21 October 2009
Feast of St. Hilarion
Dear Parents:
In an effort to be better stewards of our natural resources, we are transforming our parent newsletter into an electronic weblog for parents. I will post entries here now and on two additional occasions: at the end of the fall semester and during the 2010 Spring Break. My hope is that these communiqués will provide answers to some of the more important queries you might have concerning the academic progress of your daughters and sons, as well as about the experiences they are having as their initial year at Notre Dame unfolds. The general purpose of these periodic postings is to support the families of our first-year students as they nurture the entering class of 2009. Please feel free to contact me via e-mail (hpage@nd.edu) if there are questions you wish to raise or items to which you would like me to respond.
As this first blog entry is posted, it is a sunny and mild autumn afternoon. The campus is quiet as we reach the midpoint of our Fall Break. Many students have returned home to be with the families and to visit friends. This is an ideal time for rest, reflection, and planning for the days ahead. Below, I offer some thoughts on several topics that focus on these and related issues.
Adjusting to the Rhythms of the First Year
Universities are rather like living organisms that have their own unique rhythms. Students inevitably adjust to them as their first year progresses. The daily, weekly, and semester schedules tend to be more flexible than those found in the typical secondary school. However, the intellectual demands of higher education are much more extensive due to several factors. Not the least of these are the course load, quantity of reading, and time required to prepare adequately for each lecture period.
Students at Notre Dame typically take five classes per semester. Each class will have a syllabus with reading from various required and/or highly recommended texts. Some classes have regular written homework assignments or problem sets that must be completed. Others will have out-of-class events such as films or lectures that must be attended. Overall, professors expect that students will devote a minimum of three hours of preparation for each hour spent in class.
Some students handle this demanding schedule well from the outset of the term. Others adjust more slowly. Many require help in mastering the skills needed to become astute time managers. Please encourage your sons and daughters to be good stewards of time. If they need help in setting priorities or the management of their calendars, please recommend that they talk with their advisors about getting assistance with these tasks immediately after Fall Break.
Balancing Academic and Other Pursuits
Our campus is a veritable beehive of activity. There is virtually always something happening. Residence hall life, campus-wide initiatives, athletic competitions, and other events vie for the attention of students. Finding the proper balance between such endeavors and coursework can be difficult for some. The mid-point of the first semester is an ideal time for first-year students to take stock of where they stand academically and to see if that ideal balance has been reached. It might be good to have a conversation with your sons and daughters about the importance of finding the combination of activities best suited for them – i.e., one that promotes intellectual maturity, spiritual growth, and optimal wellness.
Finding Down Time
The first eight weeks of the fall semester are demanding. Many first-year students have returned home having recently completed their mid-semester examinations as well. In all likelihood, they are quite fatigued and probably a bit anxious about their grades. Encourage your daughters and sons to see that their time away from Notre Dame amounts to an intellectual Sabbath – i.e., a time for rest, recovery, and contemplation that should be fully utilized.
Mid-Semester Grades
Instructors in first-year courses are asked to provide mid-semester grades for first-year students. These grades will not become a permanent part of their academic record. Instead, such marks serve as a measure of academic progress to date in a given class. Whether higher than expected, lower than desired, or at the level anticipated, mid-term grades are best used as tools for the design of future learning strategies. Grades are mailed to students during Fall Break and are also available online via the InsideND web portal.
A marginal or failing grade in any class should be treated very seriously. In more than a few first-year classes, students will begin to encounter material not covered in some high school courses after Fall Break. The pace at which new concepts are introduced will quicken and the level of difficulty in most courses will increase. Fall Break, and the period immediately following it, are very good times to make adjustments in study techniques. Academic advisors in FYS stand ready to help students secure the assistance needed to succeed in the classroom.
Students encountering significant difficulties should plan to visit our Learning Resource Center (LRC) as soon as possible. The LRC is located on the same floor as FYS administrative offices. It provides access to tutoring and collaborative learning groups, both of which have proven to be of great benefit to first-year students. It also houses our Learning Strategies Program. Please feel free to access the information about both initiatives on the FYS website. Moreover, please support us in encouraging your daughters and sons to do honest assessments of their academic performance thus far and to take those steps necessary to reach their full academic potential.
Each of us plays a vital role in the support system that sustains first-year students and enables them to realize their dreams. Open conversation at the family level about matters academic is one of the factors that can contribute to positive mid-semester adjustments that yield very successful end-of-term outcomes. Please set aside a few moments to talk with your sons and daughters about their academic progress to date.
Mature Decision Making
For more than a few students, their first year of university life represents the longest period of time they have spent as fully independent young adults living on their own and away from family and friends. Independence carries with it the responsibility for making sound judgments about major issues. Two of the dangers confronting youth in our society are alcohol and drug abuse. Please assist us in reinforcing the dangers implicit in such behavior and the importance of adopting a lifestyle that is healthy and free of any activities that can compromise their well-being.
Moreover, if there are special concerns that you have about homesickness, adjustment issues, or other matters that are having an impact on your son or daughter, please encourage him/her to discuss them with his/her advisor as soon as possible.
Withdrawing from Courses
For first-year students, schedule adjustments are not unusual. Some are made at the very beginning of the semester. Others, that usually involve the dropping of a class, are often made around the middle of each semester. The reasons for course withdrawal vary. They may include changes in academic goals, sub-par performance on examinations, or disappointing mid-term grades.
The dropping of a class is a matter not to be taken lightly. Anyone considering this option should consult her/his FYS advisor to talk about the implications of such action. Difficulties encountered in a class may be an indication that additional help is needed to promote more effective learning or to enhance performance on examinations and other assignments. Decisions about schedule changes should be prudent and measured. Please encourage your sons and daughters to have frank conversations with their advisors before making a final decision about withdrawing from a course. Please remind them, as well, that the deadline for so doing is Friday, 30 October 2009.
Spring 2009 Registration
FYS advisors understand that the first year is a time of tremendous growth for students, one characterized by an evolving sense of vocation and an increasing awareness of the many learning opportunities available at Notre Dame. Registration for Spring 2009 classes will begin in the latter part of November. Students will have a greater share of responsibility in this process than was the case in the building of their current schedules.
After Fall Break, FYS advisors will hold informational sessions with students to review registration instructions. Students will receive e-mail notification about these meetings from their advisors in the coming weeks. Our goal is to familiarize them with the process and to enable them to make informed choices about classes. We hope to have the scheduling process completed before the final examination period begins. We will also work with students to make any necessary schedule changes when they return in January. Every effort will be made to assist them in charting an academic course that leads to their desired goals. We will help them to select the courses necessary to meet first-year requirements and give them a well-rounded educational experience. However, please help them to understand that there may be instances when they will not be able to register for the exact section or time slot they prefer.
Exploration, Dreaming, and Discernment
You will recall that I stressed, in my Orientation remarks, that students should make a conscious effort to cultivate the disciplines of the mind and heart that facilitate lifelong learning and enable one to discern the subtle vocational urgings of the Divine. Periodic disengagement, silence, contemplation, and serendipity play an important part in this process. Please encourage your sons and daughters find a few moments away from life’s distractions so that they can “center” themselves and consider prayerfully their spring course options.
Furthermore, please invite them to share with you some of their anxieties, hopes, and dreams in the coming weeks. Let them know that you are there to support them in the decision making process. We will do likewise. Together, we can give them the confidence needed to venture forth on the next stage of their journey.
Bringing the Semester to a Close
Each semester of an academic year represents a distinct chapter in a student’s life. The integrity of each term must, therefore, be kept intact. The class sessions, contact hours, and examination periods are carefully planned so as to allow students sufficient opportunity to acquire and synthesize new knowledge.
It is for this reason that we do not honor requests from first-year students to schedule examinations early because of travel plans. We want to ensure that they have every opportunity to benefit from a learning experience that is challenging and rigorous. We also want to allow them the chance for intellectual engagement that is broad, deep, and holistic. This requires the full sweep of a semester.
The last day of final examinations this semester is Friday, 18 December 2009. Please help us to make sure that students have sufficient time to complete their semester’s work well by making travel plans accordingly.
Closing Thoughts
On behalf of the FYS faculty and staff, please accept my thanks for entrusting your sons and daughters to our care. It is a privilege to serve as their mentors. Education is – in every respect – a grace-infused endeavor. It engages the mind, touches the heart, and leaves an indelible imprint on the soul. Those who teach and those who learn are transformed and renewed by it.
Parents, families, staff, and faculty members and are part of an educational ensemble that supports first-year students. May we gain inspiration from the good example of St. Hilarion – hermit, pilgrim, and worker of miracles – and other devotees of Wisdom, as we seek to help our current class of first-year students become the next generation of visionaries, poets, and servant-leaders.
Sincerely,
(The Rev.) Hugh R. Page, Jr., DMin, PhD
Dean, First Year of Studies
Associate Professor of Theology and Africana Studies
