Cords and Stoles

Showing your pride and achievements

Honor cords earned by graduates represent scholastic achievement and membership in a specific honor society. Some of these are presented in formal ceremonies, while others are distributed more informally. Students qualifying for a particular cord or stole should learn of their eligibility via their departments or club advisors.

A guide to the colors

commencement cords

Blue and gold cord: Omicron Delta Epsilon, international honor society in economics
Blue and red cord: Phi Alpha Theta, national honor society in history
Blue, white and red cord: Pi Delta Phi, national honor society in French
Burgundy and gold cord: Pi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda, national honor society for adult learners
Crimson and black cord: Sigma Tau Delta, international English honor society
Gold and purple cord: Delta Mu Delta, international honor society in business
Gold and white cord: Order of the Omega, honor society for members of fraternities and sororities
Green and purple cord: Kappa Delta Pi, international honor society in education
Green and white cord: Sigma Pi Sigma, honor society in physics
Kente cloth stoles: Students identifying as Black or African American
Lavender and rainbow stoles: Students identifying as LGBTQIA+
Light blue cord: Teacher candidates earning exemplary marks for Oregon licensure
Light blue and gold cord: Kappa Tau Alpha, honor society for journalism and mass communication
Navy blue and silver cord: Alpha Alpha Alpha, national honor society for first-generation students
Platinum and blue cord: Psi Chi, international honor society in psychology
Purple and white cord: Phi Sigma Tau, honor society in philosophy
Purple and white cord: The Xi Mu Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, international honor society in nursing
Purple and white stole: ASLU Cabinet members
Purple stole with white letters: Students identifying as Latino, Latina or Latinx
Red stole with yellow letters: Students identifying as Asian or Pacific Islander
Red, gold and white cord: Alpha Lambda Delta, honor society for first-year academic success
Red, purple and white cord: ASLU Senator
Red, white and black cord: Pi Sigma Alpha, national political science honor society
Silver and burgundy cord: The Oregon Alpha Chapter of Pi Kappa Delta, honor society for forensics, speech and debate
Teal cord: Alpha Kappa Delta, international honor society in sociology
Teal, royal blue and silver cord: National Residence Hall Honorary, honor society for students in residence halls
Violet, gold and lavender cord: Oregon Epsilon Chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon, national honor society in mathematics
White stole: Lambda Alpha, national anthropology honor society
White stole: Linfield Wildcats student-athlete