How to Apply for Graduation

Graduating this spring or summer? Remember to apply for graduation! Students planning to graduate in May, June, or August 2011 will need to complete an application for graduation prior to December 1st, 2010.

In order to complete your application for graduation, you must be registered for your spring semester – we cannot help you to be sure you are ready to graduate until you have registered.
Students must complete a graduation application with an advisor. You may utilize:

1. A group session – meeting with a group of students, the academic advisors will preview your record and be ready to help you complete the application. Students must register here for these sessions so that we can prepare for you. Sessions are scheduled for 1 hour, and students should plan to spend an hour, and can be pleasantly surprised if finished early.
Sessions will be offered:
Wednesday Nov. 10th 10:00am – 11:00am
Thursday Nov. 11th 1:00pm-2:00pm
Wednesday Dec. 1st 9:30am – 10:30am
Wednesday Dec. 1st 11:00am -Noon

2. A walk-in – special times will be set aside for walk-in graduation applications only (10 minutes or less) and will be announced soon via email. You may also utilize walk-ins during our normal scheduled times. In order to use this method, you MUST:
a. Be sure that all transfer credits are in (if you have them)
b. Any outstanding Incomplete’s or R’s are complete, or are in the process of being completed.

3. An appointment - if you feel you will need additional time(30 minutes) to talk with the advisor. For grad aps only, we encourage you to check out a group session or walk-ins.

We are excited to help you apply for graduation!

Second Eight Weeks Class--V275

Looking for a second eight-weeks class? Consider V275, Introduction to Emergency Management! The course will meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:00-9:30 p.m. and counts as a major selection for:

Management
Public Management
Nonprofit Management
Environmental Management
Legal Studies
Health Administration
Policy Analysis

However, as it is not a regularly offered course, it will not automatically count in your degree. You will need to drop into our walk-ins or schedule an appointment to complete a substitution form for it to count properly—the course is approved, so this is merely a paperwork issue, but it is vital that you complete the paperwork. If you decide to register for this course, please remember to complete the sub form with an advisor.

More info on the course:

SPEA V275
Introduction to Emergency Management
2nd 8 Weeks, Fall 2010

Debra Schneck, Instructor
7:00-9:30 pm, Monday & Wednesday

Emergency management is a rapidly expanding multidisciplinary field that requires educated professionals with individual backgrounds in public, nonprofit, and for-profit management, policy analysis, public health, environmental studies, and risk communications, among many, many others. In fact, in the future, it is quite likely that professionals will have some relationship or role in emergency management, whether it relates to business and government continuity, the specific role and response of their organization, or as a professional responder or volunteer. This course provides a basic introduction and overview of the principles and practices of emergency management at the local, state, national and international levels; discusses intergovernmental and intra-governmental relationships important to emergency operations; provides an overview of the current U.S. emergency management system; outlines the general concepts of preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery; and, provides students with the resources necessary to critically assess media reports, popular culture, and political rhetoric related to disasters. This course will discuss basic best practices and proper methodologies for emergency managers as well as ways that students can further develop skills and capabilities that may be important to future employers, either directly or as part of other duties, as they seek individuals who are familiar with the language and general practice of emergency management activities.
The course will include some lecture, class discussion, reading assignments, internet-based assignments, and video presentations. Course requirements include two tests; the preparation of a case summary; and the completion of two Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) online lessons. The case summary will describe the conditions surrounding a specific emergency chosen by the student and as seen through the lens of the student’s academic interests. For instance, a student interested in working for a nonprofit organization could choose to write about the Red Cross’ role in a particular hurricane response and recovery. Students will also be expected to complete two FEMA online courses: IS-230, Principles of Emergency Management, and IS-22, Citizen Preparedness. These take a few hours to complete; the lessons are free; the student receives an electronic certificate for each; and it introduces students to different types of online certification programs which students may pursue on their own through the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/FEMA.
Ms. Schneck has over 20 years experience in the areas of emergency preparedness, and licensing and regulatory support for nuclear facilities (both commercial nuclear power plants and defense facilities), as a consultant/contractor and after 9/11, as an employee of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). As an Emergency Preparedness Specialist at the NRC, her responsibilities included being the FEMA Coordinator for the Agency. Earlier as an independent consultant/contactor, she performed work for the NRC, FEMA, the Department of Energy, the Tennessee Valley Authority, private utilities, and various state and local emergency management agencies. Her projects, specific to emergency planning and preparedness, included providing assistance for drills and exercises; preparing revisions to emergency plans and procedures; performing reviews of regulations and related industry standards; acting as a Controller/Evaluator/Observer in emergency response facilities during emergency preparedness drills and exercises; and, reviewing state and local emergency plans and procedures for completeness and compatibility. Currently, she is a PhD student and Associate Instructor at Indiana University-Bloomington, and is still used occasionally in the summertime in a training role, and as a non-technical evaluator at NRC- and FEMA-evaluated radiological emergency preparedness exercises.

What is the Auto-W Deadline?

The Auto-W Deadline is the final day that you can drop a course for an automatic grade of W. The W on your transcript indicates that you began a course but withdrew from it before completing the course. It does not affect your GPA, but dropping a course may affect your full-time student status--check with an advisor or the Registrar if you are unsure if dropping a course will take you below full-time status.

The Auto-W Deadline is set by the university. For full-term classes this fall semester, the date is Wednesday, October 27. You can always find these dates on the Registrar's Calendar.

Use Onestart to drop courses--the e-drop feature on Onestart will permit you to drop a course up through the unversity deadline. You do not have to see an advisor to drop a course or add a second eight weeks course, but we encourage you to utilize our walk-in hours or an appointment if you have quesitons or are concerned.

Students intending to drop a course for a grade of W must do so prior to the university deadline as set by the Registrar. SPEA abides by all university policies and deadlines, including those regarding withdrawals. After the Auto-W date you cannot access e-drop and cannot drop a course without extenuating circumstances, documentation, and an involved exception appeal process.

A Friendly Reminder to Plan Ahead

As we get further into the semester, you may be beginning to think about next semester's classes, long-term academic plans, the possibility of studying abroad...all things that we're happy to help you with here in the Undergrad Advising office. But here's the catch--just as you need to plan ahead with these opportunities, you need to plan ahead when scheduling your advising appointment.

So, the reminders:

1) We don't do same-day appointments. Your advisor needs time to prepare for you, which means the soonest we'll ever schedule is next-day.
2) BUT--we're often booked further out than a day anyway. Right now, for instance, we're booking most appointments a week in advance. Please don't wait to make an appointment until you're on a deadline. We may not be able to make an appointment in time.
3) These big-picture, long-term plans need to happen in an appointment. We can't cover even half of what you'd need to talk about in a walk-in. Please continue to utilize walk-ins for schedule changes, adding minors, or other quick quesitons, but leave the study abroad, Washington Leadership Program, Accelerated Master's Program, and four-year plans to an appointment.

Have a great week, and we hope to see you all soon!

First Two Weeks of Classes--All Walk-ins!

Our office is holding Walk-In Advising Only for the first two weeks of classes. Our daily schedule is 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Please note the following exceptions to this schedule:
Wednesday, Sept. 1: no afternoon walk-ins
Friday, Sept. 3: walk-ins from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. only
Monday, Sept. 6: closed all day—Labor Day Holiday (PLEASE NOTE: Classes still meet on Labor Day!)

If you have any questions about adjusting your schedule, adding/dropping a course, or making a course pass/fail, please visit us during these extended walk-in hours.

End-of-Internship Paperwork

Nearing the end of your summer internship? If you're earning credit for a SPEA internship, remember that paperwork is due at the completion of your internship.

The following items must be filed before credit for your internship will be awarded:

Internship Summary Report: During the last week of your internship, you will be required to complete an online summary of your duties, responsibilities, and experiences. The information from the summary will be made available to current and future students via the online Internship Summary Database, so try to be as professional, yet honest, as possible.

Supervisor Evaluation: During the last week of your internship, your supervisor is required to complete an online evaluation of your work. The information regarding the evaluation is emailed to your internship supervisor when your internship is approved. Please note that students are NOT allowed access to this form. OCS can only email login information to the supervisor, not the student.

For more information, check out Career Services' webpage on internships, and take a look at their FAQs.

Summer to Fall Advising

A quick reminder--we are in the office all summer, and are available for in-person or phone advising appointments. If you have questions before the fall semester begins, call us at 855-0635. You're welcome to email quesitons to speaugrd@indiana.edu, but be aware that many questions may ultimately require an appointment.

We do not have walk-ins over the summer, but our first two weeks of the semester will be all walk-ins. Watch for a schedule to be posted soon.

Have a safe and fun summer, and don't hesitate to get in touch with your questions before the semester starts!