Generations - March2022
Midterm Grades & Advising
Every semester, UArts undergraduate students receive midterm grades. This spring semester, midterm grades will be available beginning March 14, and all midterm grades must be submitted by faculty by March 20. Midterm grades are visible to students immediately upon being entered, so your student may not see all their midterm grades posted on the same day. To access their midterm grades, students log in to Student Self Service with their portal username and password and click Grades.
Midterm grades do not factor into a student’s term or cumulative GPA. But midterm grades do help students determine their progress in their courses. Each course syllabus includes a clear description of how the midterm and final grades will be determined. Midterm grades are based on completed and graded assignments, tests, papers or projects that comprise 30 to 50% of the final course grade. Student participation might also be graded at midterm. If your student has any questions about their midterm grades, they should contact their instructors.
Academic advising for the fall 2022 semester begins March 28. Your student will be contacted by their academic advisor and department prior to advising and registration. Each student is assigned an academic advisor from the Advising Center and a faculty advisor from their program. Advisors work together to guide and support their students in course selection and staying on track for graduation. If your student has questions about registration, they should contact the Advising Center at advising@uarts.edu or their academic advisor.
Name Update: Parent & Family Council
Dear Parents and Family Members,
Thank you for your continued support of our students and for your collaboration with our university. It is our goal, in the office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, to support our students’ cultural understanding, sensitivity and awareness at UArts and prepare them for complex societal challenges beyond graduation. With this in mind, members of the Parent Council, in collaboration with university leadership, have determined that the council should revise its name to the Parent and Family Council. The change to include “family” supports UArts’ intentional focus of inclusion and aligns with our core value of Integrity and Diversity, ensuring that we’re providing a space for all members of the community. I thank the volunteer leaders of the council for making this shift to include a broader definition of guardianship. Through these efforts, the council hopes to add diverse voices to the conversation to further support UArts students and families. To learn more about the Parent and Family Council, visit uarts.edu/parent-family-council.
With appreciation,
Stephen Cirino
Interim Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Internships & Summer Jobs
Is your student thinking of doing an internship or finding a job this summer? Career Services can help!
Internships
Summer is a popular time for students to participate in academic internships. Internships give them a chance to earn credit while they apply what they’ve been learning in the classroom or studio in a real-world environment, either in person or remotely. Interns continue to learn and grow under the supervision of an expert in their field.
Any student who would like to engage in a summer internship should start the planning process now. Career Services can assist with every stage of the process, from researching potential internships to writing professional résumés and correspondence, to preparing for interviews. Learn more about our internship program and view a sampling of past internship sites.
Summer Jobs
Many students choose to pursue summer jobs in order to earn money, as well as to acquire valuable professional skills such as time management, organization, customer service, teamwork and collaboration. Career Services posts listings for summer jobs in our online database, UArtsCareers.
Whether they are pursuing a summer internship or a job, we encourage students to meet with Career Services individually to obtain personalized guidance and assistance with the search process. It is ideal to start meeting with us as soon as possible to explore summer opportunities. Our staff will be available throughout the spring semester and into the summer. Students can schedule an appointment at uarts.edu/careerappointment.
Helping Your Student Respond to Conflict
Conflict is a normal and often unavoidable part of life, particularly when adjusting to new environments and new people. During their time at UArts, your student might reach out to you for support as they encounter conflicts with roommates, classmates or instructors. All of us have been challenged to manage conflicts in our lives, yet navigating conflict can be difficult and uncomfortable—especially for students who have not had much experience resolving on their own.
There are many ways to approach conflict, and learning the art of skillfully navigating it takes practice. UArts has staff members on campus who are trained to assist your student in navigating conflict. If your student lives on campus, a resident assistant (RA) or area coordinator can offer guidance and support throughout roommate conflicts. In addition, the office of Campus Life is a great resource for any student seeking support. Our community standards coordinator, on-call staff and others in the office can help individuals better understand conflict styles and offer one-on-one conflict coaching, mediation or facilitated dialogues. Additionally, our Counseling Center can serve as a confidential space for students to process their concerns and plans for conflict resolution.
As your student’s support person, they may reach out to you regarding conflict. Here is a list of tips to help you assist your student through challenging situations.
1. Listen and be supportive.
Your student is experiencing a lot of change and new things. Often, they just need a safe space to process all that is happening in their lives. Ask your student if they want you to listen or to give advice. Sometimes, they just want someone to listen.
2. Encourage self-efficacy.
As a parent/support person, it can be tough to step back while your student is struggling with something or someone. However, through conflict, students can learn important skills and develop confidence in their own abilities to navigate challenges in their lives. Allowing them to develop and practice conflict resolution skills will help them manage future situations in college and in the workplace effectively.
3. De-escalate the situation.
If your student is upset, it can be tempting to take on their emotional energy and meet them where they are. However, that can escalate situations, which prevents students from being resolution-oriented. Try to take a step back and stay calm while exploring the source of the conflict alongside your student. It can help to remain distant enough from the situation to help your student see a bigger picture.
4. Brainstorm possible resolutions.
Help your student think through possible ways to address the conflict and decide on a plan of action. Avoid telling them what to do; instead, ask questions that help them formulate a plan for themselves. For example, ask your student, “How are you going to talk to your roommate about that situation?”
By supporting them through conflict while allowing them to navigate it for themselves, you set them up for ongoing success at UArts, in their future career and throughout their life.
UArts Alerts & Campus Crisis Response
In any setting, a crisis requires quick thinking and a coordinated, efficient response. At University of the Arts, we might be presented with a number of such challenges, including the impact of major stressors, such as the loss of friends or family members or the loss of a UArts community member; disruptive behavior in classrooms, residence halls and other parts of the university community; facilities- or weather-related emergencies; and other crises. The university’s Crisis Management Team leads the response to all campus crises and is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to support students.
We recognize that when a student in the UArts community is facing a crisis, the larger university community might be affected. Our response protocols are critical to enhancing coordinated efforts that protect the safety and well-being of the student in crisis and each member of the campus community. The primary goals of our crisis response are to provide support to students, insure their safety, address system-wide issues and work to prevent similar crises in the future.
University staff members who respond to crises recognize that students have a right to privacy and that, in some instances, they might not wish to have information shared with others. At the same time, there are situations in which it is necessary and legally permissible for our crisis responders to release information. As confidentiality regulations permit, e we respond to the student’s parents, legal guardians and/or significant others. For example, information may be disclosed to the appropriate individuals in connection with an emergency when the knowledge of such information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other community members.
In addition to our Crisis Management Team, we have a team of staff that are on call 24/7 to respond to incidents. This team includes an administrator on call (a senior-level administrator), a professional on duty (a professional staff member who lives on campus and responds physically to campus crises), a counselor on call (a staff therapist from our Counseling Center), and the Public Safety team.
As a parent and family member of a UArts student, we encourage you to talk with your student about the campus resources highlighted in the Generations newsletter each month, city and campus safety, safe social and online behaviors, and healthy relationships. You are also encouraged to sign up for UArts alerts. The UArts alerts system sends notifications via email, SMS text message and on the portal homepage about emergency situations at the university, including closings. Students can sign up additional phone numbers and emails to receive our alerts. Details on how to sign up for UArts Alerts are included below.
How to sign up for UArts alerts
Have your student log in to the UArts portal with their UArts username and password and access the link for Emergency Alerts in the left-hand menu.
Your student will automatically be signed into the UArts alerts system and directed to the site to register phone number(s) and additional email addresses. When adding phone numbers, they will need to check text to receive text messaging. Your student should save their edits when they’re complete.
If your student has any issues accessing the UArts alerts system, contact the HelpDesk at 215-717-6677 or helpdesk@uarts.edu.