TO ALL SOA STUDENTS:

A REMINDER THAT THE LAST DAY TO ENROLL / WAIVE HEALTH COVERAGE FOR 2007-2008 IS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28.

To enroll or waive health coverage, visit the following web site:

http://www.health.columbia.edu

and hit the link entitled "Confirm Insurance Selection, Upgrade Coverage, or Request A Waiver Student Med "

NOTE:  IF YOU DO NOTHING, YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE ENROLLED IN BASIC COVERAGE. Read on… (more…)

A reminder to 1st & 2nd year SoA students that today, Friday, September 14, is the last day to add a class to your Fall 2007 schedule.

Please take a moment to ensure that you are registered for at least 12 credits by checking Student Services Online.

If you have no registration appointments left, you must bring a completed add/drop form to either 305 Dodge or to the Student Service Center in 205 Kent Hall in order to register. Add/Drop forms can be found in 305 Dodge or online here.

Remember that you have until Thursday, November 15 to DROP classes. Please remember that if you do decide to drop a class, your point total for the semester must continue to total 12 credits or more.

To All School of the Arts Students:

A reminder of some important upcoming dates:

1.      THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2007:  Payment for  Fall 2007 semester tuition and fees is due.  In order to avoid late fees, payment must be received by 5:00 p.m.   For payment options, click here.

2.      FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2007:  Last day to Add a Course.  You may add a course on line via Student Services On Line during your appointed registration days and times.  After Friday, you will need to submit an "Add/Drop Form" signed by your faculty member to either Toni Scott or  me in 305 Dodge.  Add/Drop Forms are available in 305 Dodge, or on line here.

Reminder to 1st & 2nd year students:  YOU MUST BE REGISTERED FOR AT LEAST 12 CREDITS.  Please verify your schedule using Student Services Online ASAP.

Reminder to Research Arts students: Please verify that you are registered in Research Arts using Student Services Online.  If you’re registered, you’ll see a "course listed that looks something like:  "RSRH – School of the Arts."   If you don’t see this, make sure that you don’t have any holds that would prevent your registration.  If you don’t, then contact me. 

3.      FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2007:  Last day to submit an Enrollment/Waiver form for Health Insurance.  The form can be found here. Enrollment in the basic plan is automatic.  If you wish to enroll in the comprehensive plan or do not have an insurance card, you must submit an online form by September 28.  You cannot change your enrollment level past this date.


4.      WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3. 2007:     No official deadline here, just a friendly reminder to verify that (1) your Fall 2007 registration is correct  and (b) all of your grades have been correctly posted for Spring 2007 (& previous semesters, if any) by paying a visit to Student Services On Line.

5.      THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2007:   Last day to Drop a Course.  Last Day to Exercise Pass/Fail Option (note:  All SoA graduate courses are automatically Pass/Fail)

Welcome (back) everyone!

Dave

To All Second-Year SoA Students:

First of all:   I hope you had a fantastic break.  Welcome back!

Now for some business: This is a fairly long posting, so please take a minute or two to read it and save yourself from some angst later on.

1.    A reminder that registration for 1st and 2nd year students takes place from TUESDAY, AUGUST 28 -  THURSDAY, AUGUST 30.   Note that you must be registered for at least 12 points to qualify as a full-time student.   This means that if you are registered for FEWER than 12 credits, your insurance, your loans, and your access to campus facilities will be non-existent , and your bill will be incorrect by around $10,000 because the system will be "reading" you as part-time (NOTE: This does not apply to those teaching in the Undergraduate Writing Program or those in "Research Arts" status, although both categories require registration that should be verified by those students).   

Note: Some of you may have already registered during the pre-registration period last April.  Please make sure to double-check your existing registration on line to make sure it is accurate. PLEASE READ ON… (more…)

The TuitionPay Payment Plan, administered by Sallie Mae, enables students and their families to pay tuition and fees billed through the University over several months, rather than in one payment.  The payment plan is not a loan.  While there is an application fee, there are no interest charges or credit checks. 

For more information, read on… (more…)

To All Potential October 2007 Graduates:
(If you are not planning to graduate in October, you may stop reading).

First off:  Premature congratulations to each of you.

The posting appearing below this one contains a very important FAQ list that contains useful information on most issues surrounding October graduation.  Please take a moment and read it thoroughly so that you’re not left out.

The three most critical issues are:

1.      The official date of October graduation is October 17, 2007.

2.      If you have even the slightest thought that you may be graduating in October, you MUST complete a graduation application and get it to me by August 15, 2007.  Forms can be found here and can be mailed to me (ASAP) at the following address:   Dave Beeman / Columbia University School of the Arts / 305 Dodge Hall, MC 1803 / 2960 Broadway / New York, NY  10027.   You may also fax it to (212) 854-1309 if you prefer.  If you’re on campus, you can drop them by my office in 305 Dodge, as well.   Again, I must have them by Wednesday, August 15.

3.      Be aware that your Columbia (Chickering) Health Insurance Coverage will terminate on August 31, 2007 (yes, that’s the end of this month).  For more information (you guessed it), please see the previous posting detailing October graduation FAQs.

In any event, I hope all is well. 

Dave Beeman

To All Potential October 2007 Graduates:

Congratulations!  You are (hopefully) soon to be a graduate of the School of the Arts, Columbia University in the City of New York.  I thought you might have some questions about what it means to be an alum, so I’ve put together the following FAQs and their respective answers: (more…)

Pssst.  Here’s a secret:  Columbia can occasionally seem big and decentralized.  Getting an answer to your question should not be hassle, right?  While we at the Daily Dish do our best to provide you with all of the information you need, some things may not yet be covered. While we hope you’ll contact us regarding these questions and/or suggested topics for this site, here’s another secret:  Did you know that the Columbia Office of Student Services has created an online question and answer resource to help students navigate everything from registration, health services & insurance and billing to Commencement information?

It’s called "Ask Us," and it can be found at http://askus.columbia.edu.   Chances are, if you’ve thought of a question, there have been others who have asked it before you, and Ask Us posts these answers in a searchable format.  In addition, if the question has not been answered, you may  e-mail them and they will either answer your question or point you in the right direction.  Pretty nifty, right?  Don’t forget to search the Daily Dish pages first, though, using the search feature on the upper left-hand side of this screen.  These pages are obviously geared toward SoA MFA students.  Remember that you’re always free to contact us, too. We like hearing from you.

While we hope that you’ll continue to use yours truly as a primary source of SoA-specific information, it’s good to know that another resource exists in the event we’ve left something uncovered.