Dear Faculty Colleagues,

Below are some updates from the Office of Advising and Co-Curricular Programs: 

Advising Updates 

Spring ’23 Advising/Registration Session – The spring ’23 registration season is upon us! If you are a new academic advisor and want to discuss how to approach your advising session and other registration-related questions, join the Office of Academic Advising & Co-Curricular Programs this afternoon at  3 p.m.!  https://lafayette.zoom.us/j/91581317282

Faculty advisors who need a refresher are welcome to attend, as well as faculty members who have practices of their own they would like to share!

Dean’s Excuses Dean’s excuses now include course sections to better assist those faculty members with multiple section courses.

Midterm Grade Outreach The Advising Team is conducting outreach.The deadline for students to withdraw from individual courses this semester is Tuesday, November 15th.

Dean’s Review Form Although midterm outreach is underway, we are still reviewing dean’s review submissions. Upon receipt of the form, the class dean will meet with the student to determine the stressors impacting their behavior, connect the student to appropriate resources, and formulate a plan to improve in the course. If the student’s performance does not improve, faculty can notify the class dean, prompting the student’s mandatory withdrawal from the course. 

Meet the Team Lunches – Save the date! Members of the Office of Advising & Co-Curricular Programs want to hear from you! Come chat it up, ask a question, or discuss a topic of concern. Faculty are invited to join us for lunch on the following date

December 12th (noon) – End-of-semester Support

Space is limited so please RSVP at least a week before the date. 

 

Scenarios and Advising and Teaching (Various Dates) – What’s on your mind? How can we work together to ensure that students are making the most out of their educational experiences? The Office of Advising & Co-Curricular Programs will coordinate with CITLS to offer opportunities for faculty and staff to discuss promising practices and scenarios within advising and in the classroom. Please contact Tim Cox (coxt@lafayette.edu) with suggestions for topics. An official schedule for spring ’23 will be shared in January. 

Health Professions – With registration PINs and Spring 2023 course selection underway, HP Advising Office has times available for students regarding their proposed schedules. Before your advisees schedule their appointments, here is what we ask them to do:

 (1) Run their Degree Works with multiple potential course schedules. 

(2) Review the HP Information Session on our website for their class.

(3)  Review the webpage for their intended academic major, as well as our recommended HP Core Courses.

(4) Plan at least 3 options to their preferred schedule.

(5) Meet with you as their Academic Advisor BEFORE meeting with us.

(6) If they have a specific issue they should articulate it by email to us (healthprofessions@lafayette.edu) in advance so we can research it if necessary.

 Once they have sought the information they have available to them, your advisees can schedule a session by emailing us directly: Prof. Nancy Waters (watersn@lafayette.edu); Ms. Simona Glaus (glauss@lafayette.edu). 

Scholarships and Fellowships Opportunities Please encourage your students, regardless of class year or GPA to consider the myriad opportunities available to them through scholarship and fellowship programs. Additionally, we encourage you to refer students to us directly by email. It is never too early (only too late) for students to get started. Students are encouraged to simply stop by 105 Scott Hall or to email Dean Goldberg to make an appointment. Dean Goldberg will help them identify opportunities and assist them throughout their journey. Sample lists of opportunities by class year are available on our website.

Multi-language Learner Academic Support If you have multi-language students and think it would be beneficial to them to have more practices on academic writing, please encourage them to take the ENG 100 Introduction to Academic Writing course. Click here to read more on how to recommend students on selecting W courses. 

Here are some of the English for Academic Purposes Center programs that you can recommend to your multi-language learners that are happening this month: EAP Workshop, Conversation PARDner group chat sessions, and EAP tutors. Also, the online magazine Global Expressions: Writing Beyond the Mother Tongue is calling for paper submissions. Especially, if you are teaching a writing class, please encourage your multi-language students to submit their second language writings or become a contributor to the magazine!

Class Dean support – The class deans are your partners in fostering student success! 

Additional Resources

Academic Resource Hub Encourage students to make Supplemental Instruction, Mentored Study Group and Drop-In Sessions part of their weekly routine for the courses that have those support structures. The Hub’s data indicates that students using these resources on average will have a 0.1 grade higher than those not utilizing the resource. Schedules are available from the course faculty and are posted in TutorTrac. Sessions are for all students and it’s not too late for students to make these sessions part of their weekly schedule.  

Planning is underway for academic support for Spring 2023 courses.  We are starting to recruit and will be contacting specific departments over the next week to confirm support structures. We have grown our tutor roster to over 56 tutors supporting over 50 courses.  If you would like tutor support for a course you are teaching this spring, send an email to resourcehub@lafayette.edu and we will follow up with you. 

Accessibility Services Students registered with Accessibility Services have been reminded to request their Letter of Accommodation: a document provided by Accessibility Services which outlines the reasonable accommodations that are to be provided to the student. The letter is sent electronically to each instructor and the student is responsible for communicating directly with each faculty member regarding the accommodations and how the accommodations apply to the course. Please contact Marty Sullivan sullivma@lafayette.edu with any questions.

Multi-language Learner Academic Support – The English for Academic Purposes Center aims to equip English learners with the reading, writing, and oral communication skills and the knowledge of US culture necessary to succeed at college. 

When advising international students, cultural differences as well as communication barriers can make it challenging for both student and advisor. Please check out a sample advising syllabus developed for Lafayette advisors and some tips summarized for successful communication with international students. You can also find teaching suggestions for working with multilingual students posted on the center’s website. 

Please feel free to contact Tingting Kang at kangt@lafayette.edu with any questions. 

Student Academic Resources CITLS, in partnership with several offices, has created a one-stop-spot for academic resources. Students and faculty can find information regarding accessibility services, tutoring, advising/registration, healthy living, and more! Please bookmark this site, and share this information with your students. 

Student-Athlete Academic SupportAthletics offers a range of services to student-athletes who have the dual challenge of performing well in the classroom while maintaining a commitment to Division I athletics. The Peer Mentor program matches first-year student-athletes with experienced athletes for weekly mentoring and guidance. In addition, semester-long academic coaching is provided to support select student-athletes in a variety of areas. The Structured Study program is available to all student-athletes to assist with time management and to take advantage of studying during the academic day. Lastly, student-athletes who don’t personally own a laptop may rent equipment at no cost when traveling to competitions. Please contact Carly Riepenhoff with any questions or concerns regarding student-athletes.

Thanks,

Office of Advising & Co-Curricular Programs