II. Interacting With Students

Academic / Social Calendar

Certainly, you plan and conduct your course with the expectation that students will be present and attentive at all classes. Still, you should be prepared for the impact on students' lives of some social events and academic deadlines (schedules are available from the office of your dean).

Academic Schedule

Add / Drop. In most departments, students may change courses or sections through the University Registrar's Integrated Student Information System (ISIS) either on-line or by telephone during the first two weeks of the semester. You can discover which students are enrolled in your course any time by requesting an automatic e-mail copy of your current class list from uvai@virginia.edu. You need to know the five-digit schedule number of your course and your four-digit instructor number. You may request up to three course rolls at a time, but you must list each course on a separate line. For example:
To: uvai@virginia.edu
Subject: classrolls Message: schedule=12345 instructor=2707
You can also get enrollment information through Instructional Toolkit (http://toolkit.virginia.edu). In any case, you will receive the registrar's "official" class list about four weeks into the semester.
Expect your class to be in a state of flux for as long as two weeks. Combat this confusion, and avoid students' claims of never having heard about an assignment, by distributing the syllabus and course requirements to all students who enter your class during this period. Even if this material is on your course web site, students will understand and remember it better if you discuss it with them. Also, consider asking new students to stay a few minutes late one day at the close of the add/drop period so you can review requirements. Later in the semester compare your new class rosters with the names of students attending, and alert students to any problems.

Deadlines. Know semester deadlines for administrative procedures such as students' changing the grading option from graded to credit/no credit or vice versa and their dropping and withdrawing from a course. Remember that students follow the rules of their home College or School, not yours. For example, your Engineering (SEAS) student may have deadlines different from those of your College of Arts and Sciences (CLAS) students. (For policy web sites, see Appendix II.) Although students are expected to know these rules, they don't always remember the details; if you do, you won't endorse a student's petition against faculty rules. (For details about some CLAS rules, see Appendix IV.)

Advising and pre-registration. The advising and preregistration period occurs within the last three weeks of each semester. Students quite rightly perceive advising to be an essential part of teaching; know how to answer questions about the next course in a sequence, the "best" teachers, or their optimal course choices (see "Professionalism"). Because even unofficial advising can be time-consuming, you may want to avoid having lengthy papers or tests to grade at this time.

Orientation. Students accepted to the University of Virginia attend a Summer Orientation for two days and one night prior to their arrival in late August, and then attend a multi-day Fall Orientation. During the Summer Program, students and their parents learn about the academic and social life at the University. Students are able to receive academic advising, enroll in fall courses, familiarize themselves with Grounds, and learn what it means to be a member of the University community while also taking care of many details like getting a student ID card and e-mail account established. There is an optional Parents' Orientation program that includes information about intellectual life at the University, student life issues, and parenting a University student. After completing Summer Orientation, students return in the fall with a greater sense of confidence and familiarity with life at the University of Virginia.
During the Fall Orientation program, students are able to meet with faculty members and attend academic sessions that will prepare them for life in the classroom. There is a University-wide lecture presented by a distinguished faculty member, and students interact with their faculty advisers and other members of the faculty from their respective schools during a number of formal and informal sessions. There are also numerous opportunities for students to meet classmates. The entire first year is filled with events that help students become acclimated to life at the University, and the Summer and Fall Orientation programs help to begin that process.

Final exams and grades. The scheduled day and time for your course exams appear in the registrar's Course Offering Directory. Do not change the official exam period; include the exam day, time, and place on your syllabus, announcing that students must plan to depart after the exams. In most schools, exam times for individual students cannot be changed without good reason and the academic dean's approval. Final grades are due at the registrar's office within 48 hours after your exam ends. For details about giving grades of incomplete (IN) or withdrawal (W), consult the Undergraduate Record (see Appendix II for policy web sites).

Slumps. While certainly not official academic periods, seemingly cyclical and predictable slumps deplete some students' energy levels: for example, we tend to see more lively and industrious students in September than in January. Thus a successful firstsemester activity may need spice to elicit the same excitement in the second semester. Similarly, long rainy spells or wintry weather during "official spring" can dampen students' enthusiasm, and some fourth-year students seem to slump with "senioritis" during the entire school year. While you cannot always prevent such declines in energy and may feel them yourself, consider that they-and not your teaching-might be producing a suddenly droopy class.

I ask my students to open their minds, believe that they are capable of not
just solving physics problems, but of developingthe skills to face any challenge presented to them in life. Iencourage them to set high standards for themselves, to reach goals beyond their furthest expectations. I advocate that it isn't super-intelligence that one requires, but the willingness to train one's mind to think effectively.

—Supriya Jaiswal, Physics

Social Events

The social aspects of an undergraduate's personal development during college should not be denied; as an instructor, however, you must uphold the rigor of your course and maintain your announced policies. Be aware of major U.Va. social events sponsored by Greek and non-Greek student organizations. Rush, pledging, and Foxfield are explained below. Remember that social development is no excuse for inadequate academic performance. Students who choose to place their social lives above their academic progress must live with the consequences of that choice.

Fraternities and sororities. During the first month of the spring semester, fraternities and sororities hold parties almost every night for a period of three weeks. During this "rush" period, individual students decide whether to join a specific fraternity or sorority, and the Greek organizations select new members. A highly stressful, time-consuming period for many students, rush seems to some more important than academic pursuits.
Following rush, students who have received and accepted bids (invitations) to join a Greek organization become "pledges." Pledging activities serve as initiation rites, in which these students often perform a variety of activities at all hours of the day and night. Like rush parties, pledging can leave students too exhausted to concentrate and sometimes renders them physically unable to attend class. Although it may be tempting to take pity on students who have missed class "through no fault of their own," let such students know that they face the same consequences as any student who misses a test, deadline, or a class meeting when attendance counts towards the grade. If you have problems because of pledging, call the Inter-Fraternity Council (243-2396) or the Inter-Sorority Council (924-3056) for the name of the appropriate faculty advisor.

Foxfield. The Foxfield horse races form an important part of many undergraduates' social calendars, as they generally require extensive planning and shopping for formal attire and tail-gate party provisions. Foxfield occurs the last Sunday in September and the last Saturday in April.

Throughout the year, planned and unplanned student-oriented events take place: a popular student may be in a fatal car crash, or students may picket the Rotunda for a cause. Because some students respond passionately to such occurrences, you should be aware of them and sensitive to students' feelings about them. Besides, prominent issues make great lecture examples or discussion lead-ins. To keep abreast of what's happening, consult The Cavalier Daily (on the web at http://www.cavalierdaily.com/).