Attention All EnviSci Students!
As a result of the University’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, some very important changes have been made to academic policies and specifically to EnviSci Advising. (Note: if this wall of text is too much to read, just go through all the portions in bold text.)
- Course registration will begin on April 8th, not on March 30th as was originally planned. Your enrollment appointment is listed in the usual place on the Spire Student Center (box on righthand side titled “Enrollment Dates”), and has been updated to reflect this change. To see the exact time of your enrollment appointment, click the “details” link in the “Enrollment Dates” box.
- The mid-semester date has been moved from March 22nd to April 29th, which is the last day of classes for the Spring 2020 semester. What does this mean? Students are now able to withdraw from any or all courses (a “W” will appear on your transcript instead of a grade for withdrawn courses), or change courses to Elective Pass/Fail up to the last day of classes, April 29th. Choosing Elective Pass/Fail means you will receive a letter grade on your transcript for the course if the grade you earn boosts your GPA. If you pass the class, but the letter grade you received would lower your GPA, you will receive a “P” for “passing grade” on your transcript, and your GPA will be unaffected. If you fail the class, you will receive an “F” for “failing grade” on your transcript, and your GPA will be unaffected.
- Students may choose to have any number of their courses as Elective Pass/Fail. Normally, students are only able to change one course per semester to Elective Pass/Fail. To switch from Letter-Grading to Elective Pass/Fail for your courses, click on the “Other Academic” dropdown menu (located next to the weekly course schedule) on the Spire Student Center, and select the option “Pass/Fail Elect.” Note: this feature on Spire is being updated to reflect the policy change, and is offline until noon on March 30th.
- Students may choose Elective Pass/Fail grading for any and all types of courses, including those that satisfy graduation requirements. Normally, Elective Pass/Fail grading is reserved for elective courses that do not count toward graduation requirements, such as GenEd courses, courses for a major, courses for a minor, courses for a certificate, etc. However, due to the difficult nature of the transition to online learning, the University is allowing all students to use Elective Pass/Fail grading for any and all types of courses, including those listed above.
- All students with EnviSci as their primary major still have registration holds on their accounts. As per usual, EnviSci students will see a hold described as “Prevents enrollment: Fall 2020” listed in the “Holds” box on the righthand side of the Spire Student Center. Your primary academic advisor is the person who will lift this hold for you, after you discuss your Fall 2020 enrollment plans with them. If you don’t know who your primary academic advisor is, follow this link and scroll down to the section titled “Your Primary Faculty Advisor” for instructions on how to find and contact this person. If you advisor does not contact you by the end of this week, send them an email, and let Dr. Deb Henson know if your advisor does not respond promptly.
As always, we are here to help you! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the EnviSci Peer Advisors or other EnviSci advisors.