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Handbook Appendices Forms Theatre Scholarships For Theatre Majors, Minors, and Intendeds University Theatre Handbook Table of Contents Theatre Home

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

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