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Graduation: that final, traditional hurdle between a priceless education and decades of paying off student loans. It's the magical time of year when justifiably proud parents struggle to understand exactly what the deal is with Arcata, while their matriculated children try to understand exactly what the deal is with their parents. On Saturday, May 18, after campus maps have been doled out and free parking has been secured (that's right, the only time of year when HSU doesn't charge an arm and a leg to park), parents will flock to the Humboldt State Redwood Bowl for hours and hours and hours of exhilarating, graduation antics: speeches, lists of mispronounced names and more speeches. Three separate ceremonies unfold throughout the day, one for each college within Humboldt State University. The College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences kicks off the day at 8:30 a.m., the College of Natural Resources and Sciences has its turn at noon, and the day draws to a close with the College of Professional Studies ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Each ceremony takes approximately two hours, and will feature music and a commencement speaker or event (no, not Alexander Von Humboldt, no matter what you've heard). Be sure to give yourself at least 30 minutes to find decent parking, and include some extra time for the uphill walk to the Redwood Bowl. Humboldt State is like the campus Escher built: Everywhere you go requires you to walk uphill, regardless of the laws of physics. For more information about the commencement ceremonies (including restrictions on beach balls and other tomfoolery), head over to www.humboldt.edu/commencement.