The 2025-2026 Lion Leadership class at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith will host a cap and gown donation drive from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 18, in the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center on the UAFS campus.

The drive will support the Lion Regalia Closet, a campuswide donation and redistribution effort designed to reduce financial barriers for graduating students. For UAFS students, the cost of a cap, gown and tassel averages about $50, an added expense that can come at the end of a semester when students are also preparing to move, start new jobs or manage other graduation-related costs.

“We know graduation is such an exciting time for our students, but it can also be really stressful because they are juggling so much at once,” said Dr. Jordan Mader, associate professor of chemistry and member of the Lion Leadership 2025-26 class. “We want to make sure getting a cap and gown is not an obstacle to their well-earned celebration, and we see the Lion Regalia Closet as a simple, practical way we can support our students while also living out the mission of UAFS and our Lion Leadership class.”

The effort also has an environmental benefit. According to one source, more than 100 million gowns have entered the waste stream over a 30-year period, ending up in landfills instead of in the hands of students who need them.

Close to 700 students choose to participate in commencement ceremonies at UAFS each year, with around 250 walking in December and 450 in May.

The Lion Regalia Closet will complement the existing [/academics/academic-guidance/career-services/student-resources/interviews.php]career clothing closet on the UAFS campus, and will be maintained by the Babb Center for Career Services.