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Questions and Answers
General Focus
Faculty Focus
Student Focus
International Student Focus
General Focus
Faculty Focus
| Q: | How should I handle requests from student athletes to miss course assignments, reschedule exams, and so on? |
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In June 2006, the Academic Senate approved Guidelines Concerning Scheduling Conflicts Between Academic and Other Student Obligations. A PDF file of the Guidelines can be downloaded at:
Guidelines Concerning Scheduling Conflicts Between Academic and Other Student Obligations
Based upon these guidelines, most faculty members attempt to accommodate student athletes in their
requests to represent the university at away games for their respective sports, provided the student
athlete communicates a potential conflict in advance of any off-site competition and makes up the
missed work. The ASC, a unit under the supervision of
the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, advises student athletes to communicate with their
instructors about any potential conflict at the beginning of the semester. This generally involves
providing the faculty member, in the first week or two of the semester, with a game schedule for the
entire season, and noting any possible conflicts. Students are also asked to remind faculty the week
prior to any discussed conflict. There are various possibilities for accommodation, including allowing
students to attend another section of the same course, allowing them to hand in coursework or take an
exam in advance, during or after the period of travel, having the ASC coordinate proctoring the exam
while the student is on the road, and so on. If you have questions regarding any such requests by
student athletes enrolled in your courses, please do not hesitate to contact the Director of the
Athletic Study Center,
Derek Van Rheenen, Ph.D. at 642-0605 or dvr@berkeley.edu.
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| Q: | A student athlete in my class has a lot of away games. How should I deal with their attendance pattern?
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Intercollegiate athletic competition does occasionally conflict with class attendance,
although National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletic
policies on missed class attempts to keep these conflicts to a minimum (Please see U.C. Berkeley's
Guidelines Concerning Scheduling Conflicts Between Academic and Other Student Obligations).
If a student athlete's schedule necessitates periods of absence, it is the responsibility of the
student athlete to communicate any potential conflict with course requirements well in advance of
such a conflict. However, if the student athlete's participation and performance in a course is
greatly undermined by their athletic schedule, you should advise them early on that their academic
performance may be negatively affected. It is also possible that you and the student athlete can
reach a mutually satisfactory accommodation on the issue of class attendance.
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| Q: | The semester is more than halfway over and one my students just found out that their team has been advanced to the finals. This will require them to travel (and miss class) more than they originally anticipated. What do I do?
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If a student athlete has provided the faculty member with a game schedule at the beginning of the
semester, highlighting any potential conflicts with class meetings and assignments, you should
already have had advance warning of possible post-season play. While the time of post-season play
is known in advance, the location of the competition will depend on tournament brackets, seedings
and bowl invitations, etc. There are several possibilities available for accommodating the student
athlete while insuring that they complete the course requirements to the faculty's satisfaction.
Possible accommodations include having the student athlete attend an earlier section of the same course,
allowing them to hand in coursework or take an exam in advance, during or after the period of
travel, etc. If you have questions regarding any such requests by student athletes enrolled in
your courses, please contact the Director of the Athletic Study Center,
Derek Van Rheenen, Ph.D. at 642-0605 or dvr@berkeley.edu.
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Student Focus, General
| Q: | Are there any less rigorous courses in the biological and physical sciences that most athletes choose to take to fullfill L&S requirements. Please list any that you know of. |
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We, at the Athletic Study Center, advise student athletes from a wide range of majors including many from both the biological and physical science fields.
Berkeley offers hundreds of courses which satisfy the L&S breadth requirements you mentioned.
We advise our students based upon course content rather than rigor.
Student athletes are encouraged to take classes in which they are most interested and that best fit their demanding time schedules.
They enroll in the same courses that all students at Berkeley take.
Please refer to the Earning Your Degree booklet for a complete list of courses that satisfy the aforementioned breadth requirements (pages 43-46, http://ls-advise.berkeley.edu) and the General Catalog for course descriptions/prerequisites (http://www.berkeley.edu/catalog/).
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Student Focus, International
| Q: | Do international students need to satisfy the University's American History & Institutions requirement? |
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| | The AH&I requirements will be waived if you have at least 90 1/2 semester units (senior status) and hold both a current, non-immigrant visa (F is the most common) and an 1-94 departure record. You should present your visa and 1-94 record to the Office of the Registrar, 120 Sproul Hall, before the semester is which you will graduate. |
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| Q: | If I am an international student, have I already satisfied the foreign language requirement prior to coming to Berkeley? |
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| | An International student can fulfill the FL requirement prior to coming to Berkeley by taking the equivalent of three years of a foreign language other than the one she/he speaks. For example, if a student from France took three years of English she/he would satisfy the FL requirement (as long as the school used French as the language of instruction). I have to add that last part because there are many American schools in foreign countries that use English as the language of instruction. If your high school curriculum was taught in English, you must pass the foreign language proficiency exam offered by some departments at Berkeley. |
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| Q: | What do I need to do upon my arrival on campus if I am an international student? |
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| | If you are a new international student, you are required to present your passport, I-94, and visa documents (I-20 or IAP-66) to the Services for International Students and Scholars office, International House, 2299 Piedmont Avenue. You should visit the SISS office as soon as you arrive on campus to obtain a check-in schedule as well as additional information about the new international student orientation and other programs. For more information, call 510-642-2818. You can also contact them by email at: siss@berkeley.edu |
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