7. Liberal Arts-Engineering Dual Degree Plan. After three or four years (depending on the engineering program) of full-time study at Bates, qualified students may enroll in a two-year engineering program at Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Case Western Reserve University, or Washington University in St. Louis. Dual Degree Program majors complete all General Education requirements except the third-level writing requirement [W3]. Upon completion of this five- or six-year program, students receive both an undergraduate degree from Bates College and a bachelor of science from the engineering school affiliate. Students who wish to pursue this line of study should consult with the faculty advisor for the Dual Degree Plan within the first two weeks of their undergraduate career.

8. Academic honors. The College recognizes academic achievement through three kinds of honors: general honors, major-field honors, and Dean's List.

General honors are calculated as follows: By the start of each academic year, the registrar computes the minimum cumulative grade point average necessary to rank students in the top 2 percent, 8 percent, and 15 percent of the combined last three graduating classes. In 2020–2021, students with GPAs of 3.95 or higher earn the distinction of summa cum laude; GPAs of 3.88 to 3.94, magna cum laude; and GPAs of 3.80 to 3.87, cum laude.

A student must successfully fulfill all requirements for the baccalaureate degree in order to participate in the Commencement ceremony and receive a diploma.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal law requires the college to establish standards of satisfactory progress toward the degree and to monitor each recipient of federal aid to insure that the student is making satisfactory progress according to those standards. The concept of satisfactory progress mandates the monitoring of both grade point average (GPA) — qualitative progress — and the number of credits completed — quantitative progress. The academic standing of students is reviewed twice a year: following the fall semester and following Short Term, when both the winter semester and Short Term are considered. Short Term is considered part of the student's cumulative GPA and is included when calculating good standing or probation. The Short Term GPA, considered in itself, does not result in dismissal as outlined in the qualitative standards below. The Committee on Academic Standing is responsible for evaluation of the student's progress, reviews the student's academic standing, and evaluates petitions for exceptions to these standards. In addition, the Office of Student Support and Community Standards may authorize exceptions for serious illnesses or personal emergencies. The college has established these standards:

Qualitative Standards. All Bates course grades are included in a student's GPA. Student academic standing is determined as follows:

For students in good academic standing:

• If the semester GPA is below 1.0: dismissal
• If the semester GPA is above 1.0 but the cumulative GPA is less than 2.0: probation
• If the semester GPA is above 1.0 and the cumulative GPA is equal to or greater than 2.0: good academic standing

For students on academic probation:

• If the semester and cumulative GPA are below 2.0: dismissal
• If the semester GPA is equal to or greater than 2.0 but the cumulative GPA is less than 2.0: probation
• If the cumulative GPA is greater than or equal to 2.0: good academic standing

Final semester seniors:

• Students graduate if the normal degree requirements, including courses, Short Term courses, and total grade point averages, are met. This applies to students on academic probation from the prior semester, even if they do not fulfill the normal probationary requirements for good academic standing in the second senior semester.

The Office of Student Support and Community Standards staff inform students and their advisors about changes in academic standing. Parents are informed when students are placed on probation or are dismissed. Students may petition the Committee on Academic Standing to have the standard of academic dismissal waived after consulting with their student support advisor.

Reestablishing Eligibility after Academic Dismissal. In order to reenroll, dismissed students must submit a petition to the Committee on Academic Standing. Dismissed students are required to spend at least one semester away from Bates and readmission is not automatic. The evidence required by the committee that the student is ready to reenroll varies, but typically includes at least 2 courses taken at an accredited four-year college or university with grades of "B" or better in all courses taken, discussion in the petition of the circumstances that led to the dismissal, experiences undertaken while away, and reasons why the poor academic performance is unlikely to be repeated.

Students who are dismissed from the college a second time must typically spend at least one year away from Bates before petitioning to reenroll. All other standards described above apply. Readmission is not automatic.

Students who are dismissed from the college a third time are dismissed with finality and are not eligible to reenroll at Bates. In extraordinary circumstances, a student dismissed with finality may petition the Committee on Academic Standing to request that the dismissal with finality be waived.

Quantitative Standards. A student's progress toward the baccalaureate degree is measured by course credits.

Normally, students successfully earn 8 credits by the end of their first year, 16 credits by the end of their second year, 24 credits and 1 Short Term course (0.5 credit) by the end of their third year, and 32 credits, including 2 Short Term courses (1.0 credit)  by the end of their fourth year.

To comply with the satisfactory-progress policy, each student must successfully earn the following minimum numbers of semester course and Short Term course credits: no fewer than 6 credits earned from Bates courses by the end of the first year; no fewer than 14 credits by the end of the second year; no fewer than 22 credits and 1 Short Term course credit by the end of the third year; and 32 credits (not including Short Term courses) and 2 Short Term course credits by the end of the fourth year.

Maximum Time Frame. All students, with the exception of transfer students, are expected to complete the degree in 8 semesters; students are eligible to continue enrollment and receive financial aid for 8 full-time semesters. Any student not meeting the standards of satisfactory progress is ineligible to return to Bates or receive federal student aid.

Reestablishing Eligibility after Quantitative Suspension. The Office of Student Support and Community Standards staff notifies students if they have not met the quantitative standards. Students are considered withdrawn until satisfactory progress is reestablished. If denied aid or permission to return because of failure to meet the quantitative satisfactory-progress policy standards, students may reestablish eligibility for federal aid by subsequently meeting the standards through transfer credit or the posting of other non-Bates credit. The Committee on Academic Standing may also readmit students who petition the committee for readmission when there are exceptional or extenuating circumstances. A student who has reestablished eligibility may be considered for aid for upcoming periods but not for periods during which standards were not met. The student support advisor, the academic advisor, and the registrar can consult with students seeking to rectify deficiencies in grades or earned credits.

Appeals for Financial Aid. A student who is ineligible for financial aid due to lack of satisfactory progress or exceeding the 8-semester time limit, and who believes that exceptional or extenuating circumstances caused this ineligibility, may request a review by the director of student financial services and the dean of admission and financial aid.

Additional Information. Students who fail to make satisfactory academic progress do not receive the following types of financial aid: federal Pell Grant; federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant; Federal College Work-Study; federal Perkins Loan; federal Stafford Loan; federal PLUS Loan; or Bates College scholarships, grants, loans, or employment. Students on probationary status are still eligible to receive financial aid; students dismissed are ineligible. Students who receive approval from the Committee on Academic Standing to reduce their course load below 3 credits are required to repay the appropriate financial assistance. Students participating in the Federal College Work-Study Program are subject to termination of employment. The grades of F and DEF are not considered as successful completion of a course. A student who is suspended for unsatisfactory scholarship, or for disciplinary or financial reasons, is denied permission to continue to attend classes, to enroll in subsequent terms, to reside in college housing, to receive Bates-funded financial aid, and to participate in Bates-sponsored extracurricular activities or use facilities in ways that are not also open to the general public.

Reinstatement after Withdrawal or Dismissal

A student in good academic standing who withdraws from the college may be reinstated at the discretion of the senior associate dean of students or a designee, if the reinstatement is within 2 years of the withdrawal and there are no outstanding financial obligations to the college. In no cases are students readmitted when they have outstanding financial obligations to the college or are past due in federal student loan repayments. A student in good standing who has withdrawn for more than 2 years, a student not in good standing, or a student who has been dismissed from the college must apply for readmission to the Committee on Academic Standing through the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students. Students not in good standing or dismissed must be separated from the college for at least 1 full semester, and must provide evidence of serious purpose and of academic or professional involvement. Candidates for readmission for the fall semester must submit their credentials by 1 May. Those seeking readmission for the winter semester must submit their credentials by 15 November. Students who are approved to be readmitted by the Academic Standing Committee will return with the status of Academic Probation for their first semester back at Bates. Academic Standing will be reevaluated at the end of the first semester after readmission.

Global Education Programs

The college provides extensive semester and yearlong off-campus study opportunities through which approximately 60 percent of juniors study each year. These programs can greatly enrich student academic and personal development by providing engagement with different cultural and educational settings, opportunities for field research and, in many cases, immersive language study. Opportunities include the Bates Fall Semester Abroad (FSA) programs led by Bates faculty; semester and yearlong study programs at universities across the globe; and exchange programs at Spelman and Morehouse colleges. In addition, students in all classes may participate in Bates faculty-led off-campus Short Term courses. These opportunities are overseen by the Center for Global Education according to policies set by the faculty and the Committee on Off-Campus Study. Students earn Bates credit for courses taught or overseen by Bates faculty and approved program credit for study on other programs. Students may earn a maximum of 4 approved-program credits per semester and may apply a maximum of 8 approved-program credits toward their Bates degree. Further information on global education opportunities and policies is available on the Center for Global Education’s website (bates.edu/global-education/off-campusstudy/).

Off-Campus Study Considerations for 2020-2021. The Center for Global Education works with students who plan to study off campus in fall 2020 and winter 2021. Partner institutions offer the best guidance on the feasibility of welcoming students for a given semester. Some Bates international partners have suspended fall programs. When possible, students may elect another program to which they have applied and been accepted; otherwise students withdraw from the off-campus study semester and enroll in Bates courses.

Students enrolled in off-campus study programs for fall 2020 should contact institutions and programs to discuss their health and safety management as it relates to the current pandemic. If an off-campus program has been moved to remote-only, with no possibility of travel, the college recommends withdrawing from the off-campus program and enrolling in Bates courses.

Students interested in studying off campus for an academic year or a semester should consult with their faculty advisor, the chair of their major department or program, and advisors in the Center for Global Education. Students must register by the first Friday of February in the academic year before the off-campus study experience. The college requires a balanced number of prospective off-campus students between the fall and winter semesters at the February registration deadline. If too many students apply to study off campus in a given semester, students are selected according to criteria established by the Committee on Off-Campus Study (bates.edu/global-education/off-campusstudy/first/enrollment-balance/).

With the exception of summer courses, matriculated students who wish to receive credit for a semester or a year of study outside the United States or for affiliated domestic programs in the United States must have the preapproval of the Committee on Off-Campus Study and their major department or program. Students must study with an approved program and complete their studies in accordance with the committee's guidelines. The faculty has established additional guidelines, below, to encourage participation that is most supportive of students' overall academic experiences at Bates. A student may petition the Committee on Off-Campus Study for an exception to these requirements.

Students must have a 2.5 cumulative GPA at the time of application. A student may become ineligible if the GPA drops below 2.5 during the application process or after admission. Registration as a four-year student, including residence at Bates during the sophomore year, is required. Language skills greatly contribute to the academic and social experience in non-English-speaking settings. Therefore, students are required to have completed the equivalent of at least 2 years of college-level language study prior to study abroad in French-, German-, or Spanish-language settings. In Chinese-, Japanese-, and Russian-language settings, the equivalent of at least 1 year of college-level study is required. Prior language study is not required elsewhere, but students must include language study, ancient or modern, as part of their coursework. Students on disciplinary probation or suspension may not participate in the college's global education programs. This includes programs and courses led by Bates faculty and programs sponsored by academic institutions and study-abroad program providers for which approved program credit is awarded by Bates.

Academic Leave and Non-Bates Credit for Matriculated Students

Some students expand their Bates experience by attending other U.S. institutions, from which they may receive non-Bates credit according to college policy (see below). Students who take 3 or more courses elsewhere in the United States during a semester are considered to be taking an academic leave. These students must inform the college by the first Friday in February in the year preceding the leave. The college requires that the number of students who study off campus each semester be balanced at the time of this February deadline. If too many students apply for a given semester, students are granted leaves according to criteria established by the Committee on Off-Campus Study (see bates.edu/global-education/off-campusstudy/). Students on a personal leave and students taking summer courses may take up to two courses without participating in the off-campus study application process. Following their original graduation year, the college is not able to guarantee students consecutive semesters of enrollment. Students approved to return for an additional semester or semesters are notified by 1 July during the summer following their original graduation year which semester or semesters they may enroll to complete their degree requirements. Students are given an opportunity to provide their preferences, but the college makes final decisions based on the following factors: balancing student enrollment through the fall and winter semesters, course availability, class and classroom capacity, and housing capacity. Students are not guaranteed housing beyond their original graduation year. Students enrolling beyond their original graduation year are not eligible to register for courses until their enrollment plans are confirmed by the college by 1 July following their original graduation year..
After two semesters, students are officially withdrawn unless they have confirmed their plan to return by registering for courses or have been granted a leave extension by the senior associate dean of students for student support and community standards.

Types of Credit. Three types of credit can be applied toward a Bates degree: a) Bates credit, earned from courses taught and/or evaluated and graded by Bates faculty; b) approved program credit, earned from courses taken while participating in a Bates-approved program administered by the Committee on Off-Campus Study; and c) non-Bates credit, earned at an institution of higher education other than Bates that meets the established standards for transfer to Bates or credit awarded from the following standardized tests: Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or A-Level examination. Only grades awarded by Bates faculty are computed in the student's grade point average.

Degree candidates matriculating as first-year students, either in the fall or winter semester, must earn at least 28 Bates course credits or approved program credits. Therefore, a maximum of 4 non-Bates credits, including transfer credit and Advanced Placement credit, may be applied to the graduation requirement of 32 earned credits. Transfer students must earn a minimum of 16 Bates course credits. They may transfer a maximum of 2 non-Bates course credits earned after matriculating at Bates. A transfer student is defined as any student who has previously matriculated as a degree candidate at another institution.

The registrar and the department or program chair are responsible for the evaluation of non-Bates credit, subject to established guidelines. The Committee on Academic Standing may grant exceptions to the established guidelines. All non-Bates course credits awarded are equivalent to either 1 or 0.5 Bates course credit, based on their equivalent Bates course, and 2 quality points toward the graduation requirements.

Non-Bates credit is evaluated based on specific requirements:

• Credit must be awarded from an official college or university transcript; from an official Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or A-Level test score report; or from an official document considered equivalent to a transcript by the registrar.

• Courses must be appropriate to a liberal arts and sciences college, comparable in quality to those offered at Bates, and students must earn a grade of C or better.

• Courses taken in a college's or university's continuing-education or extension program must be applicable toward the bachelor of arts or the bachelor of science degree being pursued by full-time undergraduate students at that institution.

• College courses taken prior to secondary school graduation must have been taught on a college or university campus have been graded in competition with college students, and not count toward the high school degree.

• Credit must be earned at a regionally accredited non-profit institution.

• Courses taught online may transfer, as long as they are pre-approved by the respective department or program and meet all other transfer credit standards.

• Courses must be worth at least 3 semester hours or 5 quarter-hours or meet a minimum of 45 class meeting hours to be eligible for transfer. When appropriate, quarter-hours may be added together and multiplied by two-thirds to determine the equivalent total number of semester hours to be used toward unspecified transfer credits.

• Students may receive credit for a maximum of 2 courses taken during summer sessions.

• All credits must be transferred by the beginning of the final semester of the senior year.

• Credit for Short Term courses may not be transferred from another institution.

• Students may not transfer credit into Bates that are the result of simultaneous enrollment (i.e., enrolled at Bates during a semester while also enrolled in a course at another institution). However, students who have a compelling reason to do so may request permission in advance by petitioning the Committee on Academic Standing. In order for such credit to transfer into Bates, approval must be given by the Committee on Academic Standing in advance of enrolling in the course.

• Students must be enrolled at Bates for the final semester of their senior year.

A student who fails to graduate by the anticipated degree date may transfer credits necessary to graduate for up to two years afterwards. After two years, the student is withdrawn automatically from the college, but may petition the Committee on Academic Standing for readmission and permission to complete the degree.

With the exception of summer courses, matriculated students who wish to receive credit for study outside the United States must have the preapproval of the Committee on Off-Campus Study. They must study on a program approved by the Center for Global Education, and complete their studies in accordance with the Committee's guidelines. The Committee on Off-Campus Study is responsible for the award of approved program credit.

Approved Program Credit, Non-Bates Credit, and General Education. When credit is awarded as equivalent to a specific Bates course it may be used to fulfill the same Mode of Inquiry requirement—[AC], [CP], [HS], [SR], [QF]—or General Education concentration requirement that the equivalent Bates course fulfills. To be applied toward a concentration, the course must be judged by the concentration's coordinator to be comparable to a Bates course in the concentration. The writing-attentive courses ([W1], [W2], and [W3]) must be taken at Bates. Note: Students in the classes of 2021 and 2022 should consult the 2018-2019 catalog for information on transfer and General Education credits.

Personal Leave. In unusual circumstances, students may need to interrupt their study at the college for health or personal reasons. In addition, students may take a personal leave of absence to pursue an internship or other nonacademic experience. Accordingly, the college permits students in good standing to apply to the senior associate dean of students or a designee for a personal leave of absence for 1 or 2 semesters. A leave-of-absence form must be completed by the student. Students must also meet with a representative from the Office of the Registrar and Academic Systems. Students on a personal leave may take up to two courses elsewhere in the United States for Bates credit, subject to the transfer policies (see Academic Leave and Non-Bates Credit for Matriculated Students, above). The college guarantees reinstatement to students after the first or second semester of leave. After 2 semesters, students are officially withdrawn unless they have confirmed their plan to return by registering for courses or have been granted a leave extension by the senior associate dean of students or a designee.

Medical Leaves of Absence. A student may consider or be encouraged to take a voluntary medical leave in the event that physical and/or mental health concerns are significantly interfering with their ability to succeed at Bates and/or the demands of college life are interfering with the student’s recovery or safety.

If a student determines that a leave would be beneficial, the student should contact the senior associate dean of students to complete a leave of absence form. Voluntary medical leaves are based on the recommendation of the health services' manager of outreach and support services or the director of counseling and psychological services and are approved by the senior associate dean of students. The length of a leave is determined in conjunction with the manager of outreach and support services or the director of counseling and psychological services, the senior associate dean of students, and the student. Students may apply for a leave for one or two semesters. After two semesters, students are officially withdrawn unless they have been granted a leave extension by the senior associate dean of students or their designee. Students are informed of the steps that must be taken in order to re-enroll. Indefinite leaves are not permitted.

Involuntary medical leaves are utilized only under extraordinary circumstances, when a student is unable or unwilling to request a voluntary medical leave. Such a leave may be necessary when a student's behavior is disruptive to the college's learning environment; the student's health concerns have compromised the student's health, safety, or academic success; or the behavior poses a direct threat to the safety of one or more members of the college community. Before an involuntary leave is considered, efforts are made to encourage the student to take a voluntary leave. Procedures for considering an involuntary medical leave are available on the Office of Student Affairs website.

Any student taking a medical or personal leave must meet with representatives from the Office of the Registrar and Academic Systems and Student Financial Services. Some educational loan repayments may begin if a student takes a leave. Students who wish to take courses elsewhere during their leave should consult the transfer credit policies (bates.edu/registrar/academic-record/non-bates-credit/transfer-credit-policy/). Students may contact the registrar with any questions related to the transfer of course credit.

The Bates Learning Associates Program

Central to a Bates education are the intense and deep relationships formed between faculty and students, and the quality of learning that results from sustained contact between teacher and learner. To complement the focus and depth of intellectual exploration among students and faculty, the college has established the Bates Learning Associates Program, which brings to campus experts in many fields who hail from Maine and around the world. Learning associates help students and faculty by offering new meanings and perspectives to a subject. Learning associates may be on campus for a day, a week, several weeks, or may have a "virtual residence," working with students electronically, critiquing research methodology or results, or reading emerging senior theses. These experts expand the knowledge available to students and faculty, challenge the neatness of discipline-based academic thinking, and provide rich contexts for translating ideas into action in the real world. Each year a variety of learning associates work with students in a range of disciplines within the humanities and social sciences. Recent contributors have included the only transsexual woman on active duty in the Brazilian Navy; a distinguished theater company specializing in combining puppets with music, actors, and visual imagery; a sculptor and educator; and a renowned scholar of African American and twentieth-century American literature and the Harlem Renaissance.

Student Research

The Bates faculty is dedicated to helping students develop as scholars; therefore, significant emphasis is placed through the curriculum on individual research, including artistic production. In their first year, students participate in a first-year seminar, a small class in which the development of critical thinking, concise writing, and other research skills is emphasized. Methodology courses and advanced seminars offer further research training in a specific discipline. Many students undertake independent study courses in order to explore in depth a subject of particular interest. Each summer, many students undertake research independently or in collaboration with a Bates faculty member. Together research and writing experiences prepare students for the senior thesis, required in most departments and programs, for the Honors Program, for graduate study, and for careers.

Support for Research during the Academic Year and the Summer. The college encourages students to pursue research associated with courses, independent studies, and the senior thesis or senior project. Funds are available through competitive grant programs that provide financial assistance for student research. Bates faculty members are active in scholarly research and often offer qualified students the opportunity to work with them as research assistants during the summer. These opportunities offer wages rather than academic credit and are available directly from faculty researchers funded through faculty grants. The Office of the Dean of the Faculty also manages a number of student summer research fellowship programs which support off-campus fieldwork, artistic work, or research at Bates or another institution. Information on summer research opportunities is available on the student research website (bates.edu/academics/student-research).

Presenting Research and the Mount David Summit. Bates students should be able to effectively communicate their scholarship and defend the results of their research. Students are encouraged to present their research at regional, national, and international meetings. They also have many opportunities to present their academic work on campus at events throughout the year. The largest on-campus research forum is the Mount David Summit. Each year near the end of the winter semester, the college community gathers for this campus-wide event honoring academic and artistic achievement. In concurrent sessions students present research posters; short talks on research or community engagement; and artistic work, including poetry and fiction writing, film, theater, performance art, music, and the visual arts. Students from all class levels and all disciplines are encouraged to take part; the audience includes students, faculty, staff, parents, prospective students, alumni, donors, and the general public. More information on the summit is at the website (bates.edu/summit).

Community-Engaged Learning

Community-engaged learning is a signature component of a Bates education, providing opportunities for students to deepen their knowledge of course content and the wider world while collaborating with off-campus partners to address community-identified needs. In community-engaged learning courses and research, students develop self-awareness and a range of skills and capacities, including communication, collaborative problem solving, and cross-cultural understanding. More than fifty Bates courses each year include some form of mutually beneficial collaboration among students, faculty, and community partners.

The mission of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships is to advance the college's commitment to cultivating informed civic action through reciprocal and sustained partnerships that connect the college and the community. Established in 2002, the Harward Center builds on a legacy of innovative, rigorous community-engaged learning at Bates. It serves as a clearinghouse for faculty, staff, and students interested in community-engaged learning or research projects, and for community organizations, schools, and government agencies that seek to engage the college. It sponsors community projects in areas as diverse as basic social services; education; literacy programs; municipal government; environmental education and advocacy; health and mental health services; public art, music, dance, and other cultural projects; and legal advocacy. The center also coordinates Bates' volunteer opportunities in the Lewiston-Auburn community.

Specific student programs of the Harward Center include the Community Outreach Fellows Program, the Bonner Leader Program, the Bates Civic Action Team, the Short Term Action/Research Team, and the Community-Engaged Research Fellows Program. The center also oversees a number of grant programs for students, faculty, staff, and community partners, during both the academic year and the summer. More information about those opportunities can be found at bates.edu/harward.

The Bates Center for Purposeful Work

Preparing students for lives of meaningful work lies at the heart of the liberal arts mission. The Bates Center for Purposeful Work helps students discover the joy and power that arise from aligning who they are with what they do, by helping students identify and cultivate their interests and strengths and providing opportunities for them to acquire the knoweldge, experiences, and relationships necessary to pursue their aspirations with imagination and integrity. Purposeful Work has curricular and co-curricular aspects and takes a four-year, developmental approach to working with students. Informed by this philosophy, students emerge from Bates equipped to make intentional decisions about their work, selves, and how the two relate.

The staff of the Center for Purposeful Work provide a wealth of resources including individualized and group career counseling and workshops, job shadows, internships, career-interested assessments, employment listings, access to alumni career advisors, graduate and professional school advising, and links to job and career information through the Bates Center for Purposeful Work website bates.edu/purpose. Students are encouraged to use the Bates Center for Purposeful Work beginning in their first year at Bates in order to integrate their academic, career, and personal goals into rewarding and purposeful careers.

Through Purposeful Work Infusion courses, many faculty infuse their teaching with exercises that expose students to diverse types of work, questions of identity and purpose, and consideration of the meaning of work. These exercises help students see the connection between academic fields and possible career paths. Practitioner-Taught courses offer opportunities for students to explore more practical and applied areas of study than are available within the core liberal arts curriculum. Practioners, often Bates alumni, teach applied knowledge and skills in their field of expertise. Students explore worlds of work, enhance their practical skills, and expand their professional network, contributing to their career exploration and preparation for future work. More information can be found on the Purposeful Work website bates.edu/purpose.

Academic Resource Commons

The Academic Resource Commons (ARC), the college's learning center, empowers every Bates student to succeed and excel in their studies through tutoring, drop-in labs, workshops, and other learning support programs. ARC services are provided by peer tutors who have been referred by faculty and who have received intensive training on peer-led learning. ARC's location in Ladd Library also provides a place for students to study, do homework, and review course materials in a supported environment. The ultimate goal for every ARC session is for students to develop the skills and learning strategies needed for success both in their time at Bates, and beyond. More information on ARC programming (including hours of operation) is available at bates.edu/academic-resource-commons/.

Writing Support. Part of the Academic Resource Commons, the Writing Center provides support for students to develop as college writers, language learners, speakers and scholars in their fields of study. In the Writing Center, students generate ideas, discuss prompts, create drafts, write, revise, edit, and/or discuss their writing and public speaking, in collaboration with fellow students. Student writing tutors provide constructive feedback to their peers at various stages of writing. No appointments are necessary. Technical writing assistants (TWAs) also work in the Writing Center. TWAs assist students who are honing their science writing skills, convene writing conferences with biology and geology students preparing lab reports, and may also serve as laboratory teaching assistants. More information on the Writing Center can be found on the Academic Resource Commons website at bates.edu/academic-resource-commons/.

Peer writing and speaking assistants (PWSAs) are assigned to first-year seminars and other writing-attentive courses. They provide writing support to students in a specific course with conferencing, in-class workshops, and draft review sessions. The assistant directors of Writing at Bates, with offices in Coram Library, work with students on their writing. Writing at Bates staff meet one-on-one with students by appointment, focusing on any stage of the writing process, from initial brainstorming to final revisions. They also work with senior thesis writers. Information on current workshops, hours of operation, and scheduling appointments is available on the writing program website (bates.edu/writing).

Peer-Assisted Learning. Peer-assisted learning (PAL) supports student learning and faculty teaching, and provides leadership and teaching opportunities for students. Student peer leaders (PALs) of the program offer regularly scheduled, out-of-class collaborative study sessions to help students master the material in traditionally challenging courses. Each PAL session integrates study strategies with course content; students and peer leaders compare notes, discuss course material, and apply what they are learning. Sessions are open to all students in the class. More information on Peer-Assisted Learning can be found on the Academic Resource Commons website, bates.edu/academic-resource-commons/.

The Mathematics and Statistics Workshop

The Mathematics and Statistics Workshop offers a variety of services for students seeking assistance with courses involving mathematics, statistics, quantitative reasoning, and digital and computational studies. Throughout the fall and winter semesters, students may visit the Workshop, without an appointment, to review mathematics topics during drop-in hours on Sundays through Fridays. In addition, selected introductory-level mathematics, statistics, and digital and computational studies courses have a tutor assigned to work specifically with the class. These attached tutors work in the drop-in center, are available for private appointments with students, and typically attend class. One-on-one tutoring is available for students in any course requiring a command of mathematical, statistical, quantitative reasoning, or digital and computational skills, as well as typesetting mathematical documents using LaTex. During Short Term, services are available by appointment. Information on the Math Workshop can be found on the website (bates.edu/math-stat-workshop).

Information and Library Services

Information and Library Services (ILS) supports the mission of the college with reliable and responsive information and technology resources, services, and programs to meet the evolving needs of the college community. ILS helps students, faculty, and staff embrace the continuous change that prevails in technology use, information access, and communications media. Library services are provided in the George and Helen Ladd Library, which address the general curricular and research needs of the college; and in the Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library, which houses the archives, manuscripts, rare books, and other special collections of the college. In addition to a robust technology infrastructure for all manner of academic and administrative work, there are three specialized computer labs: the Visualization Studio in Coram Library which specializes in GIS, 3-D printing, and the visual representation of data; the Digital Media Studios in Pettigrew Hall, supporting multimedia and video production; and the Language Resource Center in Roger Williams Hall, which supports language and other humanities programs. More information on ILS services and staff is available on the website (bates.edu/ils/).

The Library. The George and Helen Ladd Library provides books, periodicals, sound and video recordings and other library materials in print and electronic formats, as well as access to online databases and other resources essential for student and faculty research. The library offers a physical learning environment conducive to individual and group study and research, and provides easy access to information in a variety of formats. The Library includes nearly 950 study spaces, all with wireless network access. More than 600 seats have electric power for charging portable devices. A fully equipped instruction room and staffed reference area are located on the main floor. Group study is encouraged on the two lower floors, in the first floor Academic Resource Commons, and in the third floor Salter Room, which is equipped with a screen-sharing system. Otherwise, the upper two floors are reserved for quiet study.

The Library's website (bates.edu/library/) provides access to the Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin (CBB) combined library catalog and all electronic resources licensed by Bates. Ladd Library functions as the primary point of service, with access, research, and technology services centrally located. In addition to individual consultation, research librarians provide instruction for classes and other groups of students on research skills and library and other information resources.

In all, the library contains some 600,000 cataloged volumes in print and more than 38,000 audio and video recordings. It provides access to thousands of sources of information online, including more than 70,000 periodicals and 700,000 electronic books, sound and video resources. CBB libraries together constitute a combined collection of more than two million volumes. The three college libraries collaborate closely to plan and build these collections, providing faculty, students, and staff the systems to use CBB resources before searching elsewhere. The Bates identification card allows Bates students, faculty, and staff to borrow materials from the Bowdoin and Colby libraries. Through the MaineCat statewide catalog and interlibrary loan, Bates users may initiate loan requests for materials at other academic and public libraries nationwide.

Archives and Special Collections. The Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library (bates.edu/archives) fosters research and scholarship by encouraging access to Bates College records and other historical materials by students and faculty, as well as scholars from the community at large. These collections enable students from Bates and elsewhere to perform historical research using primary documentary material. The collections have three major divisions:

The Bates College Archives serves as the official repository of records, publications, photographs, honors theses, oral histories, and other materials of permanent administrative, legal, fiscal, and historical value. It documents the history of the college from its founding in 1855 to the present.

The Manuscript Collections contain materials related to the history of Bates College, including papers of faculty members, alumni, and student work. Because of its roots as a Freewill Baptist institution, the library collects materials related to Freewill Baptist organizations and individuals. The Edmund S. Muskie Papers include almost all the extant records documenting the life and work of Edmund S. Muskie (1914–1996), a 1936 Bates graduate who dominated Maine politics from the mid-1950s to 1981. Serving as governor, senator, and Secretary of State, Muskie became a national leader for environmental protection, government reform, and fiscal responsibility.

The Rare Book Collection includes publications created by and pertaining to the Freewill Baptists in Maine and New England; nineteenth-century French history and literature; fine-press books published in Maine; Judaica;  nineteenth-century books on natural history, particularly ornithology, and publications by Bates faculty and alumni.

Technology Services. Information and Library Services (ILS) provides a technology-rich environment in support of the mission of the college, which includes hardware, software, consultation, instruction, and information resources to faculty, students, and staff.  ILS also provides many employment opportunities for students in which they can develop or enhance technology, communications and other work skills.  

All faculty, students, and staff are assigned credentials that allow secure access to Bates computers and network services, including wireless and wired ports, on-line services, mail, calendar, printing, network storage, software, videoconferencing and proxy service for access to on-campus services and numerous library research databases from anywhere in the world. All members of the college community must comply with the Bates College Computer Use Policy (bates.edu/ils/policies/access-use/computer-use-policy/).

The Garnet Gateway. Bates offers faculty, students, and staff transactional services through a secure online site, the Garnet Gateway. Students use the Garnet Gateway to view their schedule, grades, and transcript; register for courses; view their progress toward completing their degree requirements; view their financial aid award; complete course evaluations; declare their major(s), minor(s) and General Education concentration(s); elect student officers; evaluate study-abroad programs; nominate faculty for teaching awards; obtain enrollment verifications; and request official transcripts.

Faculty members use the Garnet Gateway to view course rosters, report student grades, propose new courses, schedule courses, manage their advising responsibilities, receive student course evaluations, and express preferences for classroom location and equipment. Faculty and staff members, as well as student employees, use the Garnet Gateway to access payroll, tax, and other employee information. The Garnet Gateway is accessed through the Bates website (bates.edu/g).

Academic Technology. Bates students and faculty members use technology extensively in their learning, research, and teaching (bates.edu/curricular-research-computing/). This is made possible by a wide range of services and facilities. There are more than 175 workstations clustered at Carnegie Science Hall, the Coram Visualization Studio, Dana Chemistry Hall, Hedge Hall, Ladd Library, Pettengill Hall, Pettigrew Hall, and Roger Williams Hall. All classrooms and the majority of event and meeting spaces have high-speed network connections, computers, and digital projection. Special facilities include interactive classrooms with large video screens for group instruction and videoconferencing, screen-sharing, classroom and presentation capture systems, plotters, 3-D printers, scanners, and digital editing machines for producing broadcast-quality video and audio. Academic technology staff consult closely with faculty and students on designing, building, and supporting a variety of projects for teaching, learning, and scholarship.

Digital Media Studios

The Digital Media Studios, located in the ground floor of Pettigrew Hall, comprise a suite of specialized studio and lab spaces with an expert staff to help students and faculty explore creative uses and production of traditional and emerging digital media. The studios include three private video editing suites, a radio interview studio, a flexible studio space, and an instructional lab. Additional resources allow for live broadcasts and remote recordings. The tools and facilities within the Digital Media Studios are used across academic disciplines, and are designed to encourage, emphasize, and explore the collaborative connections among teaching, learning, storytelling, the arts, and interpersonal communication in a modern digital world.

Laboratories

Laboratories and studios for student and faculty use are located throughout the campus. Chemistry and biochemistry laboratories and instruments are situated in Dana Chemistry Hall. Biology, environmental studies, geology, neuroscience, and physics laboratories are housed in Carnegie and Hedge halls. Astronomy students and faculty use the Stephens Observatory with its 0.32-meter reflecting telescope and the Spitz A-3 planetarium projector, also located in Carnegie. Archaeology and psychology laboratories are housed in Pettengill Hall.

The departments of French and Francophone Studies, German and Russian Studies, Spanish, and the Program in Asian Studies make extensive use of the Language Resource Center in Roger Williams Hall. The center is equipped with computers, a document camera, and multi-region players with video projection for classroom instruction. The lab is also outfitted with cameras and video recording equipment for capturing activities in the context of courses.

Resources for the Arts

Schaeffer Theatre, a 300-seat proscenium-style space, is the mainstage venue for the Department of Theater and Dance, and the summer home of the Bates Dance Festival. The Department of Theater and Dance also presents student work and offers studio courses in the more intimate facilities of the Gannett Theater and the Black Box Theater. The Marcy Plavin Dance Studios are located in Merrill Gymnasium.

The Olin Arts Center provides the Department of Music with music studios and rehearsal rooms for individuals and groups, laboratories for computer-based composition, and classrooms for lecture courses. The acoustically exceptional 300-seat concert hall is the site of performances,  ranging from student thesis recitals and concerts by Bates musicians to special appearances by internationally known performers. The Olin Arts Center houses studios and classrooms for painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, and ceramics, as well as art history classrooms. The building also houses the Bates College Museum of Art, which presents exhibitions and programs nad holds a permanent collection of more than 7,000 objects. 

The Bates College Museum of Art

The Bates College Museum of Art is an integral part of the intellectual and cultural life of the college and the region. The Museum of Art brings art and ideas to Bates, Lewiston-Auburn, and Maine through exhibitions ranging from work by artists of national and international prominence to the annual Senior Thesis Exhibition. Through the permanent collection, educational programming, scholarly publications, and internships, the Museum of Art serves as a laboratory for deep exploration, intellectual study, and creative discovery.

The Museum's temporary exhibitions, permanent collection, and extensive programming are aligned with and integrated into academic disciplines across the curriculum. Recent interdisciplinary exhibitions have explored the art of the Anthropocene, the multimedia art of Vanessa German, shaman art of Vietnam, and astrophotography. Co-curricular programming infuses art into the cultural and social life of the college and region. The permanent collection provides students and visiting scholars opportunities for longer term study and close examination of works of art and material culture. Programming includes tours, lectures, gallery talks, and workshops by visiting artists and scholars. Internships in many areas of museum work are available for students each year. Education and outreach programs connect exhibitions and collections to area K-12 students and their families, and support curricula focusing on art, writing, and visual literacy.

Exhibition and public programs are free and open to the public. More information can be found on the museum website: (bates.edu/museum).

The Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area and the Shortridge Coastal Center

Bates manages 574 acres of undeveloped Maine coastline for conservation, education and research purposes. Lying between two tidal rivers near the end of the Phippsburg peninsula, the Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area (BMMCA) includes salt marshes, barrier dunes, mature spruce-fir forest, and rare pitch pine forest. Granite ledge outcrops offer panoramic views of the Gulf of Maine and a narrow road offers walk-in access to the largest undeveloped barrier beach in the state.

The college conducts educational programs, scientific research, and literary study consistent with conserving the ecological and aesthetic values of the property. Current and ongoing research led by Bates faculty is focused on salt marsh responses to sea level rise, carbon cycling and methane in marsh systems, sediment dynamics in coastal systems, and forest ecology. Visiting scientists study salt marsh nesting birds in the context of sea level rise and changing migration patterns of shore birds. Public visitation is also permitted, with over 23,000 visitors annually.

The Shortridge Coastal Center is located within two miles of the conservation area. It provides housing for coastal researchers, students, and artists during the summer months and a setting for coursework and student and staff retreats during the academic year. The center sits on nearly seventy-acres of granite outcrops and forested wetlands, including a large freshwater pond. The property is part of a large block of adjacent undeveloped and conserved lands owned by the Town of Phippsburg and the Phippsburg Land Trust. In collaboration with the land trust, the college helps maintain several miles of trails that connect approximately 300 acres of protected land.

Both the Shortridge Coastal Center and BMMCA provide a base of operations for faculty-student research projects and other partnership activities between the college and state agencies, environmental groups, and the Phippsburg community. Recent partnerships with Phippsburg include educational programs with the Phippsburg Elementary School, collaborative work on climate adaptation with town officials, and a grant program, financed by the summer residents of Small Point, to support ongoing geology research by Bates faculty and students. Requests by faculty and student groups to reserve the use of Shortridge may be made via events.bates.edu.

Confidentiality of Education Records

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include the following:

1. FERPA affords the right to inspect and review the student's education records within forty-five days of the day the college receives a request for access. A form to request access to records is available from the Office of the Registrar and Academic Systems. The registrar makes arrangements for access and notifies the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

2. FERPA affords the right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student's privacy rights under FERPA. A student may ask the college to amend a record that is believed to be inaccurate or misleading. The student should write the request to the registrar, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed. The registrar consults with the appropriate college official, and if the college decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the college notifies the student of the decision and advises the student of the student's right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures is provided when the student is notified of the right of hearing.

3. FERPA affords the right to provide written consent before the college discloses personally identifiable information (PII) contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception that permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to college officials, or officials of institutions with which the college has consortial agreements, with legitimate educational interests. A college official is a person employed by Bates in an administrative, supervisory, academic, or support-staff position (including Security and Health Services staff); a volunteer, company, or contractor outside of the college who performs an institutional service or function for which the college would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the college with respect to the use and maintenance of personally identifiable information from education records (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as the Committee on Student Conduct, or assisting another college official in performing administrative tasks. A college official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill the official's professional responsibility.

4. FERPA affords the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the college to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202-5901.

Bates reserves the right to refuse to permit a student to inspect those records excluded from the FERPA definition of education records and to deny transcripts or copies of records not required to be made available by FERPA if the student has an unpaid financial obligation to the college or if there is an unresolved disciplinary action against the student. Fees are not assessed for search and retrieval of the records, but there may be a charge for copying and postage.

FERPA Annual Notice to Reflect Possible Federal and State Data Collection and Use. As of 3 January 2012, the U.S. Department of Education's FERPA regulations expand the circumstances under which education records and personally identifiable information (PII) contained in such records including Social Security number, grades, or other private information may be accessed without student consent. First, the U.S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or state and local education authorities may allow access to records and PII without student consent to any third party designated by a federal or state authority to evaluate a federal- or state-supported education program. The evaluation may relate to any program that is "principally engaged in the provision of education," such as early childhood education and job training, as well as any program that is administered by an education agency or institution. Second, federal and state authorities may allow access to education records and PII without student consent to researchers performing certain types of studies. Federal and state authorities must obtain certain use-restriction and data security promises from the entities that they authorize to receive PII, but the authorities need not maintain direct control over such entities. In addition, in connection with Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems, state authorities may collect, compile, permanently retain, and share without student consent PII from education records, and they may track student participation in education and other programs by linking such PII to other personal information that they obtain from other federal or state data sources, including workforce development and migrant student record systems.

The Office of the Registrar and Academic Systems makes available copies of the federal regulations and the institutional policy on educational records as well as additional information about the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.

Directory Information. At its discretion, Bates may provide "directory information" in accordance with the provisions of FERPA. Directory information is defined as that information which would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Bates identifies the following as directory information: name; Bates identification (ID) number; class; address (campus, home, and e-mail); username; telephone listings; major and minor fields of study; participation in officially recognized sports, extracurricular activities, and global education programs; dates of attendance; degrees, honors, and awards received from the college; and individually identifiable photographs and electronic images of the student solicited or maintained directly by Bates as part of the educational record.

Students wishing to block the disclosure of directory information should contact the Office of the Registrar and Academic Systems for additional information.