April 8, 2020
Dear students,
I know we have been sending out lots of messages lately, and I apologize for filling up your inbox when I know you are all heavily invested in your online coursework and still navigating the challenges of learning remotely. However, this message contains a lot of very important information about grading for the current semester AND the plan for pre-registration for next fall. Please review this information carefully and reach out immediately with any questions. As always, you can refer to the University’s COVID-19 website for general information, and Eastman’s COVID-19 website for an archive of past email correspondence.
Pass/Fail for Spring 2020
We are extending the deadline for undergraduate and graduate students to opt into letter grades for this semester to April 29. As before, students should submit their request for the letter grade option via this form. As a reminder, while the form is branded as an AS&E form, it will still work for Eastman students. If you have already submitted your request and wish to make a change, please just submit a new form. On April 29 we will use the most recent information that you have submitted to create the grading rosters for your instructors.
If you have questions about the Pass/Fail grading system this semester, please see our FAQ about the changes.
Advising for Undergraduates
The Office of Academic Affairs is offering advising hours through April 19th in preparation for the start of pre-registration on April 20th.
Advising appointments may be requested during your normal studio class time or during normal business hours (8:30 AM-5:00 PM EDT). Special requests due to time zones or other conflicts will be considered. All requests for advising appointments should be sent to Britt Linné Semenow at bsemenow@esm.rochester.edu. Please provide 3 half hour times that you will be able to meet in order to facilitate scheduling and avoid conflicts. You will receive an acknowledgement of your email with a Zoom meeting ID and appointment time.
If you have not already completed your UR Student onboarding process, now is a good time to start. UR Student has many guides to help you navigate this process (https://tech.rochester.edu/services/urstudent/), but if you require further assistance, you may request it during an advising appointment.
Advising for Graduate Students
Zachary Peterson will be offering graduate advising appointments through April 19th, prior to pre-registration April 20th. Please consult your primary program advisor first; if questions remain, or if Mr. Peterson is your primary program advisor, please sign up for a Zoom appointment with him.
All requests for advising appointments with Mr. Peterson should be send to zpeterson@esm.rochester.edu with your first and last name in the subject line. Please provide 4 twenty-minute times when you are able to meet, as this will facilitate scheduling and avoid conflicts. You will receive an e-mail confirmation of your appointment time with a Zoom meeting ID.
Prior to your appointment, please be sure to complete the UR Student onboarding process. The UR Student team has created guides to help you navigate this process (https://tech.rochester.edu/services/urstudent/). Should you require further assistance, please let Mr. Peterson know.
UR Student
The move this Spring to UR Student, our new student information system, has been a major undertaking for the University and is part of an important initiative to update and streamline student records, registration, and financial processes. While every effort has been made to minimize impact to students and faculty during the transition, we continue to find opportunities to improve. One of these areas is in the creation of saved schedules as you prepare for Fall 2020 registration.
If you have not yet used the “create a schedule” feature, you can learn more about it on the UR Student site. In brief, it allows you to create and save course schedules ahead of registration in UR Student. These can be reviewed with advisors and you can draft as many versions of a schedule as you choose. When registration opens you can submit your schedule in a few easy steps.
At this time, however, students are only able to create a saved schedule in UR Student for courses in the school associated with their primary program of study. This limitation only applies to the creation of saved schedules. Please be assured you that you will still be able to register for all your coursework when your registration opens the week of April 20th.
If you need to register for courses outside your program of study, it is recommended that you take the following steps:
- Create a schedule in UR Student ahead of registration for those courses aligned with your primary program of study.
- Make a note of the courses outside your home school that you want to take, including their [ID number?] and [section]?
- Be sure to review your schedule with your advisor ahead of registration.
- When registration opens, submit your saved schedule of courses in your primary program of study AND register directly for any courses outside your home school.
For example, an Eastman student can create and submit a saved schedule of their courses at Eastman, but will need to register separately for any coursework that they plan to take in AS&E. This issue also applies to dual degree students, as you will only be able to create a saved schedule for courses in your primary school.
The ability to create schedules that include courses from across the institution is an important feature that is being addressed immediately for Spring 2021 registration. We apologize for any inconvenience during the rollout of UR Student this spring.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your advisor or submit a request for assistance through the UR Student Help portal. We are committed to supporting you through this transition and to improving the UR student experience for all our students, faculty, and staff.
Pre-Registration for Fall 2020
The Office of the Registrar staff will be available for Fall 2020 pre-registration support starting Monday, April 20th thru Thursday, April 23rd from 7:30am – 4:00pm EST. Please use the following Zoom meeting link to connect with someone from the Registrar’s office during these times: https://rochester.zoom.us/j/839525026.
Staff will be available for a live chat to assist students with any UR Student questions or issues they may be experiencing. If you are unavailable during these times, please send an email to registrar@esm.rochester.edu.
As a reminder, here is the schedule for pre-registration times:
| ESM Class of 2021 and all dual-degree students | Monday, April 20 | Registration opens at 7:30 AM |
| ESM Graduate Students | Monday, April 20 | Registration opens at 8:00 AM |
| ESM Class of 2022 | Tuesday, April 21 | Registration opens at 7:30 AM |
| ESM Class of 2023 | Wednesday, April 22 | Registration opens at 7:30 AM |
Basic Needs
The University created a Basic Needs Hub to facilitate the connection of campus and community resources for students who are experiencing a time of critical need. The hub provides urgent, essential student necessities, such as food, clothing, housing, and access to academic tools. Assistance provided through the hub is not intended to replace or supplement current student financial aid and it does not need to be repaid.
The mission of the hub is to provide short-term, temporary financial assistance during the COVID-19 crisis; priority is given to students with the highest financial need. More information, as well as the form to apply for support, can be found here: https://www.rochester.edu/students/support/.
In addition, the Office of Student Affairs is operating a food pantry, which is available by appointment only. The Eastman Food Pantry is stocked with a limited selection of staple food products, and students can register for an appointment by emailing reslife@esm.rochester.edu at least 24 hours in advance.
Thank you again for your attention to this important information!
All the best,
Dr. Hain
John C. Hain, DMA
Associate Dean of Academic and International Affairs
Eastman School of Music
26 Gibbs St.
Rochester, NY 14604
jhain@esm.rochester.edu
(585) 274-1020