May 18, 2009

From the Office of the Resident Dean
Carlos E. Díaz Rosillo

Issues for the Week:

Final Exams:Please, double, triple-check your final exam schedule at www.registrar.fas.harvard.edu to make sure you go to the right place, on the right day, at the right time. Best of luck with all your exams!

Please note the following about exams

--If you are not able to complete your written work by the end of this week, the only way it can potentially be covered is by vote of the Administrative Board, which is not a guarantee and one that must have instructor support.
--Get to your exams on time! If you are a few minutes late for an exam, go anyway, and you may be accommodated. If you miss the exam altogether, please come by the office and let me know ASAP. You may be able to arrange a make-up exam, but this will depend on your instructor, who may or may not be willing to do this. The lesson is: go!
--If you are really ill, and cannot physically take the exam, you have one of two options: In some cases the Registrar’s staff can administer examinations to students who have been admitted to Stillman Infirmary and who feel ready to take their exam within the 24-hour period following the scheduled time OR you might petition the Administrative Board to take a makeup exam in October. To do this, you must be seen by a UHS clinician within the 24-hour period before the exam. Either way, consult me about the best course to take if you are really ill.
--If you are a graduating senior who misses a final, contact me immediately to arrange a special make-up exam. Again, there is no guarantee that your make-up exam will be approved, so we would need to discuss it together.

Noise (suites, courtyard, etc.): Please remember that there can be no parties or outdoor gatherings during reading or exam period, which lasts until May 22nd. Any infractions of the noise policy will be strictly addressed. Also, please keep noise to a bare minimum in the courtyard in the evening hours. Voices carry.

If you are Contemplating a Leave of Absence in the Fall, and have yet to talk with me about it, please do so soon so I can file the appropriate paperwork for you and also talk to you about housing requirements, obligations and so on.

Have a fun, productive, and relaxing summer!

To the Dunster House class of 2009, CONGRATULATIONS and Best of Luck in your future endeavors!

Be Safe. Be Happy. And Remember to Stay in Touch!

Carlos’s office hours

Week of May 18-22

I’m happy to meet with you any day! Appointments for Office Hours this week can be arranged by e-mailing me at dn-abrd@fas.harvard.edu.

Tutor On-Call

The tutor on-call for the week of May 18 is Daniel Chen in G-21. He can be reached at 3-4685.

Commencement Information

A reminder to Graduating Seniors: Tickets to Commencement morning exercises (in the Yard) are given to you for personal use and to be commercially viable. Tickets should not be sold or bartered, nor should they be advertised as such by any medium.

Cap and Gown rental fee is only $40, (or about $37.00 after the Coop Member Rebate) and we accept cash, check, charge, or Crimson Cash. The “No Rush Return” deadline for your gown is June 19th, 2009. And keep your cap and tassel as a memento of your graduation! For more info contact Nancie Scheirer in the Cap & Gown office: E-Mail: hbooks@bncollege.com; Phone: 617.499.2070

Prizes and Awards. Graduate fellowships and prizes are listed in the House Commencement Program. Please inform Melanie of any awards or prizes you’ve won. Please don’t wait until the last minute; we can’t be held responsible for errors in omission if you forgot to tell us what you’ve won! Only Harvard Prizes are eligible for the program.

Not Attending Commencement Ceremony? If you do not plan to receive your diploma at the House Commencement in June let Melanie know.

Walking with another House? Let Melanie know.

IMPORTANT DATES

Examination Period: May 14, Thursday through May 22, Friday

May 25, Monday: University Holiday: Memorial Day. House Offices closed.

June 4, Thursday: Harvard University Commencement

From the House Administrator-Nora Dahl

House Lottery Results

The final results of the lottery are posted on the bulletin board on the first floor of J-entry and have been e-mailed. Please check them to make sure they are correct. Let Nora know if there are any errors. For any of the groups with multiple rooms Nora will need to know who is going to be in what room next year. Please get this information to Nora by May 15. The information is used not only for the face book but also the university telephone directory.

Interhouse Transfer Applications for Fall Term 2008, Round 2, are now available online at http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~uho/housing-forms.html. Applications are due to the Undergraduate Housing Office, University Hall, 1st Floor South, Monday, May 25: Interhouse Transfer Applications by 4:00 p.m complete with all required signatures. For this second round for the fall, the number of students who are able to transfer will be limited to the number and types of spaces available in a House. Download your application early to give yourself time to read through and understand the process. Decisions are made over the summer.. Students at a minimum must be in their 2nd term of residency in their assigned House this spring in order to apply to transfer to another House (intercollegiate transfer students may apply during their 1st term). Any approved interhouse moves will take place at the start of the fall term 2009-10

All students except those participating in Commencement must vacate their rooms by Sunday, May 24 at noon. (Students participating in Commencement must be out of their rooms no later than Friday, June 5 at 5:00 pm). As you schedule your transportation and departure plans, please keep in mind the following responsibilities to:

1) Remove all personal furniture and belongings.
2) Return any dishes or silverware to the dining hall.
3) Return to your room (and reassemble) any Harvard furniture that was in your room when you arrived but was stored during the course of the year.
4) Bag and appropriately dispose of all trash.
5) Sweep the floors, and clean spots from floors and walls.
6) Return building or room keys to the Superintendent.

Vacated rooms will be inspected promptly and will rapidly be prepared for occupancy by others; most of the preparation is done by your fellow students who are working on dorm crew. We all will be very grateful for your cooperation, which will make the quick changeover more pleasant and efficient for the new occupants.

HOUSING CANCELLATION DEADLINE
The deadline to cancel fall 2008 housing is Monday, June 1. This cancellation deadline applies to all students who will not be living on-campus in the fall. This includes students:

v Taking a leave of absence
v Studying Abroad
v Moving off-campus
v Moving into the Dudley Co-op

You may cancel after June 1 but will accrue late fees that increase as the summer goes on. Students should fill out a Housing Contract Cancellation Form. Student moving off-campus or to the Co-op should also fill out a “Move from On-Campus to Off-Campus form.” This form requires the signature of your House Administrator.

Forms can be found on the Office of Residential Life webpage at: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~uho/housing-forms.html

From the Dining Hall

We appreciate your efforts in reducing our paper waste by using real china and glassware! However we are desperately low on all dinnerware but especially glasses! Please bring back all that you have in your rooms this will also cut down on cleanup during move out!

Dunster dining hall will close after lunch on Saturday, May 23.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Friday, May 22: Senior Reception, 5:45-6:30 PM, Reception
Senior Dinner, 6:30 PM Dining Hall

Sunday, May 25: Move-Out Day, Noon

Deadline for Dunster House newsletter submissions is Thursday at 3:00 pm for Monday publication. Submit concise notices with a brief headline in writing to Nora Dahl, Asst. to the Masters, either at the House Office (J-38), by fax at 496-3850, or preferably by e-mail at ndahl@fas.harvard.edu. The newsletter is also available at the Dunster House website (http://dunster.harvard.edu)