DUS News - April 4, 2022
You should consult with an academic adviser if you’re considering late dropping a course to fully consider the ramifications for your degree progress, financial arrangements, and potential opportunities. The Late-Drop Checklist can help you think through the potential consequences of dropping a course prior to your advising conversation. Be sure to read up on late course drop policies.
You are allowed to be in DUS up to the end of your first four semesters. After that, though, you need to be out of DUS and into your major, especially if you’re planning to graduate on time.
If you started at Penn State during summer or fall 2020, this is your last semester of time in DUS, and you will be receiving letters from us about this. You should be working with your adviser to determine your next steps, and use "Update Academics" to declare your major!
If you have reached a decision about your choice of major and meet the qualifications to enter that major, you can use “Update Academics” in LionPATH to process a change into your major. Students who are completing their sophomore year need to be moving out of DUS. You can review the qualifications for your intended major by viewing the entrance-to-major requirements on your intended major's page in the Bulletin.
- April 7 (Thurs)
- Study Smarter Session - April 8 (Fri)
- Late Drop Deadline
- Parent and Family Appreciation Day - April 11 (Mon)
- Study Smarter Session - April 19 (Tues)
- Study Smarter Session
Helping others, advocating, and conducting research. Are these activities that interest you? Want to be a successful health professional school applicant? Consider contacting the PreHealth Advising Center. Visit their walk-in advising, make an appointment in Starfish, or attend one of their upcoming events for first- and second-year students.
DUS has an ongoing goal to ensure that all DUS students have access to quality academic advising. To enhance and strengthen how we support you through academic advising, we invite you to complete a brief survey. We value your thoughts and will use the information gathered to carefully assess and further develop our approach to supporting students. Your voice matters, so please take a few moments to complete the survey. Thank you.
Like to write? Enter the Penn State University Libraries Short Stories spring 2022 writing contest. Themed "Written in the Stars," the contest invites creative writers from across the University to submit original stories and poems for the chance to be published in the short story dispensers across the commonwealth. Submission deadline is April 4. Visit the contest website for full details and to submit your short story.
Each spring, Penn State Startup Week brings together the best and brightest Penn State student and alumni entrepreneurs and innovators for a weeklong entrepreneurship immersion and celebration of the magic that happens when Penn State’s inspired doers put their great ideas into action. Join this event virtually, April 4-8, for exciting keynote speakers and change makers, entrepreneurial workshops, mini pitch competitions, access to entrepreneurship resources, networking—all accessible from the comfort of your home, apartment or dorm!
Find all the events and information on the Startup Week website.
Students, have you thanked your parents and families lately? Stop by the HUB this Friday, April 8 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. to write a thank you postcard to them. The Office of Student Affairs will take care of mailing it! While there, spin the prize wheel for some great Penn State Family swag!. The first 400 students can also grab a donut and sticker. Join the Parents Program Family Ambassadors and help say thanks to those who have given you so much support!
Have a question that can be resolved in a short 5–10 minute conversation? Join us for quick question advising via Zoom on the dates and times below. Some acceptable topics include: discussing adding/dropping courses within deadlines; getting a form signed; using LionPATH; reviewing entrance-to-major requirements; learning about general education information not related to schedule planning; and transferring credits. Quick question advising is not intended for in-depth conversations.
In case you missed it, we've made a few small changes to our Quick Question Advising (QQA) process at University Park and want you to know about them.
- All QQA is now held only via Zoom during the hours listed below. Note that this only applies to University Park. Each campus advising office manages appointments differently.
- After you check in to the waiting room using the link below, check your Penn State email continuously for an "Adviser is Ready" notification with connection instructions for Zoom. Join the Zoom room immediately upon receiving the email.
QQA hours for spring 2022:
| Monday | 1:00–3:00 p.m. |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 9:00–11:00 a.m. |
| Wednesday | 1:00–3:00 p.m. |
| Thursday | 1:00–3:00 p.m. |
| Friday | April 8 only: 9:00–11:00 a.m. and 1:00–3:00 p.m. |
Click here to sign in to QQA waiting room - Please note that a DUS Adviser is only available during the times listed above. All times are Eastern Time.
Are you passionate about helping others? Do you want to gain valuable workplace skills? Apply to be an academic peer mentor. Mentors will:
- learn and implement active listening and motivational interviewing skills
- discover how to build a successful mentoring relationship and make appropriate referrals
- help mentees with time management, study-skill development, and more
- learn how to set and maintain appropriate boundaries while fostering a nurturing mentoring relationship
Interested? Get started in four easy steps:
- Complete the APMP application online by April 15. Keep Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. open on your fall 2022 schedule.
- Earn a B or higher in a one-credit preparatory course.
- Attend a mentorship interview.
- Begin mentoring students.
For questions about the program or the class, contact spc83@psu.edu.
The Division of Undergraduate Studies is excited to announce the launch of our new diversity webpage. On the webpage, you will find diversity, equity, and inclusion resources, inspiration from peers, thoughts from our staff, and ways of connecting to the larger Penn State community. Included in this effort is an option for you to Connect with us” for help navigating cultural difficulties, exploring your identities, feeling seen and heard, and more.
What do “diversity, equity, and inclusion” mean to us?
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are at once incredibly simple and profoundly complex concepts, goalposts, and action items. Let’s define our terms.
- Diversity can be thought of as everything you are—identity markers, life experiences, ways of thinking and being—and everything that you are not. Diversity grows in an environment where respect, acceptance, and valuing are abundant, and where everyone can come with their full self and expect to be listened to and included.
- Inclusion is bringing everyone into the fold. It takes the diversity that is present and creates policies that allow everyone to be successful, cultivates a community that allows everyone to be—and feel—valued and heard, and provides equitable influence in key decisions.
- Equity is helping everyone get their needs met, proactively addressing barriers to success, and dismantling systems that contribute to unjust outcomes. It is creating the circumstances, policies, community, and support necessary to ensure that everyone is able to achieve their definition of success.
In DUS, diversity, equity, and inclusion are hallmarks of our work with all students and the larger Penn State community. We are here to support you as you discover what the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion mean for you and your journey. Remember, we are Penn State… and we cannot be Penn State without you.
Shana Clarke
Assistant Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Division of Undergraduate Studies
Join the Student's Restorative Justice Initiative as they present Restorative Circles. Restorative practices create space for dialogue that builds community and affirms the humanity of all involved. Sessions are held in 236 Chambers from 6:00–7:30 p.m. on the following dates:
April 14 - Sexual Assault
April 28 - Religion/Spirituality
Learn more and register online.