Dean Thornton early February message

Greetings Class of 2022’ers,

I am sending this email message to all sophomores to draw attention to a few upcoming time sensitive administrative actions and to remind you about my interest in meeting with you throughout your journey at Wes. In this email you will find 5 bulleted topics with links to more details.  It is critical that you review briefly all topics in this email and I strongly encourage you to take the additional time to read the expanded information and hyperlinked references as well.

Wishing you all the best for a successful semester at Wes! –Dean Thornton

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Drop/Add and Enrollment Checklist:

  • Visit WesPortal -> Add/Drop – review your current course schedule
    • Are you enrolled in a minimum of 3 Course Credits?
    • Are you enrolled in the correct courses, course sections, and grading modes (when applicable)?
      • Re: Grading mode – only courses with the Grading Mode of “Student Option” permits students to choose A-F or C/U grading options. Instructors are prohibited from allowing exceptions to the Grading Mode recorded for their courses in WesMaps. Also, the absolute deadline for making any grading mode changes for courses that offer Student Options is Date. No exceptions!
    • Is your course schedule correct or not correct? Click the appropriate status now.
  • Visit WesPortal -> Enrollment Checklist ->Holds
    • Read and accept as instructed (e.g. CNAC, HC, Student Account)

Major Declaration Process:

As you may already know, only a limited number of sophomores have already declared a major (e.g. CSS, COL, CEAS). The majority of current sophomores are expected to use the time between Feb 6 and mid-March to request (via WesPortal) a major. The rationale for the major declaration requirement is firmly rooted in our efforts to guide and support your progress toward graduation in 2022. Please note that whatever major you activate during this period does not permanently commit you to that particular academic home at Wesleyan or to a particular future career. There is still time to continue your academic and personal self-exploration at Wes after declaring a particular major and some students will still need to complete department specific prerequisites before formal acceptance into their intended major. Sophomores who require additional time to complete prerequisites for acceptance into a major, should complete the Major Deferral Form and schedule a meeting with me during the month of February.

Students interested in majoring in psychology who entered Wesleyan as first-semester freshmen, are required to apply for the major during their Wesleyan forth semester (generally, spring semester of sophomore year). Additional information about the Psych Major declaration is available at https://www.wesleyan.edu/studentaffairs/resources/majordeclaration/index.html

Class Dean Communication:

  • Drop-in Schedule:                  M:2-3, T:3-4, W:4-6, Th:11-12, F:2-4
  • Sign-in at Kiosk: If you have scheduled an appointment or it is during Drop-in Sessions, please check-in at the iPad located in the hallway/waiting area of the Office of Academic Advancement. I will come out to greet you when it is your turn to meet. If you wish to meet with me outside of Drop-in and you do not have an appointment, please first check in with one of the administrative assistants – Mrs. Maheu or Mrs. Chiari whose desks are located in the office suites. They will determine if I am available to meet or identify a convenient time for us to meet. 
  • Email should not be used to communicate urgent concerns to me. If you require assistance during the hours of 8:30 am – 5 pm, Monday – Friday, you should call the Office of Academic Advancement at 860-685-2764. You may leave a non-urgent message that will be reviewed the next business day.  If it is after hours and you require assistance, you should call the Office of Public Safety at non-emergency) 860-685-2345 or (emergency) 860-685-3333. Please save these numbers in your phone contact list for easy access when needed.
  • The Class of 2022 blog may be found at: https://classof2022.blogs.wesleyan.edu/
    • In addition to reminders and administrative alerts, I use the Class Blog to communicate information from various Wes departments and programs. You should visit regularly the blog as I try to avoid inundating you with too many emails.