Hello Geology Majors,
I hope this message finds you happy, healthy, and well. I have heard there have been a and will be a lot of exams this past week and the rest of this week. I hope these exams are going well for you. Priority Registration for the Fall 2022 semester wraps up this week, which means that open enrollment for the Fall 2022 semester is about to start. Friday, April 15th is also the deadline to withdraw from a course for the spring semester, which means that there is only 25% of the Spring 2022 semester left.
Withdrawing from a course at this point of the semester is a big decision since you have put so much time into your courses this semester. Withdrawing from a course is almost always a better decision that continuing with a course if you know that you are going to achieve a failing grade. I would also encourage you to discuss your progress in a course with the course instructor before you decide to withdraw from a course. Withdrawing from a course at this point in the semester will result in a grade of W being placed on your transcript for the course, but this grade of W will not impact your semester or cumulative GPA. One withdraw on a transcript is normally not a big deal, but withdrawing a one or more courses each semester could be a problem for you in the long term.
At this point of the spring semester, withdrawing from a course is the same thing as dropping a course through MyRed or the Enrollment Scheduler. The Office of the University Registrar explains how to drop / withdraw from a course at https://registrar.unl.edu/student/registration/tutorials/#drop. I would be happy to discuss withdrawing from a course with you, and I still have a lot of appointment availability before the end of the day on Friday, April 15th.
While withdrawing from a course won't impact your GPA, it can impact your eligibility for financial aid and/or scholarships during future semesters. The Husker Hub can explain the potential impact of withdrawing from a course on your financial and/or scholarship eligibility. The Husker Hub is open for in-person meetings with staff and specialists from 8 am to 5 pm every weekday in 102 Canfield Administration Building, and they take virtual walk-in meetings every weekday from 8:30 am to 4:45 pm. You can find more information about the Husker Hub and the sign in page for a virtual walk-in at https://huskerhub.unl.edu/.
One more reminder this week: This fall, the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences is planning to offer the following Geology courses beyond the usual GEOL 101 and other Geology 100-level courses meant to fulfill general education requirements like ACE 4:
GEOL 200: Minerology (Major Core Course)
GEOL 300: Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (Major Core Course)
GEOL 308: Biogeography (Major Elective Course)
GEOL 361: Soils, Environment, and Water Quality (Major Elective Course - lots of prerequisites outside of the Geology major)
GEOL 372: Earth and Water Connections (Major Elective Course)
GEOL 400: Structural Geology (ACE 10, Major Core Course)
GEOL 412: Volcanology and Igneous Petrology (Major Elective Course)
GEOL 424: Biogeochemical Cycles (Major Elective Course)
GEOL 445: Advanced Geophysics (Major Elective Course)
GEOL 491: Special Topics in Geology (Computational Methods for Modeling Earth Systems) - See Dr. Elkins or Dr. Haacker for more information! (Major Elective Course)
Please don't hesitate to schedule a meeting with me if any questions about classes for the Summer 2022 and Fall 2022 semesters. Remember, advising-related holds on your registration for future semesters can normally NOT be lifted without a meeting, so please plan ahead.
Best wishes, Doug
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CAPS Undergraduate BIPOC Therapy Group Available
Counseling and Psychological Services has a Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Therapy group that currently meets on Wednesdays from 3:00-4:30pm on Zoom. This group is designed for undergraduate students of color to offer and receive support from peers as they develop self-awareness and insight on issues such as academics, imposter syndrome, micro-aggressions, isolation, loneliness, adjustment to college, and more. Since this is classified as a therapy group, each group member needs to be an official patient at CAPS, which consists of having an open file and having completed an Initial Evaluation appointment. At the initial evaluation appointment, students can share with the clinician that they are interested in the Undergrad BIPOC group, and the clinician can connect interested students with therapy group facilitators, Falesa and Derrick. The CAPS phone number is 402-472-7450.