o Discuss how classes are going, what are their first impressions?
o Debrief about mentee meetings with instructors. If they didn’t meet,
why not? Discuss any concerns they might have about using their
accommodations
o Collect & discuss the “Accommodations” form with mentee. Answer any
questions/concerns.
o Review “College Survival Vocabulary,” and discuss some new terms that
they will likely be held responsible for knowing
o Review ALL of mentee’s syllabi. Highlight homework, papers, quizzes,
tests, and exams in student planner. Discuss and reinforce the
importance of utilizing the planner to stay organized.
o Suggest mentee to schedule exams with DSS. Space is limited. 1st come;
1st serve basis. Review DSS Accommodate process
o Set goals & determine tasks that need to be accomplished for the next
meeting
o Share WMU campus events coming up. *Reminder* to attend at least
one event per semester
o Important Date:

Sept. 14th: Last day to drop classes without a “W” on your
transcript and to get 100% refund
o Schedule next meeting
September 2015 Campus Events
(**- indicates that event counts toward diversity event requirement)
Friday, September 11
Bronco Bash - annual welcome back festival for students, staff and faculty, and
community, Sangren Pedestrian Mall, 3 to 7 p.m. Free.
Wednesday, September 23
Autumnal equinox (first day of fall)
** Raise Your Voice Series - "Safer Campuses for All: Using Title IX to Provide an
Education Free of Sexual Violence," Wagatwe Wanjuki, 1920 Sangren Hall, 7 p.m.
Free.
College Survival Vocabulary
Academic Advisor
A member of the college faculty or staff who assists students with
planning semester schedules as well as their overall programs of
study. Advisors may also help with career planning. Advisors are not
counselors. For counseling, you will need to see a counselor through
Sindecuse.
Academic Probation
Warning: A warning is issued to the undergraduate student
whenever the grade point average for any semester is less than 2.0,
but the cumulative grade point average is 2.0 or above.
Probation: The undergraduate student will be placed on probation
whenever the student’s cumulative grade point average falls below
2.0
Dismissal: Undergraduate students
on probation, or extended
probation, who
fail to achieve at least a 2.00 grade point average
for
the semester; or students on final probation who fail to achieve a
2.00 cumulative grade point average will be dismissed from the
University.
Blue or Green Book
A small booklet (with a blue or green cover) used by students to
answer test questions. Inside the cover the booklet pages are lineruled, like notebook paper. Some professors require students to bring
a blank blue book to class when a big test is scheduled. You can
purchase them at the WMU Bookstore. When you take a blue book
test, you put all of your test answers on the booklet pages. You may
not be allowed to write on the test itself.
You should always keep a spare blue book in your book bag. You
don't want to be stuck without one on test day!
Be warned that professors check blue books to make sure that they
really are blank!
Credit
A unit of measure for college work. Generally speaking, one credit
hour represents one hour of classroom attendance each week for
one semester. This does not include the study time, homework, etc.
that go along with it.
Drop
To cancel registration in a course after enrolling into it for 100%
refund, without a record of the class showing up on your transcript.
Students often add and drop courses before settling on a class
schedule for a particular semester. The drop period ends when
registration closes. To drop a class is not the same as to withdraw.
Final exam
Final exams are held the last week of each semester students. Final
exams often account for a large part of the grade for a course. The
final exam schedule is posted online before each semester begins.
During finals week, normally scheduled classes do not meet.
Hardship Withdrawal
Occurs after the official withdrawal period has ended. The only way
to withdraw from a course after that period is to meet the definition
of hardship:
•
Severe physical illness of student or close family member
•
Severe mental illness of student or close family member
•
Traumatic event (death of close family member, act of violence)
•
Exigencies of military service where established procedures are not
applicable
•
Student never attended the course (or in the case of an online class,
student never participated in the course)
Students have 12 months from the time grades post to engage in the
Appeal for a Hardship Withdrawal process. Beyond 12 months, students
must seek an exception from the Provost through the Office of the
Ombudsman, but must still meet the above hardship criteria in order to
seek an exception.
Hybrid class
A course that is taught both on-line and on campus. Students are
required to participate in both portions of the class.
Internship
A supervised short-term apprenticeship or temporary job in a realworld setting closely related to a student's field of study. The student
may or may not be paid but earns college credit for the work
experience. Depending on the field of study, may also be known as
practicum.
Office Hours
The block of time set aside for students by professors or graduate
student instructors to ask questions or get assistance on class
material. This is the optimal time to meet with your instructor to
discuss accommodations.
Plagiarism (From the WMU definitions of Academic Honesty)
Plagiarism is intentionally, knowingly, or carelessly presenting the
work of another as one’s own (i.e., without proper acknowledgement
of the source). The sole exception to the requirement of
acknowledging sources is when the ideas, information, etc., are
common knowledge.
Types:
Direct Quotation: Every direct quotation must be identified by
quotation marks or appropriate indentation and must be properly
acknowledged, in the text by citation or in a footnote or endnote.
Paraphrase: Prompt acknowledgement is required when material
from another source is paraphrased or summarized, in whole or in
part, in one’s own words. To acknowledge a paraphrase properly,
one might state: “To paraphrase Locke’s comment,…”and then
conclude with a footnote or endnote identifying the exact reference.
Borrowed facts: Information gained in reading or research which is
not common knowledge must be acknowledged.
Common knowledge: Common knowledge includes generally known
facts such as the names of leaders of prominent nations, basic
scientific laws, etc. Materials which add only to a general
understanding of the subject may be acknowledged in the
bibliography and need not be footnoted or end-noted.
Footnotes, endnotes and in-text citations: One footnote, endnotes, or
in-text citation is usually enough to acknowledge indebtedness when
a number of connected sentences are drawn from one source. When
direct quotations are used, however, quotation marks must be
inserted and acknowledgement made. Similarly, when a passage is
paraphrased, acknowledgement is required.
Prerequisite
A course that must be completed (often with a certain minimum
grade) or a skill that must be demonstrated before a student can
enroll in a more advanced course (for example, Anatomy and
Physiology I is a prerequisite for Anatomy and Physiology II).
Register/registration
To sign up or enroll in a course or courses. As a DSS-registered
student, you will receive priority registration for Spring 2014 on
Tuesday, October 15 at 8 am. "Registration activity" includes
enrolling, dropping/withdrawing, choosing "pass/fail" in place of
letter grades, making payments, etc
Satisfactory Academic Progress
If you want to remain eligible for federal and state financial aid
programs, including work-study, you must also make satisfactory
academic progress (SAP) toward your degree.
The Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress state you must:
• Pass a minimum of 67 percent of all attempted hours at Western
• Maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average as stated in the
University’s Catalog
Not exceed a total of 183 undergraduate credit hours, including transferred
hours
Semester
Most schools organize the academic year into two main halves-Fall
and Spring Semesters-plus a shorter Summer Semester (compared to
quarters you might be used to in high school). Each course you take
will typically only last one semester.
Syllabus
(plural: syllabi)
An outline plan for a particular class, including textbook
requirements, class meeting dates, reading assignments,
examination dates, the instructor's grading standards, etc. It is very
important that you read all your syllabi carefully and keep track of
them.
Transcript
A permanent record of all the classes you take and grades you earn
while in high school or college. It may also show any honors or
awards you receive. Many jobs post-graduation will want to see a
copy of your official transcript.
Withdrawal
The process of formally dropping a class or classes after the term has
started. This will result in a grade of “W” showing up on your
transcript, and usually involves not getting a full refund for that class.