Academic Regulations

Notes from the Class Dean – 4/15

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Dear members of the class of 2021,

I hope this message finds you doing well. We’re entering the final month of the semester, and I know many of you are anxious for more information to help you prepare for what is to come. The following information should help you finish up required paperwork as we look towards the end of May. I anticipate that you will receive more announcements about commencement from university leadership sometime next week.

Major/Minor/Certificate Certification Forms

This is a final reminder to complete your major/minor/certificate certification forms if you haven’t already done so. You may access instructions here. Class Deans and the Registrar’s Office staff use information provided on these forms to help confirm whether graduation candidates will be cleared for their degrees at the end of the semester.

Honors Thesis Registration/Uploads

Honors candidates may upload their thesis submissions starting at 8:00am, EST on April 20th; the link for thesis submissions will close at 4:00pm, EST on April 21st.

Diploma Name and Address

This Sunday, April 18th is the deadline to submit the name that should be reflected on your diploma. Also submit the correct mailing address for the Registrar to send your diploma when it’s ready; you may submit this information through the Diploma Name and Address link in WesPortal as well. Note: undergraduate students will not receive their diplomas at commencement. The Registrar will mail diplomas for students who have completed all degree requirements and have been cleared to receive their diplomas (i.e. do not have any holds).

Diploma Holds

Students planning to graduate in May must have a student account in good standing to receive their diploma. Please contact the Student Accounts Office with questions. Additionally, eligible graduates with disciplinary holds will not receive their diplomas until those holds are removed. You may contact the Dean of Students Office with any questions.

Upon Completion Policy

I only had two students attend the Upon Completion Q & A I hosted on April 8th, and I didn’t receive many questions for the session. I’ll take that to mean that my clarifying email about the upon completion policy was helpful! You may access the content from that email here.

Change of Grading Mode

The Registrar sent out confirmation that the change of grading mode deadline is 5pm, EST, Thursday, April 28th. Remember, this change only impacts courses with the student option.

Withdrawing from Courses

Some of you have already opted to withdraw from a course with a “W” on your academic history/transcript. A “W” is not punitive in nature; it just means you withdrew from a course after the drop/add deadline.

You may request to withdraw from a course by completing the withdrawal form and emailing it to me, your instructor, and your faculty advisor. I will not send forms to the Registrar for processing without hearing from your faculty advisor and instructor. Wednesday, May 5th by 5pm EST is the deadline to withdraw from full semester and/or 4th quarter courses. Check with your faculty advisor(s), Credit Analysis Report, and Gen Ed Report (where applicable) before you request to withdraw from any courses.

2021 Commencement Regalia Updates

  • Pre-ordered caps and gowns will not be delivered to the WRJJ Bookstore until mid-May.
  • You must call Oak Hall (not the bookstore) if you wish to make a change to your order: 800-456-7623. Please tell Oak Hall that you are a Wesleyan University student from Middletown, CT and need to make a change. You’ll need to give them your order number.

Don’t forget the following resources for the final stretch of the semester:

Academic Peer Advisors (APAs)

Accessibility Services

CAPS (remember CAPS offers an after-hours service you may access with the same phone number for business hours: 860-685-2910)

Digital Learning Resources

Gordon Career Center (Check out Cardinals Helping Cardinals)

Math Workshop

Office of Religious & Spiritual Life

Peer Tutoring

Scientific Computing and Informatics Center (SCIC)

Student Academic Resources including Academic Support Services

WesNest (see WesPortal)

WesWell

Writing Workshop

Take gentle care,
Dean Leathers

Upon Completion Policy Clarification

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Greetings!

I want to provide a point of clarification about the upon completion policy in advance of the Q & A session tomorrow.

The upon completion policy does not exempt students from meeting the university requirement to earn at least 32 applicable, cumulative credits for a degree from Wesleyan. To reiterate, every student still needs to earn at least 32, useable credits for their degrees. Remember, credits attributed to oversubscription will not count. The upon completion policy gives students flexibility to post the necessary credit for the May 2021 degree after the faculty vote on conferrals next month.

For example, if a student has completed all of the requirements for at least one major, has earned at least 16.00 credits on campus (remote study at Wesleyan counts), and still needs up to an additional two (2.00) credits, they may post that credit at a later time and still earn the degree for May 2021 once the university confirms they have completed all requirements for their diploma.

Also note, students who are “upon completion” will not receive their diplomas and the degree will not appear on their transcripts until the remaining credits are posted to their Wesleyan academic histories.  Students with this “upon completion” classification will remain in the class of 2021 but the conferral date on their transcripts will be the date that the additional credits are posted.  Note: this may be an issue for international students on F-1 visas. F-1 visa students will need to consult with OISA before pursuing this option to make sure they will be in compliance with current visa requirements.

Hopefully, this information offers more clarity, but don’t hesitate to reach out with additional questions. I encourage you to bring them to the session tomorrow evening!

Take care for now,

Dean Leathers

 

Class of 2021 Upon Completion Q + A – 4/8

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Greetings!

I know several of you read the email Provost Stanton sent out about the upon completion policy this evening and I want to provide an opportunity to address as many of your questions as possible. I’m offering a Q&A session this Thursday, April 8th, 5pm-6pm, EST; it will be recorded and Zoom details are offered below.

Class of 2021 Upon Completion Q&A

Thursday, April 8th, 5pm-6pm, EST

https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/94516023008?pwd=MURWbjR4Q0k0RFZrd3UrbkhXYkttQT09

Meeting ID: 945 1602 3008
Passcode: 715730

Take care for now,

Dean Leathers

4th Quarter Add/Drop Began Today – 3/25

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Greetings!

The 4th quarter drop/add period began today. You may submit 4th quarter drop/add requests by completing the 2nd/4th Drop/Add Form and emailing it to me, your instructor, and your faculty advisor. Ask your instructor to provide a WesID if they sign off on the form electronically. They also have the option to email me directly with their consent if that is easier for them. Note: I will not send forms to the Registrar for processing without hearing from your faculty advisor and instructor. Additionally, 4th quarter classes may be added or dropped during the five working days following the first class meeting of the specific course(s) you request to add or drop.

Take care for now,

Dean Leathers

Major, Minor and Certificate Certification for Graduation

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From: Susan Krajewski <skrajewski@wesleyan.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2021 1:05 PM
To: Senior on campus Announcement <senioron-l@wesleyan.edu>
Subject: Major, Minor & Certificate Certification for Graduation

Dear Senior:

Now that Drop/Add has closed for the spring semester, it’s time to review your Major/Minor/Certificate CertificationForms to ensure they are ready for submission beginning March 1st.

  1. Click on the Major/Minor/Certificate Certification link in WesPortal. There you will find secondary links to all your current majors, minors and/or certificates. Click on those links to access each of your forms.
  2. The first thing you need to do is mark the courses you wish to offer in satisfaction of each requirement.  The form is built so that it pre-populates with courses that are pre-approved to count in various categories.  You need to check the box next to the courses you wish to offer.
  3. If you wish to offer a course that does not automatically appear on your form, click the request override link on the requirement line where you want the course to appear.  That will open up a drop-down menu that displays your entire academic history, including study-abroad courses. Simply select the course from the drop-down and click the Submit Override button.  That will cause the course to appear in green and the status will say “pending advisor approval.” Your advisor will receive an automated email alerting them to your override request so they can approve it. Important note: you cannot submit your final certification form if you have overrides pending so submit those now if necessary.
  4. Make sure you offer something in satisfaction of each and every requirement listed on the form.
  5. Lastly, select a Capstone Experience and click the SAVE button to update.

Beginning Monday, March 1st seniors will see a Final Submit button appear on the landing page where you access each of your certification forms.  After you review your forms to make sure they are in good order, click the Final Submit button to send the form to your academic department for final certification.  This is an important step in the graduation clearance process that you must initiate.

Note: you must do this for each and every major/minor or certificate you intend to complete.  If you do not intend to complete one of your current plans, you should use the Declaration tool in WesPortal to drop it.  Your Class Dean will work closely with the Registrar’s office to confirm your major completions.  Minors and Certificates are handled differently. It is solely the student’s responsibility to submit their Minor and Certificate Certification forms for approval. Minors and Certificates that are not certified prior to graduation will not be posted to your academic record so make sure you submit them!

The senior deadline for submitting all certification forms is Friday, March 19th at 5pm.

Faculty members then have 2 weeks to complete their certifications by Friday, April 2nd.

If you need assistance working with the forms, please contact me or your Senior Class Dean.

Best–Susan

Course Withdrawal & Change of Grading Mode Deadline – 11/24

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Greetings!

I hope this message finds you finishing up the week and looking forward to Thanksgiving recess. I also want to remind you about two important deadlines coming up next week.

The deadline to withdraw from full-semester and second-quarter classes for the Fall 2020 semester is Tuesday, November 24 at 5:00 p.m., EST.  If you need to withdraw from a course, please send a group email to the instructor, your faculty advisor, and your class dean, and attach a withdrawal form. Remember to complete your portion of the form, including your visa status and course information before you save it and attach it to your email.

If you are thinking about withdrawing from a course:

  • Do use this time to talk to your professors, your advisors, and your class dean about your concerns.
  • Do make sure you are taking advantage of all the resources available to you.
  • Do not wait until Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. to seek advice from your instructor, advisor, or dean because you probably won’t hear back from them until after the deadline has passed.

Additionally, the last day to change the grading mode for courses with the student option for the Fall 2020 semester is also Tuesday, November 24 at 5:00 p.m., EST.  Remember, courses that are listed as graded (i.e. A-F) or CR/U are not eligible for a change in grading mode.

All my best,

Dean Leathers

Updates to Dean’s List for Spring 2020 DELAYED

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Good afternoon,

This is a quick note about pending updates to the Dean’s List for Spring 2020. New additions to the Dean’s List were calculated and scheduled to be added manually to the roster by September 30th. Unfortunately, there were unanticipated delays, but they should be resolved soon.

I’ve provided the amended policy/guidelines for review in case you have any lingering questions about eligibility. Note: these amended guidelines are only applicable to the Spring 2020 semester.

Students who earn a semester GPA of 93.350 or better will be named to the Dean’s List and will have a permanent transcript notation of this achievement. To be eligible, a student must have earned the GPA on at least 2.0 letter-graded credits at Wesleyan during the Spring 2020 semester and have no unsatisfactory or failing grades. Students with incomplete grades or outstanding credit will be evaluated after the grade and/or credit is posted to the Wesleyan transcript and, if eligible then, they will be added retroactively to the appropriate semester’s list. 

Many thanks again for your patience, and don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns.

Take gentle care,

Dean Leathers

Correction: Important Fall and Spring Calendar Updates

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This reposted message is a correction to the email sent by President Roth on October 5th.

In Monday’s message regarding fall and spring calendar updates, spring break was mistakenly noted as March 24-25. The actual dates of the two-day break, as listed on the University’s academic calendar, are Tuesday-Wednesday, March 23-24. The Office of Communications regrets the error. The below text is revised to indicate the corrected dates.

Dear friends,

With the first month of the semester under our belts, I would like to pause to acknowledge the careful planning, creative problem-solving and exemplary adherence to safety protocols that have allowed us to be together this fall. This is a proud and happy moment for us all.

At the same time, it is a precarious moment. We understand that the pandemic is still with us and that the public health context can change at any time. We are also nearing the winter months, when more time indoors and flu season could pose additional threats. With these considerations in mind, we have made the following plans:

  • Thanksgiving recess begins Wednesday, Nov. 25 and extends through Monday, Nov. 30. Classes resume remotely on Tuesday, Dec. 1, with all classes and exams conducted online for the remainder of the semester. Students with special considerations (such as international students for whom travel is not advisable or students who depend on Wesleyan for housing) may petition to remain on campus over winter break. All other students must depart no later than Wednesday, Nov. 25 at noon.
  • Students may return to campus for the spring semester beginning Friday, Feb. 5, and classes will begin online on Tuesday, Feb. 9. Students whose theses or capstone projects require them to be on campus will be able to petition to return prior to Feb. 5 on a case-by-case basis. That petition will be distributed at a later date, and consideration will be given to any petitions by those who feel their work cannot be done remotely.
  • We continue to review the risk profile for athletics and for spring study abroad programs. We will be providing updates in the coming weeks.

We expect our February return will entail similar safety precautions to those that have proved effective so far this fall: students limiting exposure and getting tested prior to traveling back to Middletown; an initial two-week quarantine period on campus (Feb. 5-20); frequent testing and procedures for supportive isolation and contact tracing; and a no-travel, two-day spring break (March 23-24), which will negate the need for a post-break quarantine period. When we return next semester, we must maintain our vigilance with respect to social distancing, mask wearing and hand washing. If all goes well, we expect the semester to end in late May, with final exams May 18-21. We anticipate hosting Commencement on Sunday, May 30, and will determine the celebration’s format, as well as the celebration for the Class of 2020, as we get closer to the spring.

We will be in touch with more specifics later this semester. These are challenging times, but I am heartened by the many ways that you have risen to these challenges. Thank you for all you are doing to care for yourselves and one another.

Sincerely,

Michael S. Roth, President

Fall 2020 Drop/Add: CLOSES TODAY Friday, September 11th 5:00pm ET

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Please note that Fall 2020 Drop/Add ends TODAY Friday, September 11th at 5:00pm (ET).

Failure to resolve issues before the deadline will require students to use the petition process via their class dean.

STUDENTS MUST take the following actions before 5:00pm (ET) Friday:

  • Submit any additional enrollment requests, including tutorials
  • Accept any pending TA Tutorials (491) via the Teaching Apprentice Tutorial Link in WesPortal
  • Drop an enrolled course if they don’t plan to continue in the course
  • Change a Crosslisting for courses with crosslistings
  • Select GenEd designation for courses with dual GenEds
  • Change a Grading Mode for Student Option-graded courses in the Drop/Add system
    • After drop/add closes, you can continue to adjust the grading mode for student option courses in your Class Schedule through 5pm, November 24th.

SCHEDULE CONFIRMATION FOR STUDENTS:

  • If your schedule is correct, you can confirm your schedule in WesPortal by clicking on the link in the Drop/Add page or going directly to your Class Schedule.
  • If you’ve confirmed your schedule and now want to adjust your spring classes, you can un-confirm your schedule by clicking on the link in Drop/Add or marking your schedule as “Incorrect” in Class Schedule.

STUDENT FORUMS:

  • Student Forum leaders must follow the directions provided by Mrs. Tracey Stanley (tstanley@wesleyan.edu) to create the class enrollments.

INSTRUCTORS MUST take the following action before 5:00pm (ET) Friday:

  • Approve student enrollment requests, including tutorials
  • The status of pending TA Tutorials (491) can be viewed in the Teaching Apprentice Program link in WesPortal

CHAIRS/DIRECTORS and ADVISORS:

  • Please note that chairs/directors and advisors will be able to take action on pending student transactions through 5pm (ET) Monday, September 14th.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Karri Van Blarcom
Senior Associate Registrar
Wesleyan University
kvanblarcom@wesleyan.edu

Updates to Dean’s List for Spring 2020 Scheduled for 9/30

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Good evening,

This is a quick note about pending updates to the Dean’s List for Spring 2020. The incomplete deadline was this past Monday, and the final few rounds of grades will be available soon. New additions to the Dean’s List will be calculated and added manually to the roster by September 30th. I’ve provided the amended policy/guidelines for review. Note: these amended guidelines are only applicable to the Spring 2020 semester.

Students who earn a semester GPA of 93.350 or better will be named to the Dean’s List and will have a permanent transcript notation of this achievement. To be eligible, a student must have earned the GPA on at least 2.0 letter-graded credits at Wesleyan during the Spring 2020 semester and have no unsatisfactory or failing grades. Students with incomplete grades or outstanding credit will be evaluated after the grade and/or credit is posted to the Wesleyan transcript and, if eligible then, they will be added retroactively to the appropriate semester’s list. 

Many thanks for your patience, and don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns.

Take gentle care,

Dean Leathers