By . Published on December 20, 2022

December 18, 2022

Greetings, Colleagues,

First, announcements. Darby Ray from the Harward Center wrote with the Center’s final blog post of 2022.  We direct your attention to a recent article from Bates News, in which members of the Department of Politics at Bates offer their expert takes on this year’s midterm election results.  We hope you find them as insightful as we do.

The Student Employment Office has a couple of important reminders regarding student positions for the current and coming semester.  This year, student positions were set up without any end dates.  So, if a student will be continuing to work the same position during the Winter semester, nothing needs to be done… 

If a student will not be continuing to work in that position next semester – a “Terminate a Position” action must be submitted.  The new Student Personnel Action Forms platform has caused a slight change in the way we handle job terminations at the end of the year due to the entries made for the 2023 pay rate effective January 1, 2023. 

Student positions ending in December:

Option 1:  Send us the name(s) of the student(s) and we’ll remove the 1/1/23 pay rate entry to allow completion of the form

Option 2:  Enter 01/01/2023 as the effective date   [NOTE:  this is a one-time exception to the rule!]

Terminating positions AFTER Jan. 1, 2023 —  The Effective date must be the last day of the pay period in which the student worked/will work. 

Please reference the hyperlink to access the Student Payroll calendar to ensure you use the correct pay period date.

Megan McHenry from the Registrar’s Office wrote with a reminder that grades for fall 2022 are due Thursday, December 29 at 11:59 pm Bates time.  They’ll be made available for student viewing on Friday, December 30. 

Lots of processes rely on timely grading, including calculating academic standing, satisfactory progress, and Dean’s List honors; providing students with official transcripts; releasing course evaluation comments to instructors; and evaluating student progress toward graduation requirements.  An email reminder will be sent to instructors whose grades are not submitted by the deadline, with a copy to the department/program chair, the Academic Standing Committee, and the Dean of Faculty.  If an emergency arises that may prevent you from entering your grades by the deadline, please contact me and/or Malcolm ASAP.

Where do I enter grades?


You can find the grading roster in Garnet Gateway under the Student Related header in the Current menu.  The Grades – Final item is for regular grading and the Grades – Deferred item is where you’ll enter any approved deferred grades when the time comes.  Please enter grades for all fall coursework, including independent study and single-semester thesis, by the deadline.

What do I need to know about deferrals?


Deferrals must be approved by Student Affairs, who will communicate the relevant details to our office.  Students may not be given additional time to complete work unless they’re approved for a deferral, so a final grade for all students is required by the deadline unless a deferral’s been approved.  If a student attended all semester and doesn’t have an approved deferral, you must enter a final grade for them.  If you have a student with an approved deferral, please be sure to enter a final grade on the Grades – Deferred page by the agreed-upon deadline (Again, you can find that on the Current menu under the Student Related header in Garnet Gateway.).

Do I enter grades for thesis now?


Please grade any single-semester theses you’re advising by the deadline.  If you’re advising a two-semester thesis, you can leave the fall grade blank if you prefer and grade both semesters at the conclusion of the thesis next spring.

What do I do if a student stopped attending my course before the end of the semester?


If a student stopped attending prior to the last day to drop in late October/early November, please let me know so we can work with them to correct their registration.  If a student attended past the last day to drop and doesn’t have an approved deferral, please enter a grade for them.

What happens if a student doesn’t fill out their course evaluations?


Students who don’t complete course evaluation will have a hold that will prevent them from seeing their grades until mid-February.  You’re welcome to tell them the grade that you entered if they ask, but that’s not encouraged since the hold’s intended by the Committee on Teaching and Learning to be an incentive for students to complete their evaluations.


Krista Aronson from the Dean of the Faculty’s Office wrote with information on faculty/instructor caucuses with Bates, Bowdoin, and Colby.  Bates, Bowdoin, and Colby are partnering to continue the faculty/instructor caucuses initiated in ‘20-’21. Designed to build connections among underrepresented faculty/Instructors across institutions, we’re creating listservs this year to provide space where caucus members can share upcoming events, network, discover shared needs/interests, share resources, and plan gatherings if desired.

Below is a list of caucuses in need of a listserv manager. Please email Associate Dean Krista Aronson (karonson@bates.edu) if you would like to learn more about the role and/or to serve in this capacity for any of these groups. As manager you would welcome new subscribers, and communicate group needs/questions to your Associate Dean/Provost. We are seeking at least one, ideally two, managers for each group.

  • Asian/Pacific Islander/Asian American/South Asian
  • First Generation
  • Black/African/African American/Afro Caribbean
  • Latinx/Latine/Hispanic/Latin American
  • LBGTQ+
  • First/Native Nations/American Indian/Indigenous
  • International 
  • Middle Eastern/North African/Arab
  • Faculty with disabilities
  • Young Professionals
  • Single/solo parents

Although allyship is important please only request to form, manage, or join those caucuses that reflect your own, lived experience. 

Finally, please email Associate Dean Krista Aronson (karonson@bates.edu) if you would like to suggest a caucus group you would like to participate in but do not see currently represented. We are piloting this with faculty across institutions with the hope that it can be expanded in the future.


Don Dearborn and Steve Engel from the Dean of the Faculty’s Office announced three additional winter courses that will fulfill the SR requirement.  As many of you know from your advising role, an unusually large number of seniors were having trouble finding a winter course to fill their Scientific Reasoning MOI. We are writing to you now to share that we have added three additional winter courses that will fulfill the SR requirement. Links to the catalog descriptions for these courses, along with their scheduled times, can be found below.

The seniors who need an SR course have been contacted directly and are being given priority access through next Wednesday, 12/21. After that, the courses will be made visible in the winter schedule so that the remaining seats become open to other students through the regular drop/add process.

Next, upcoming events.

Winter ’23 Guilt-Free Book Club

February 8, March 8, and April 5

The votes are in and James M. Lang’s Distracted is the Winter semester Guilt- free book club selection. Register for Winter ’23 Guilt-free Book Club and receive a free copy of Distracted in January. We will divide the book into thirds and discuss 3 chapters in each session.

Healthy Substance Use Group

every Thursday – 11:30-12:30

Commons 211

Looking for a supportive space to talk about your relationship with substances and have regular thoughtful check-ins?  Professor Stephanie Kelley-Romano (SKR), Bates Health Services, and the Multifaith Chaplaincy are holding a Healthy Substance Use Group once a week.  Faculty, staff, and students are all welcome. Drop in for any amount of time you can.  Whether you are in recovery or simply looking to redefine your relationship with substances, feel very welcome to come and join this warm community as you process!

Categories: commons-cal-AY23