To: Faculty, Department Chairs, and Department Secretaries

To: Faculty, Department Chairs, and Department Secretaries From: Dr. Jeffery Osgood, Vice Provost RE: Fall Semester Reminders and Important Links Welcome back! Here’s wishing you a great start to the Fall 2016 semester! Below you’ll find a list of important dates and policies, syllabus-building tips, a CIM refresher (for those interested in submitting a CAPC proposal this semester), and other important information.

Important Information for Syllabus Creation The information below may be found anytime by visiting the Vice Provost’s website.  Policy on Required Course Information, Evaluations, and Course Syllabi  Syllabus Checklist: Information required by every course syllabus, including graduate course syllabi, gen ed course syllabi, and distance ed syllabi

The following documents were created by CAPC to assist faculty in complying with the above referenced policy. The Office of the Provost, WCU-APSCUF, and CAPC would like to offer the following tips to provide faculty seamless ways of distributing the required syllabus statements: 1) simply attach/staple the appropriate syllabus template document to your existing syllabus; and/or, for electronic distribution on D2L, 2) place a reference in the syllabus directing students to a separate file containing the required syllabus statements posted in the same digital space as the syllabus.  Syllabus Template (Undergraduate)  Syllabus Template (Graduate)

Important Fall Dates

Fall semester begins...... Monday, August 29 Labor Day...... Monday, September 5 (WCU will be closed) Add/Drop period...... Monday, August 29 – Tuesday September 6 Course withdrawal period...... Wednesday, September 7 – Friday, October 28 Enrollment snapshot...... Monday, September 19 (Please review class rosters and confirm that all students are registered prior to this date.) ARP deadline for students on academic probation...... Friday, September 23 (This pertains to undergrads only) Fall Break...... Monday, October 10 – Tuesday, October 11 (No classes will be held on these two days.) No Grade (NG) completion deadline...... Friday, October 28 Audit request deadline...... Friday, October 28 Pass/Fail request deadline...... Friday, October 28 End of term withdrawal period...... Monday, December 5 Last class day...... Monday, December 12 Final exams...... Tuesday, December 13 – Saturday, December 17 Undergraduate Commencement...... Sunday, December 18 Graduate Commencement...... Saturday, December 17 Important Syllabus Notes  The Emergency Communication Committee has recommended that the emergency phone number for WCU's Department of Public Safety – (610) 436-3311 – be listed on all course syllabi. This specific recommendation is made to help the campus be prepared in case of an emergency situation.  Please include the Excused Absence Policy for University Sanctioned Events on undergraduate syllabi. Policy Notes and Important Information  All academic policies can be found in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs or on the CAPC Policies page.  Award Z grades to students who stop attending classes but do not drop or withdraw during the semester. This information is important to the Financial Aid Office, so they maintain compliance with the U.S. Government Policy for awarded aid.  When posting student information, use a system to identify students other than their social security number or WCU ID number.  ONLY courses with the SPK prefix fulfill the general education public speaking requirement. For native students, only SPK208 or 230 are approved general education courses. For Transfer students, SPK199 satisfies this requirement.  WRT100 recorded as transfer credit indicates that the WRT120 requirement has been met. The student can schedule any one of the WRT200 series to complete the composition general education requirement.  Transfer students must earn 60 credits at WCU in order to qualify for honors at graduation.  Transfer credits that were taken Pass/Fail are noted on students’ records as TP. This designation will indicate that the course must be retaken for a grade if required.  Students must complete MAT1XX, WRT120, and WRT2XX by the time they have earned 60 credits. Transfer students entering with 60 or more credits should be urged to complete these requirements during their first semester at WCU. Student Advocate for ADA Accommodations In an effort to assist students who either receive or may believe they are entitled to receive accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the University has appointed a student advocate to be a contact for students who have questions regarding the provision of their accommodations or their right to accommodations. The advocate will assist any students who may have questions regarding these rights.

Ms. Lynn M. Klingensmith, Director of Social Equity/Title IX Coordinator, has been designated in this role. Any students who may need assistance with their rights to accommodations should contact her at [email protected].

Textbook Tips for Students and Faculty

The cost of textbooks may deter some students from purchasing them, which can hinder their academic success. As such, the Division of Student Affairs Multicultural Student Success Committee has compiled a list of affordable textbook purchasing options to encourage students to buy their required readings in a timely manner: www.wcupa.edu/TextBookTipsforStudents. Faculty members are encouraged to share this information with their students at the beginning of each semester through their syllabi, email, or other communication methods. Library Reserves Copyright law, including Fair Use, allows (within limits) faculty to place works on reserve in the library: http://subjectguides.wcupa.edu/faculty.

The Library does not automatically purchase copies of textbooks, and Library policy is not to purchase multiple copies of textbooks. However, faculty can put copies of textbooks and other materials on reserve at the Reserve Desk and at the Instructional Media Center in the FHG Library and in the Presser Music Library, http://www.wcupa.edu/library.fhg/reserves.asp. Faculty can also place materials on Electronic Reserves through the Reserve Desk, http://www.wcupa.edu/library.fhg/reserves.asp.

Links to Articles, Books, Sound Recordings, and Videos Faculty can put links for books, articles, videos, sound recordings, etc. licensed by the WCU Library in their syllabi or on D2L using permanent URLs: http://subjectguides.wcupa.edu/faculty/links.

Faculty can create their own open access textbooks and course packets. See Peter Suber, Director of the Harvard Office for Scholarly Communication and Research Professor of Philosophy at Earlham College. (Very Brief Introduction to Open Access, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/brief.htm, and Open Access, The Book, MIT Press, 2012, bit.ly/oa-book.)

Submitting CAPC Proposals with CIM

Training guides and videos, as well as links to:  CIM-Course,  CIM-Policies, and  CIM-Programs can be found on the CAPC – Proposals page: http://www.wcupa.edu/viceProvost/capc/proposals.aspx Academic Calendar Notes  The 2016-2018 Academic Calendar is available on the Registrar’s Office website. I hope you find this information useful as you prepare for another successful academic year.