What You Never Knew about the Tassel

By Phoenix Delray

Everyone has seen the traditional cap and gown attire for academic graduations, which include a tassel. Not many people know too much about the tassel, though; it actually has quite a bit of meaning behind it. Most high schools, colleges, and universities have a tradition of moving the it from one side of the head to the other during a graduation ceremony. However, there is more to the tassel than just that.

This graduation accessory is worn on the mortarboard or a tam. A tam is a graduation cap that is reserved for the higher level degrees, such as the Masters, Doctorate, or the PhD degrees. It is traditionally black in color, but more and more, it can be representative of the schools colors, to match caps and gowns, or in universities, it represents the specific school of study that a degree is being earned in. It can also be a certain color to signify membership in national honor societies or to distinguish recipients of certain other awards as well.

Strictly speaking, the tassel according to the ACE code should be black or the color that is appropriate to the subject or discipline of mastery for the student. The only exceptions that are technically allowed are for the using the color gold. The gold metallic tassel is reserved for those students who are entitled to wear the doctoral cap and gown, just as the use of velvet headwear is. Only one is worn at a time on a cap for graduation, and is usually the color of the students highest achievement at the time.

In some high schools, colleges, and universities, there is the act of moving this graduation accessory from one side to the other during graduation. This is actually a fairly modern innovation, but in outdoor ceremonies may be skipped, especially if conditions are windy and it would blow to all sides regardless.

The act of moving the tassel from side to side is beneficial for graduation ceremonies with a large number of graduates, because it takes a lot less time than the more traditional rituals such as each individual conferring the hood, or sometimes a complete change of dress part way through the ceremony is done. In universities and high schools, it is now customary for students to start the ceremony with the tassel on the right. Turning it to the left may be done individually or as a group. Interestingly, however, it usually begins on the left side of the head and remains there on the left for doctoral and masters degree students.

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