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Arete
(pronounced ar-A-tay)
BALS Students,
Greetings! The end-of-term pressure is on, and we are certain that many of you are working diligently to ensure that your studies reap the highest academic return possible. Please take a few moments to review our most recent issue of Arete! There is a plethora of practical announcements and information which we hope will aid you during the "busy season." Remember, we value any feedback you might have about the program. Please feel free to email or call us with your concerns. Best wishes and, as always, enjoy the journey!
Please click here to view the newsletter archive.
NOVEMBER 2007
Mandatory Online Tutorial (Important)
Recently, we were notified by the Georgetown University Honor Council that all BALS Liberal Studies students (upperclassmen and new admits/transfers) were required to complete the online tutorial on scholarly research and academic integrity. The tutorial explains good research practices, including proper citation and the effective use of information resources, and reinforces students' understanding of these practices through a variety of exercises. New students should have completed the tutorial in order to pre-register for spring semester courses. The deadline for completion was October 5th. If you have not taken the tutorial, please do so ASAP. Joint efforts, especially by the Library, College, Honor Council, CNDLS, and Keybridge (UIS web development group) have produced a much brighter, efficient, and modern-looking instrument to get the message out. Links to the tutorial will be found in Student Access+ for students.
A pop-up box notice will be displayed whenever the student logs in to Student Access+ until s/he has completed the tutorial. Posters will be displayed in the Deans' offices, the Libraries, residence halls, and at other locations. This project is one part of a faculty and administration commitment to addressing questions of student responsibility for their academic work in the first instance by positive and constructive means that support student learning.
Pre-registration
By now, you should have received an e-mail message from John Pierce, the Main Campus registrar, about the registration process for the spring semester. Because the process is different from the past, I would like to address this issue with you as well. Online registration for spring semester starts November 5, and you should complete the process by November 17.
Please do not worry that this new process will make it harder for you to get into classes: It will not. The only real schedule impact will be on courses with wait lists, as I describe below.
In the past, BALS students have followed a different registration process than many other students on campus. However, the Registrar's office has decided to make the registration process more uniform across the whole university, which will require some changes in how you register. (Please note that students in some other parts of the university are equally affected by this change.)
You will still register using Student Access +. But when you select a course, you will not immediately get a confirmed enrollment in the class, as you have in the past. Rather, the computer system will note your request for the class, as well as the course requests of all your fellow students. In late November, the computer will sift through these requests and will select which students will get seats in courses that are over-subscribed; the other students requesting the over-subscribed class will be put on a wait list. (Few LSHS/LSHV courses have wait lists, so this will happen only rarely.) If a course is not over-subscribed, you will be enrolled in it without any problem.
Around December 1, you will be able to use Access + to check which of your requested courses were added to your schedule and which (if any) wait lists you are on.
On December 10-11, you will be able to manually add and drop classes on Student Access +, as you have in the past. Classes added after December 11 will incur a late registration fee.
One consequence of this change is that the waitlist for classes no longer will be created on a first-come, first served basis. So you need not rush to register immediately after the pre-registration system comes online on November 5.
However, it is important that you submit your requests for classes by November 17, so that your requests will be considered in the computerized program system. If you do not submit your requests by November 17, you will have to wait until December 10-11 to add the courses that you seek.
Payment of tuition or a request for deferment is due January 3 by mail, or a late fee will be charged. Bills will be mailed about December 5. If you don't get one, please check your bill in Student Access+ and pay the indicated amount.
Writing Bootcamp
Back by popular demand! Dr. Kathy Temple’s Writing Boot Camp returns early next semester, Saturday January 12, 2008 from 10 AM to 2 PM. This writing workshop offers an intensive hands-on experience designed to introduce students to academic writing across the disciplines. The workshop leads students through the entire writing process beginning with thesis formation and following through with segments on brainstorming, research, drafting, revision, and citation. During a brown bag lunch, we offer techniques for dealing with writing blocks and academic anxiety. By the end of the session, students will have tried out a number of techniques and developed a “toolbox” of resources and handouts to draw on throughout their academic careers at Georgetown.
BALS Liberal Studies and PGCC enter into Partnership
The presidents of Georgetown University and Prince Georges Community College will sign an agreement on November 15 that will make it easier for students at PGCC to select courses there that eventually will help them earn a BALS degree at Georgetown. The document, called an articulation agreement, specifies which PGCC courses the BALS program will accept for transfer credit and what degree requirements they can be applied against. The agreement does not widen the courses that can transfer, but rather provides a ready reference for PGCC students and their advisors so they can plan a course of study that will seamlessly transfer into the BALS program.
Pizza Night with Dean Manuel
Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies invites you to join
Dean Robert L. Manuel for a personal discussion and pizza. Come and share feedback regarding your program of study with Dean Manuel and meet fellow students within the School of Continuing Studies. The final date for this gathering will be
Monday, December 10
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Center for Continuing and Professional Education - Classroom 240
3101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 200
BALS Student Organization
We are still in need of your support as we begin the process of forming the first-ever BALS active, student-run organization. Interested students should contact Dale Brown at dbrown@spa.com or Selonia Miles at selonia.miles@usmc.mil This is a golden opportunity for you to enrich your Georgetown experience!
Protect Yourself Against the Flu!
The Student Health Center has begun the annual walk-in flu shot clinics on the university main campus. This year all clinics will be held in Yates Field House, and as always shots are free for all current Georgetown University students, faculty and staff. The dates and times of the walk-in clinics are:
Tuesday, November 13th 10am-4pm
Thursday, November 15th 5pm-8pm
This year we hope to vaccinate 4,300 people against the flu. Do your part to protect yourself and the campus community from the spread of influenza by getting a flu shot! For more information about the flu, go to http://www.cdc.gov/flu/
Embassy Tour on Jewish/Muslim Relations
Adjunct Professor Mark Croatti is taking a combined Georgetown/George Washington/ UMBC student group to the embassies of Israel, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007:
9:00 am - 10:00 am: Israel
10:00 am - 11:00 am: Jordan
11:00 am - 12:00 noon: UAE
12:30 pm - 1:30pm: Pakistan
A student organization at GW, The Middle East Peace Group, is co-sponsoring the event. MPEG was formed on that campus last year by a visiting Israeli exchange student. Interested BALS students should contact Reginald Hanna by no later Friday, November 16, 2007 at 202-687-6070 to reserve a seat.
End of Term Writing Workshop! (Just Added!)
JUST ADDED! Graduate English Student and Liberal Studies Teaching Assistant Mark Kraemer will be conducting a writer's workshop exclusively tailored to our student body. The workshop will be held December 1, 2007 at 1:00 PM in conference room 311 in New North. This plagiarism workshop will focus on the Turabian documentation style, and the differences between paraphrasing, summarizing, and direct quoting. Students must RSVP by November 26, 2007 at mfkraemer@gmail.com to ensure that their space is reserved.
BALS Student Leadership Positions Remain Vacant
Many of you have expressed interest in becoming more actively involved in the program. currently we are seeking students to participate in two very important governing student organizations. Please contact the BALS offices if you are interested in either becoming a Student Representative for the Georgetown University Honor Council, or if you wish to to be an alternate Student Representative for the BALS Advisory Committee.
Important Fall Semester dates to remember
» Aug 25, All day: Arrival of New Undergraduate Students
» Aug 26, 12pm: New Student Academic Convocation
» Aug 26, All day: Arrival of Returning Students
» Aug 27, All day: Registration (Grads, SCS, Seniors, Juniors, and Sophomores)
» Aug 28, 12pm: Mass of the Holy Spirit
» Aug 28, All day: Registration (Undergrad First-Year and Special Students)
» Aug 29, All day: Classes Begin; Follow Monday Class Schedule
» Aug 29, All day: Registration Changes Accepted
» Sep 3, All day: Holiday: Labor Day
» Sep 7, All day: Last Day for Registration Changes/ Late Registration
» Sep 11, All day: Last Day for Registration Changes for Monday-Only Classes
» Oct 8, All day: Mid-Semester Holiday: Columbus Day
» Oct 12, All day: Parents Weekend for COL, SFS, & NHS Begins
» Oct 19, All day: MSB Parents Weekend Begins
» Oct 19, All day: Undergraduate First-Year Student Advisory Grades Due
» Oct 19, All day: Upperclass Student Deficiency Reports Due
» Nov 5, All day: Early Registration for the following Spring Begins
» Nov 6, All day: Undergraduates: Last Day to Withdraw from Courses
» Nov 17, All day: Early Registration for the following Spring Ends
» Nov 20, All day: Graduate Students: Last Day to Withdraw from Courses
» Nov 21, All day: Thanksgiving Recess Begins after Last Class
» Nov 26, All day: Classes Resume
» Dec 7, 10pm: Classes End After Last Class
» Dec 8, All day: Study Days Begin
» Dec 12, All day: Examinations Begin
» Dec 20, All day: Examinations End
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