TCAC
Index of Commentaries
University staff and faculty have worked together to develop operating principles and policies that allow students on all three campuses to benefit from general University services as well as those unique resources found on the individual campuses. The goal of the tri-campus federation should be to identify student needs, and to the extent possible, provide access to those institutional resources that will best meet these needs regardless of where the resources exist. The following report identifies some of the ways the three campuses have worked together to deliver student services, and proposes policy and procedural changes that may prove beneficial to student interests.
Question: Should student be free to complete their last 45 credits on any UW campus? This would require a University Handbook change.
Current policy: Matriculated students may enroll in courses on other
university campuses beginning the first day of the quarter. Cross-campus
enrollment is not permitted until the first day of the quarter to provide
a registration priority for students on their home campuses.
Recommendation: This arrangement has not been a problem for students, and we recommend continuing the policy. Current cross-campus enrollment numbers are small as indicated by winter quarter 1999 enrollments below:
| Home Campus | Seattle | Bothell | Tacoma | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | na | 7/2 | 6/0 | 13/2 |
| Bothell | 7/3 | na | 0 | 10 |
| Tacoma | 0 | 0 | na | 0 |
Current Policy: UW Students transferring to a new campus must file an
admission application, and pay a $35 application fee.
Recommendation: This process could be simplified by allowing Seattle students to use a change of major form if they are admissible to a new Bothell or Tacoma major. There is one drawback; students would not be reported as new students at the new campus. Using a change of major form leaves students in a continuing student classification although they would be new to the campus. This suggestion will not work for Bothell and Tacoma students transferring to Seattle due to enrollment management considerations and the need to evaluate transfer courses in more detail.
Current policy: Students can earn minors across campus boundaries if the
requirements for the off-campus minors are completed by the time the
degree is awarded. Students may not declare a cross-campus minor,
however, prior to graduation.
Recommendation: Students should be allowed to declare cross-campus minors prior to graduation with the understanding that there is no associated registration priority, and cross-campus course enrollments are on a space available basis.
Current Policy: Cross-campus double majors are not now permitted. Double
majors that cross college or school boundaries on the Seattle campus are
permitted with the approval of the deans of the colleges offering the
majors. Graduating students must identify the college that is to appear
as the degree granting college on the transcript and diploma. Double
majors are permitted only if both majors lead to the same degree, e.g.,
Bachelor of Arts. If two degrees are awarded, an additional 45 credits
must be completed beyond the minimum required for the first degree.
Question: Should double majors be permitted across campus boundaries if approved by the deans of the two colleges offering the majors? If yes, the student would have to choose a college to award the degree. The University would also have to discuss how Services and Activities fees would be distributed among the two campuses and what services the students would receive.
Current Policy: The Seattle admissions office coordinates University
transfer course articulation, and Seattle faculty are consulted to
determine course equivalencies. There is not formal process whereby
Bothell and Tacoma faculties consult with either admissions or Seattle
faculty when community college articulation agreements are being discussed.
Recommendation: It is important to coordinate transfer course articulation across the three campuses. Courses accepted for credit by one campus must be acceptable to the others. A plan is needed to ensure tri-campus faculty consultation for transfer courses included in campus articulation agreements.
Current Policy: Bothell and Tacoma do not matriculate students until they
have completed their general education requirements. Seattle students,
however, typically enroll before they have completed their Areas of
Knowledge requirements, and such students may find Bothell and Tacoma
courses useful in completing their general education.
Recommendation: Bothell and Tacoma courses should be evaluated and assigned to the appropriate Areas of Knowledge. University Advising Center staff has already agreed to help with this, and a process is being developed to incorporate A of K assignment as part of the curriculum approval process.
Recommendation: Undergraduates should routinely be provided with information about Bothell and Tacoma majors when they are informed of Seattle upper-division majors.
Comment: If Seattle freshman enrollments expand faster than upper-division resources in future biennia, access to Tacoma and Bothell majors will become even more critical.
Current Policy: The Seattle admissions office includes information about
Seattle majors in its Transfer Application Packet, but no mention is made
of Bothell or Tacoma majors.
Recommendation: Seattle admissions should include Bothell and Tacoma majors in its Transfer Application Packet, with instructions on how to apply to those campuses.
Similarly, Seattle admissions should refer Transfer by major student inquiries to Bothell and Tacoma when prospective applicants express an interest in professional programs offered by Bothell or Tacoma campuses.
Comment: The Seattle Center for Career Services has agreed to share their Web Walk-Up system with Bothell and Tacoma until there is a sufficient number of students on each campus to justify separate systems. This agreement will provide expanded employment opportunities for students from both campuses.
Comment: This has been discussed with the Vice President for Student Affairs on several occasions. The IMA is already fully utilized, and expanding access to campuses expecting substantial enrollment growth wold not serve the University well. Service and Activity fees should probably stay on the respective campuses to fund development of the student services infrastructure.
Current Policy: All new entering international students are charged an
orientation fee and are expected to attend an international student
orientation in the fall.
Recommendation: Bothell and Tacoma want to offer their own international student orientations. Students should attend an orientation program on their own campuses to provide the best introduction to their respective campus communities. Such programs must include technical Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) information of vital interest to students. If Bothell ana Tacoma staff are not informed about intricate INS details it may be necessary for Seattle staff to provide assistance during orientation. The International Students Office can transfer the orientation fee to the respective campuses.
Comment: Blaine Nisson of the Tacoma campus will investigate this issue further to discover how it is possible for state community colleges to make such advances.
Recommendation: Services and Activities fees should be available to host approved events. The University is presently reviewing this policy and is expected to modify the guidelines within the next two months.
Written by:
Blaine Nisson, Director of Student Affairs, UW Tacoma
Tim Washburn, Executive Director of Admissions and Records
James R. West, Director of Admissions and Registration, UW Bothell
March 8, 1999
