PART
TWO C.
For Theatre Majors and Minors or Those
Who Intend To Be •
C.1 PROCEDURES Many
of these policies are addressed in your undergraduate
catalog, but are described here as reminders. Timely
attention will save you grief.
C.1.a
Advising The
university imagines you as being in one of three states of existence: pre-major,
intended major, or declared major. It is important
to you to keep institutional records current on which of the three states you
inhabit, because it greatly influences your relationship with your advisor.
Also, if you accumulate 120 credits without declaring a major the Student
Academic Services computer may not let you register until you do.
Keeping current is also important to academic departments because, sensible
or not, the number of intended majors and declared majors enrolled in a discipline
is used as an indicator of the department’s viability, with all which that
implies. Upon
admission to the university you were assigned a faculty advisor, most likely your
USEM (University Seminar),
who may or may not be appointed to the Theatre
Faculty. These are pre-major advisors.
If you are an intended major or minor or a declared major or
minor in Theatre it is highly important that you eventually change your advisor
to a faculty member in the theatre department
.
Changing
advisors is a simple process, and may be done at any time through the Banner Information System. Even
if you have not yet fully decided to apply for a Theatre degree, but are strongly
inclined to do so, you need an advisor from the Theatre Department.
If
you have not declared a major, you will be required to have your advisor remove an advising hold on your registration for each quarter. Unfortunately, after
declaring a major, which removes this requirement, many students
no longer even consult with their advisor until it becomes time to complete the
degree check sheet for graduation. This can be more
than unfortunate. Please
make arrangements with your advisor to track your progress in order to avoid senior-year surprises.
Working
with your advisor extends far beyond course selection. Your
Theatre advisor can counsel you on other fundamental concerns related to the pursuit
of your degree, such as: 1)
perceptions related to your development as an artist, 2)
evaluate your academic accomplishments and ways to either
capitalize on or alter them, 3)
assess your accomplishments and contributions to the production
program, and seek guidance on your future needs and career goals. Consultations
can be either formal—set by appointment in a faculty office—or
just happen over a cup of coffee. You’ll
find your Theatre
Faculty to be unusually approachable. This fact
may well rise from the ensemble nature of our program. We
work closely with you as fellow creators in our production program. And
most studio courses are deliberately toned in such a way as to make the risking
of yourself in artistic expression less personally threatening.
Care needs to be taken, however, by both faculty members and students,
to keep relationships not only open, friendly, creative, but primarily
professional. The best way to do so is through
love and concern for the other person, and the willingness to graciously approach
each other with our hurts. Don’t cover hurts
and let them fester. They will stifle your development
as a person, a student, and an artist.
You
may, on occasion, feel the need for mature advice, or just a friendly ear, on
issues in your life which are quite apart from your academic progress.
Your advisor may be a person to approach, if you feel comfortable.
This is altogether appropriate. But be aware
that professional concerns for your well-being may lead her or him to recommend
other forms of psychological or spiritual consultation.
Next
Section: C1b:
Declaring a Major or Minor |