fee for participation in the ceremony has been waived for Spring 2026.

Regalia can be purchased online at https://www.buildagrad.com/gcc. Balfour will close the site for purchasing on April 5 to allow time for processing and shipping.