Spring Term Planning Update
Dear Students,
I'm writing to update you on our spring planning process. But before I begin, I
just want to acknowledge what a long and windy road it has taken to get here.
And I want to just appreciate the entire student community's willingness to
accept compromise and do their absolute best to make lemonade out of what, in
many cases, had to feel like lemons.
Believe it or not, it's been a year since we began having conversations about
de-densifying the campus. A year. Though it may have, at times, felt much
longer than that, we really are heading into the final stretch of 20-21, and we
wouldn't be able to say that if it weren't for all of you and your
commitment to your education, to this place, and to one another.
SPRING TERM ENROLLMENT
As most of you know, we reported last summer that spring term demand was the
highest. Only '21s and '24s who had requested spring as their priority term
were approved. As Provost Helble underscored on the Community Conversations
broadcast last week, our commitment, "first and foremost" is to bring back all
seniors and first-year students who want to be here (see
https://news.dartmouth.edu/community-conversations-february-3-2021). And as in
previous terms, we are working with high need and international students with
unique individual or visa circumstances. Given that framework and public health
considerations, we can't at this time offer a campus waitlist process for
members of other classes for whom spring would have been a preferred term.
We will, however, hold out the possibility that we may be able to offer a very
limited waitlist on March 5th for any possible remaining space. As in the fall,
if we are able to do this, it will not be first-come first-served. It will be
by random selection, and it will be on a very tight turnaround. For those of
you who might be interested, please hold on until then, and we will be sure in
March that you have information about how to place yourself on the list. If we
are able to offer a waitlist, that process will be concluded by March 10th.
COURSE ELECTION AND OTHER REGISTRARIAL DEADLINES
The spring term course election period, beginning Wednesday, runs through
Thursday, February 18th. Spring term course offerings posted on Friday. Most
will be offered remotely. We encourage you to talk with your faculty and with
your undergraduate dean about course election considerations. The Undergraduate
Deans Office will be holding extended drop-in hours from February 15th - 18th.
For more information and the link to Zoom in, go to:
https://students.dartmouth.edu/undergraduate-deans/about/student-drop-hours
Thursday the 18th is also the deadline for those of you who intend to graduate
this winter and spring to submit your degree application. Please be sure to get
that in. And for those of you who may be considering changing your enrollment
pattern, remember that the deadline for submitting enrollment pattern change
petitions is March 3rd. Your undergraduate deans can be helpful resources as
you consider your options.
LOOKING AHEAD
As you know from President Hanlon's announcement last week, we will have more
information in late March about the scheduling and details of the in-person
event for graduating students after exams in June. Looking ahead to summer, we
are taking this term by term - as we have all year - following local, regional
and national public health developments. We will have more information about
summer term enrollments and conditions later in April and early May as the
College is better able to anticipate likely public health conditions for July
and August.
SUPPORT RESOURCES AND PROGRAM REMINDERS
Moving into the sixth week of the term, and with the ongoing challenges many of
you are facing, we want to be sure to remind you that campus support resources
and programs are here for you - no matter where you are. Please don't hesitate
to reach out to the Undergraduate Deans Office, the Health Service, Counseling,
the Student Wellness Center and the Tucker Center if you need help. On-call
resources are available through Safety and Security after hours and on
weekends, at 603-646-4000. And as you all know, primary care and counseling
clinicians are available round the clock at 603-646-9440. Finally, I hope that
you're keeping an eye on the campus events listserve daily meetings and
programs notices to find ways to connect.
Good luck going into the rest of the term, and all my best,
Dean Lively