The Credit Analysis is a review of the academic record that monitors progress towards meeting graduation requirements with regard to semesters in residence, GPA, earned and enrolled credits, and oversubscription. It flags potential problems that may affect completion of graduation requirements, but it does not track completion of major requirements (the Major Certification Form is used to do this).

Enhancements to the new version include:

Academic Career-in-a-glance layout. The first page of the report is designed to present a concise summary of progress towards meeting the graduation requirements. Warning messages flag potential problems towards meeting these requirements.

Student Type tracking. The report knows whether you are a First-Year Entrant or Transfer Student. If you are a Transfer Student, it knows whether you are a Sophomore, Mid-Year Sophomore or Junior Transfer.

Semesters in Residence tracking. The report calculates how many semesters remain to meet the residency requirement and is aware of the different residency requirements for first-year entrants and transfer students.

Oversubscription Calculation. The report calculates total oversubscription to provide “Total Useable Graduation Credits.” It also calculates oversubscription at the department and category levels and displays the number of remaining or oversubscribed credits at these levels. The report is aware of special exceptions for students who double-major in ARHA and ARST or MATH and COMP and recalculates oversubscription limits accordingly.

Complete Crosslisting information. The report identifies every department and credit category in which a course is crosslisted, regardless of the selection that may have been made during the course registration process.

The Credit Analysis is updated every evening to reflect changes in course enrollment status (drop/add transactions, withdrawals, etc.). In addition, courses in which you are pre-registered are included in the credit analysis. More information about the oversubscription regulation and how oversubscription is calculated can be found at http://wesleyan.edu/studentaffairs/facguide/oversub.html.

If you have questions about the Credit Analysis or if you believe your report is in error, please contact your class dean immediately.

The library is looking for students to participate in one of two focus group discussions to help gather information about current library resources and services. Free food will be provided for those who join in. You can sign up for either Thursday evening, April 19, at 6:00 (which includes dinner) or Friday afternoon, April 20, at 12:30 (which includes lunch). These conversations should take no more than an hour. Space is limited, so we can only take the first 15 students who respond. To join either group, or if you need further information, please contact Andrew Klein, aklein01@wesleyan.edu, on or before Tuesday, April 17.

Today a new link appears in connection with your Major Certification Form that will allow you to submit the form to your department/program major for final certification. This is an important part of your graduation clearance. The deadline for submission of your Major Certification Form for final certification is Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 5:00pm. (Note: CSS, COL, and UNIV majors will not be using this electronic form.)

Go to your Wesleyan Career bucket in portfolio now and click on the Major Certification Form link. You will see a separate link for each of your majors. You must submit the form for each major separately. You will be able to submit the form for final certification even if you have courses in progress that are required to fulfill the major.

If you’re seeking to improve your writing this semester, you should sign up for a Writing Mentor! Your mentor will work with you one-on-one throughout the semester on anything and everything you’re writing, from term papers to cover letters to short stories.

Students of all academic disciplines and levels of expertise are encouraged to apply. All services are free.

Check out the Wesleyan Writing Blog for more info. You can read a bit more about the program and access the online application here. Please note that this is an incredibly popular program that consistently has a wait list. If you’re interested, get your application in quickly!

The editors of Historical Narratives, Wesleyan’s peer-reviewed undergraduate journal in history, are now collecting papers for the journal’s 2011-2012 issue.

This will be the last time you can submit a paper for publication in this year’s issue.

Historical Narratives accepts submissions between 5 and 30 pages from any field in history and from a variety of other disciplines examining historical problems and issues. In the past the journal has published seminar papers, thesis chapters and excerpts, and museum and art reviews.

The journal is an excellent opportunity for undergraduates to have their work peer-reviewed, edited and potentially published.

The submission deadline is Friday, February 3. Papers should be sent to hnarratives@gmail.com. The selection process is entirely anonymous.

The WSA is pleased to announce WesBooks (www.wesbooks.org), a platform for Wesleyan students to buy and sell books to other students. By dealing directly with other students instead of third-party dealers, students can save from 30-70% when purchasing books and receive more money for their used books. Students determine how much to sell their books for and once a book is purchased, the two parties arrange for the payment and book exchange. We encourage you to take advantage of this free service by posting your books from this semester!

Please email wesbooks2011@gmail.com with any feedback and we will continue to work on making WesBooks as user friendly as possible. This website was created by a student group and is managed by the WSA.

For more information, contact the Academic Affairs Committee of the WSA.

Starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by your senior thesis? You’ve been researching for months, collecting data and structuring your thoughts, but soon you actually have to start writing the darned thing. And when I say soon, I mean really soon. As in this weekend. (Seriously.)

But don’t panic! You still have plenty of time to write an honors-worthy manuscript, so long as you get started soon and stay organized. The other big favor you can do for yourself? Sign up for a thesis mentor!

Your thesis mentor will work with you throughout the spring semester, meeting as regularly as you’d like to discuss any and all aspects of your thesis. Your mentor can discuss ideas with you to help structure your argument, look over that one chapter that isn’t clicking, and even read through your whole thesis before you turn it in (something your advisor might not do!). It’s incredibly beneficial to partner with someone who can keep you on task and track the development of your thesis over time.

To apply for a thesis mentor, fill out this form by Monday, November 14 at 5 PM. Please note that this is a very popular program and while we do our best to help everyone, we will likely not have the resources available to pair every applicant with a mentor. Therefore, we suggest that you both apply early and make a good case in your application for why you would like to work with a mentor!

If you have any questions about the thesis mentor program, please direct them to Ford Fellows Anya Backlund and Katherine Mechling at (860) 265-2440 or writingworks@wesleyan.edu.

The Registrar’s Office is pleased to announce the launch of a new electronic Major Certification Form. This online form replaces the old paper Senior Concentration form. The only students still required to use the paper form are University majors and December Completions in the Class of 2012. The link to the new online form will begin appearing in your portfolio tomorrow, September 22.

You can access the Major Certification Form link in the Wesleyan Career bucket in your portfolio. When you click on the link you will be brought to a landing page where all of your majors are listed. If your particular major has multiple tracks or concentrations, you will see a separate link for each. Since departments/programs do not currently require you to officially identify which track or concentration you are pursuing, you can navigate between them and see how each is progressing.

This tool is designed to directly interface with your individual academic history which means that if you have taken a course that has been pre-identified by your major as satisfying a requirement, that course will automatically pre-populate on the form and a check box will appear next to the course. If you wish to use that particular course to satisfy a requirement, you simply need to check the box, click submit, and the course will be applied.

There is also an “override” feature that allows you to propose a course outside of the pre-approved course list. You can either choose a course already posted to your academic record from a drop-down menu, or type in free-form text explaining what you would like to offer for consideration. Once you submit an override request, your advisor will be prompted to take an action similar to those currently being used in drop/add. Your advisor will be able to “approve,” “disapprove,” or click “see me” in response to your individual request.

There are also “planning text” links built into the form to accommodate departments/programs that require their students to project out and inform their advisor of how they intend to fulfill the major. Once submitted, the planning text boxes become part of the online form until you choose to update or delete them.

We envision the electronic Major Certification Form to be a useful planning tool when registering for courses. Each requirement displayed on the form contains a hyperlink to a complete list of courses that have been pre-approved to satisfy that requirement.

You can begin working with this electronic form from the moment you are accepted into a major. Please consult with your individual department/program for any form-related deadlines. Seniors will be required to submit their final version of the form at the end of Drop/Add in their final semester of their senior year for degree certification. Your department/program will use this form to certify that you have completed the requirements for the major, whereas a committee will certify that you have completed all university requirements.

We will be offering training on the Major Certification Form to juniors and seniors on the following dates:

The library is offering workshops on research sources and interlibrary loan and other services for seniors writing a thesis or an essay. Sessions will be offered on Monday 9/26, Tuesday 9/27, Wednesday 9/28, and Thursday 9/29 at 11:00, 1:00, and 3:00 each day. No need to sign up ahead of time. Choose a date and time convenient for you and join a group for a 45 minute info session at Olin Library’s reference office. Attendees will be granted expanded interlibrary loan privileges.

The Deans’ Office Peer Tutoring Program is available to any student experiencing difficulty with content and material in his/her course(s). This program is not a substitute for TA sessions, Math Workshop, Writing Workshop, or visiting your professors’ office hours. Nor is it a source of language/conversation partnership. If you are having difficulty understanding course content as the semester progresses, please discuss with your professor(s) and your class dean to determine if the tutoring program is a viable option. Also, be sure to reach out to Peer Advisors for study skills tips and other strategies for a successful academic career.

To enroll as a tutor or to request a tutor, please review the Tutor Guidelines and complete the Tutor Request Form from this link:

Monday, September 5: Online carrel applications for Olin Library are available in your student portfolio by clicking on the Honors Carrel Application link in the Library bucket. The Science Library has a separate assignment process using paper applications, which are available at the SciLi circulation desk.

Monday, September 19, 4:00 pm: Deadline for submitting your application (both Olin electronic application and Science Library paper application). Carrels will be assigned to applicants by lottery; applicants who are not assigned a carrel will be placed on a waiting list. Applications submitted after the deadline are added to the end of the waiting list in the order they are received.

Thursday, September 22:Science Library carrel students will be notified via email or telephone of their carrel assignments.

Monday, September 26: The list of Olin carrel assignments and the waiting list will be posted on the door of the Olin Library Office.

Monday, October 3, 3:00 pm: Olin carrel keys must be picked up in the Library Office by this deadline. If a carrel key is not picked up by then, the carrel will be issued to the next person on the waiting list.

Monday, October 3: Science Library carrel keys will become available for pickup. Please see Linda Hurteau, behind the circulation desk in the Science Library.

Friday, October 7, 4:00 pm: Science Library carrel keys must be picked up by this deadline, or the carrel will be reassigned.

Please note: Because of number of carrels and applicants, it is not possible for students to choose a carrel or for students to switch carrels. If a student is assigned a carrel and chooses not to accept it, their name will be added to the bottom of the waiting list and the student at the top of the list will be offered the carrel.

In order to retain a carrel, a student must remain on the list of Honors candidates. The list is regularly re-issued throughout the academic year, and students with carrels who are not on the current Honors list will be required to vacate their carrel so it may be assigned to someone else.

We are excited to announce the launch of our brand new Writing Workshop Blog. The Writing Workshop Blog is a resource for student writers and students who write. Affiliated with the Writing Workshop, where students can meet one-on-one with a trained peer tutors, this blog is meant to serve as a space to discuss, promote, and improve our writing.

Topics range from the academic to the personal, the practical to the fantastical. With student interviews, advice, events, and suggestions, the blog is updated daily and will provide a hub for discussions and information about writing at Wesleyan.

The blog is entirely student-written and student-run. We encourage you to all check it out!

Limited funds are available to support student research and other student scholarly projects in public affairs to begin this summer. Only current sophomores and juniors are eligible. These funds are made available through a gift to Wesleyan University from the Surdna Foundation in honor of Frederick Morgan Davenport, Wesleyan University Class of 1889, and Edith Jefferson Andrus Davenport, Wesleyan University, Class of 1897.

In past years, Davenport Scholarships have been awarded to sophomores and juniors who have “demonstrated intellectual and moral excellence and a concern for public affairs” and “who by their personal qualities and vocational and scholarly intentions give greatest promise of leadership in the public service.” It is expected that most of the grants will be concentrated in the social science departments and the CSS, but applications will be accepted from majors in all areas of the University as long as the proposed projects are related to public affairs.

Applications must contain: (1) a title, (2) a brief description of the proposed project, its objectives and its significance, including a discussion of the relevant scholarly literature; (3) a statement discussing course work relating to the proposed project; (4) an account of the methods for carrying it out; (5) a timetable for completion [a project may continue through the academic year 2009-2010]; (6) a detailed budget; (7) a copy of the student’s transcript [which you may copy from your portfolio if you wish], CSS students please include your comprehensive Examination grade, and (8) a letter from the faculty member who will supervise the project, carefully assessing its merit and the ability of the applicant to carry it out successfully. Applications are not to exceed five double-spaced pages (not counting the supervisor’s letter or transcript) and must be electronically submitted AS AN ATTACHMENT. (See below.) It is the applicant’s responsibility to inform his or her faculty supervisor to submit a letter electronically AS AN ATTACHMENT. Both the application and the faculty member’s letter must contain the student’s name (with the last name listed first) followed by “Davenport Proposal” in the subject line.

Funds are limited, and we expect competition for the awards to be keen. The committee will examine each proposal closely, with special attention to the scholarly value of the proposed research, the feasibility of the project, and the reasonableness of the proposed budget. Students should make their proposals as specific and detailed as possible, and support them with evidence of their ability to complete the work according to a realistic schedule. They should prepare the budget with special care, including only essential expenses and showing precisely how the proposed budget supports the work being proposed. Your budget cannot include the purchase of capital equipment (i.e., digital recorders, cameras, etc.). Those planning to do research abroad should consult with Carolyn Sorkin in the Office of International Studies about their plans and budgets.

Please note that research proposals involving living human subjects who could be individually identified (unless in public office), audio or video recordings of participants, sensitive data, vulnerable populations, or the observation of behavioral tasks in a laboratory will require IRB approval; please see http://www.wesleyan.edu/acaf/Institutional_Review_Board.html for additional information.

All Davenport Scholars will receive a minimum of $500, as stipulated by the terms of the Davenport Bequest. Additional amounts of up to $2500 may be awarded, the amount depending on the availability of funds and project needs. Total awards will generally be limited to $3000, but successful applicants can apply for modest supplements if, during their projects, it appears that the $3000 limit is too restrictive. An interim report, 3-5 pages in length, is to be submitted in September. This report should describe the work done with the grant money over the course of the summer and how this work will advance the student’s thesis or other honors projects during the coming year. Upon completion of the project, each Davenport Scholar must submit a brief report to the Committee on his/her activities, accomplishments, and an accounting of expenditures beyond $500.

Applications will be judged by a faculty committee composed of representatives of the five Public Affairs Center departments. Criteria for judging applications include: the relevance of the project to public affairs; the clarity and suitability of the project design; the feasibility of the proposed project; the applicant’s past academic record; the evaluation submitted by the faculty member; and the realism of the proposed budget. Senior thesis projects will receive priority.

All materials including faculty recommendations must be submitted electronically to Davenport grant (davenport@wesleyan.edu), by noon,Friday, March 11, 2011. On the top of the first page, please include your WES I.D., Wesleyan Box No., email address, name of faculty advisor who will be submitting a recommendation (if your thesis advisor will be someone else, that person should also be listed here), as well as your citizenship for tax purposes. Announcement of grant awards will be made on or before April 4, 2011. Titles of successful applications will also be posted on the PAC website, www.wesleyan.edu/pac.

Do you want a Writing Mentor? Then apply now! Your Writing Mentor will provide one-on-one tutoring to help you with papers and written assignments over the course of the spring semester, whether you need advice about generating ideas, structuring your essay, grammar issues, or even time management. The brief application is available online and is due on Tuesday, February 1st at 5 pm.