AY1718 – Page 9 – University Honors Program Blog

Spring 2018 Registration Guide

October 23, 2017Featured, General News

This is not a drill, people. Spring 2018 registration is upon us! But before you can register for next semester’s classes, you have some housekeeping to do. Find out how to get your holds removed and where to find the best courses for you next semester.
Registration Schedule
***Friday, November 10: Honors Freshmen and Sophomores (Privileged Registration)***

November 13	Monday	90 or more hours (credits) earned
November 14	Tuesday	70 or more hours (credits) earned
November 15	Wednesday	50 or more hours (credits) earned
November 16	Thursday	30 or more hours (credits) earned
November 17	Friday	0 or more hours (credits) earned

Registration is open from 7AM-12AM.
Upperclassmen, if you’re not sure when you register, you can check your earned credit hours in GWeb using the following path: Student Records & Registration Menu > Student Records Information Menu > Transcripts > View Unofficial Transcripts. Make sure you’re looking at overall hours earned for the accurate total!
Urgent Hold Information
Check your record via GWeb regarding holds prior to your scheduled registration time. Any hold on your account will prevent access to registration. You can view any holds on your account by looking at: Student Records & Registration Menu > Student Records Information Menu > View Administrative Holds.
Make sure to check now and again in the days lead up to registration. Check early, and check often! BADLY TIMED HOLDS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE. DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU:

Spring Registration Advising

All honors students are encouraged to see a Honors Program Officer before registration. Make sure you are prepared with a tentative course schedule using the Spring 2018 Schedule of Classes and Honors course descriptions. As new course information and revisions become available we will update the website. Please re-check the information on the Schedule of Classes and the Honors site before you register to ensure that you’re up-to-date!
Please use our wide selection of advising dates to your advantage – plan on meeting with an advisor at a time that is most practical given your registration date. Students may discuss registration (and remove an advising hold, if applicable) by one of the following options:

Attend an advising pizza party in the Honors Townhouse Club Room:
Friday, November 3rd from 12 to 2 p.m.
Tuesday, November 7th from 4 to 6 p.m
Thursday, November 9th from 4 to 6 p.m
Make an appointment with Mary online at honorsprogram.gwu.edu/make-appointment.

Research Employment Opportunity

October 18, 2017General News, Job/Internship Opportunity

Research Employment Opportunity: Temporary/Paid/Internship
Open Government Partnership Independent Reporting Mechanism
Want to gain international research experience? Interested in monitoring and evaluating policy implementation in a variety of countries? The Open Government Partnership’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) is hiring an intern to help produce country reports written by national researchers. If interested, submit CV and writing sample to IRM@opengovpartnership.org. Minimum 20 hours per week, with a strong preference for candidates able to work full time 40 hours/week.

Background
The Open Government Partnership is seeking highly organized individuals with strong writing skills to collaborate with the Independent Reporting Mechanism team to review reports written by national researchers in over 50 countries. The Intern will work closely with IRM staff to ensure high quality assessments and strong writing in all reports. From October – March, the Specialist will assist in all stages of the reporting process, from reviewing drafts and overseeing quality control through final publication.
Duties

Review country reports, Interns will be responsible for:
- Fact-checking national studies;
- Assisting in the editorial and publication process;
- Copy-Editing, formatting, and proofing reports;
- Carrying out country-relevant research and writing policy briefing notes for staff.

Profile

Junior or Senior pursuing a degree in International Affairs, Journalism, or Political Science
Strong writing skills, including English usage and mechanics;
Demonstrated attention to details including copy-editing and proofreading skills;
Strong demonstrated interpersonal communication skills
Academic research experience
Prior internship experience with research, editing and/or publishing in public policy issues
Ability to work under tight deadlines and prioritize and manage large amounts of information;

Other details

Interested candidates must submit materials by October 23, 2017.
This internship is paid.
This is a temporary one semester assignment with possibility of extension for outstanding performers.
The IRM team is based in Washington, DC – applicants must be available to be in the DC office near McPherson Square a minimum of 20 hours per week.
Interested candidates should submit an English CV and a sample of previous publications or writing sample to the IRM staff at IRM@opengovpartnership.org. Please use the following email title: “OGP IRM Temporary Employee.”
Because of the volume of applications, we will not be able to respond to every applicant. We thank applicants in advance for their expressions of interest.
The Open Government Partnership Support Unit, a project of Tides Center, is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage and seek applications from women, people of color, including bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the LBGTQI communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, medical condition (cancer-related) or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related conditions (ARC). Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application.

#HonorsProblems: Making Your Mark in the Big City

October 18, 2017General News, Student Voices

The following blog post was written by Peer Advisor Linnea, a sophomore in the business school studying business administration.
Growing up in a small town my whole life, I came to grow very comfortable with the consistency of every day. However, as I grew older I came to desire something more than this predictability. I wanted to expand my friend group to beyond the people I had known since kindergarten, explore new restaurants beyond just the three in my hometown, and experience living in a place that didn’t completely shut down at 8 pm every night. When I toured GW I knew that D.C. would be the city where all these hopes could be made a reality.
Flash forward to the beginning of my freshman year and living in D.C. was everything I had ever hoped it would be……..until it wasn’t. Coming from a small town I had always felt like a big fish in a small pond. However, coming to GW made me feel like just the opposite. While I saw people with incredible internships, huge leadership roles in student orgs, and stellar GPAs, I felt insignificant. In high school I was comfortable–comfortable with my classes, friend group, teachers, hobbies, and just about everything else. The comfort in the consistency gave me a sense of confidence that I had come to take for granted. Leaving this familiarity for GW stripped this confidence from me, leaving me confused and overwhelmed.
However, as time went on my freshman year, I came to appreciate being the small fish in the big pond. Though I may not have had big leadership positions or amazing internships yet, I realized that the opportunities that D.C. (the “big pond” in this metaphor, if you will) was able to provide me for such goals were endless.
Looking back, I had grown complacent living in my small town. Moving to the city has challenged me in ways that I could never have experienced at a school other than GW. I’ve set high goals for myself in all my endeavors and I feel nothing but inspired living in a city full of such motivated, hardworking individuals (many of which happen to be in the honors program!!).
Living in D.C. has taught me that leaving your mark on the city doesn’t necessarily come from outstanding accomplishments or impressive positions, but rather the drive and determination that make our community so dynamic. So, enjoy the ride and don’t stress too much–with a strong sense of motivation, success will follow.

Applying to Graduate School Workshop

October 16, 2017Events, General News

RSVP: https://gwu.joinhandshake.com/events/70062/share_preview

Workshop:

Maximum Attendees: 120 (44 Remaining)

Event Timeline:

5:30-6:15 Check-in and Tabling of GW Graduate Programs (Marvin Center 302)

6:15-7:00 Panel discussions

7:00-7:30 Table discussions and students can go room to room to talk with other panelists and learn about other programs

This interactive program will start with an opportunity to speak with admission representatives from various GW graduate programs to learn more about application timelines and different specialized programs in each school.

Starting at 6:15 pm, students will be directed to break-out rooms in which panelists will discuss tips and advice on how to research, narrow down choices, and best present yourself when looking at and applying to competitive graduate school programs.

The program will be feature alumni from different programs, GW pre-professional advisors, and graduate school admissions officers for programs in the business, law, public policy, international affairs, medicine, and STEM.

GW 5th Year Programs will also be discussed in all break-out sessions.

Breakout Rooms:

Pre-Med Pre-Health, Public Health

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) sponsored by the Biomedical Engineers Society

Psychology: PhD, MS MSW, PsyD, etc sponsored by Psi Chi

MPP, MPA, Law, MBA and CCAS programs International Affairs

The Extra Curricular: MoCo Fire and Rescue Service

October 11, 2017General News, Student Voices

The following blog post was written by Peer Advisor Nate Hanshew, a CCAS sophomore studying international affairs and Arabic.
Hey there! For those of you who don’t know me my name is Nathan Hanshew, and I’m a sophomore here at GWU who is also a student and peer adviser within the UHP. Those who know me call me Nate and know that I’m a Charge EMT within the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. Montgomery County and rides out of Rescue Company 2 in Wheaton, MD. Montgomery County is the county directly above D.C. and has a little more than a million inhabitants. I’ve currently been in the Fire Rescue Service for the past two years and it has been responsible for developing me into the person that I am today. It has truly exposed me to the brutal reality of how the other side lives and has broken my previous, false, and naive concept of how the world and ultimately how our society functions. Some of the greatest advice I’ve ever received in my life has been in the field on the ambulance while responding to those in need: Don’t be daunted by the severity of issues placed in front of you, approach your dilemmas with unique calmness, determination and execution. During this past weekend, I had to respond to an overturned mail truck with a driver that was entrapped within the interior of the truck:

Along with this mail truck that was overturned on its side, there were two other cars that were also involved in the accident as this mail truck swerved and slid approximately 10-20 feet after tipping over. Upon arrival on the scene, there was a sense of concern and urgency within, however with the triad of being calm, having determination, and using flawless execution, the patient was able to be safely extracted from the truck and sent to the hospital under my care. No matter how great the circumstances and no matter how frightening they can be, everything can play into your hands if you play your cards right. Not only do I follow this advice in the field, I utilize this advice for projects, and fittingly for midterms as it’s midterm season! By following a routine and schedule, the beauty of organization will clear any mess you have so you can execute your assignments optimally. Through determination you will get to the end result you so desire, and by execution you will come to the end you wanted for yourself.
All photos were taken by Battalion Chief Brett Russell, MCFRS and WVRS

Food for Thought w/ Prof. Gross

October 6, 2017Events, General News

Join us in the Club Room on Friday, October 20th from 12-1 for a Food for Thought with Prof Gross! Prof. Gross will be giving a brief talk over a catered lunch. Make sure to RSVP to save your seat (and your sandwich!). More information about the talk is below:

Framing Effects from Racialized Partisanship in Election News

Considerable attention has been paid to the use of racial appeals by political candidates. Far less attention has been given to the ways in which typical campaign news coverage may also serve to prime racial predispositions and influence evaluations. In this talk, I will discuss how journalists’ tendency to focus on the “horserace” when covering elections often serves to highlight partisan divides between identity groups and I will explore the potential effects of this type of coverage. The electoral success of today’s Democratic Party depends on a multiracial coalition with large vote shares among African Americans, Latinos, and Asians. Frames emphasizing the degree of support for the parties from racial and ethnic groups are quite common in election coverage, often emphasizing the large percentage of Democratic support among racial/ethnic minority voters (e.g. 93% of blacks vote Democrat, 39% whites). How does such racialized news coverage of partisan divides affect voters’ views of the parties and evaluations of their candidates? We draw on data from two original experiments that test whether the minority-Democrat emphasis of these large-percentage frames shift white voters’ views of parties and candidates more than smaller-percentage frames of minority votes within the Democratic coalition (e.g. 24% black, 57% white), and a race-neutral frame. We find the “minorities” emphasis improves Republican evaluations (and hurts Obama evaluations) among racially resentful whites. As demographic change motivates more stories about the growing electoral power of racial and ethnic minority voters, news may continue to shape racialized views of the parties through framing choices.

Team REPRESENT [Research Assistant]

October 5, 2017General News, Research Assistant Opportunity

Professor: Jenne Massie
Department: Psychology
Title: Team REPRESENT
Description: Team Represent is a dynamic interdisciplinary research team headed by Dr. Lisa Bowleg, Professor of Psychology. Using both qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods, Team Represent’s conducts a variety of research projects focused on behavioral and structural aspects of HIV prevention with Black men, intersectionality, and Black lesbian, gay and bisexual health.
Duties: This student will assist with a variety of research-related tasks including but not limited to: quantitative data entry, data monitoring, qualitative codebook development, Endnotes library audit, and literature searches for manuscript preparation. The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate keen attention to detail and strong organizational skills. This student must be able to work independently with guidance from the Project Directors Dr. Jenné Massie (MEN Count Study) and Carolin Perez, MS (Menhood Study). Hours commitment and credit hour options can be discussed.
Time commitment: 4-6 hours per week (average)
Credit hour option*: 2
Submit Cover Letter/Resume to: massiej@gwu.edu
*If credit is sought, all registration deadlines and requirements must be met. Students selected to be research assistants should contact Mary Rothemich at rothemich@gwu.edu whether they intend to pursue credit or not.

#HonorsProblems: Finding Balance

October 4, 2017General News

The following blog post was written by Rachel Kaufman, a sophomore in the Milken School studying exercise science and biology.

As honors students, our favorite word is AND. We have majors (maybe two?) AND internships AND do research AND have social lives AND are involved in clubs AND sports AND sleep AND eat AND make time to give our brains a break to watch Netflix. Our love of and is wonderful, and it is what makes us the vibrant and vivacious community that we are. However, as my Origins professor wrote on all of my papers, run-on sentences are bad.
When I first got to GW, I planned on doing a double major, pre-med, the honors curriculum, varsity rowing, an internship, and three different clubs. While all of those things are fantastic, I quickly realized that there are only 24 hours in a day (and sleep is not for the weak but is actually super important to be a functioning college human). At my first Honors Small Group meeting, we got blank pie charts, and the advisors told us to fill in the pie with all of the activities, including school, that we wanted to do at GW. As I was filling in the pie chart, I realized the more things I added, the smaller the other slices got. But, I didn’t want to sacrifice all of these “and’s” I had set my mind to!
But as I learned during freshman year, quality is better than quantity. It is better to give 100% to one thing than 50% to two things. Maybe three clubs was too many, and I should pick the one I am most passionate about. Maybe instead of two majors, I could make one of them a minor. Maybe instead of an internship, I could focus on school and sports and get a summer job. At GW, the opportunities are unlimited; unfortunately though, my time here is. In order to make the most of all the incredible opportunities GW had to offer, I had to learn to prioritize. My life could not be a long run-on sentence.
A year later, I have found balance between the few things that are most important to me, and now that I have found that balance, I feel more comfortable adding a few more slices to my pie–it is pumpkin season after all!

Community organizing career opportunity – learn more Tues, Oct 17 at 7pm

October 2, 2017Job/Internship Opportunity

Careers in Community Organizing for Social Justice
The Direct Action & Research Training (DART) Center will hold an online information session Tuesday, October 17 at 7 pm to discuss careers in community organizing with GW students and alumni interested in uniting congregations and working for social, economic and racial justice.
RSVP at www.thedartcenter.org/GWU
DART hires and trains organizers to build organizations that have successfully addressed issues including:
* Plugging the school-to-prison pipeline
* Reining in predatory lending practices
* Expanding access to primary health and dental care
* Prioritizing funding for affordable housing and job training
* Education reform in low-performing public schools
* Fighting for immigrants’ rights
Positions start January 16, 2018 in Miami, FL, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Topeka, KS and Columbia, SC.
Positions start August 13, 2018 in Knoxville, TN, Columbia, SC, Lexington, KY, Topeka, KS, Richmond, VA, and St. Petersburg, Jacksonville, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Starting salary $34,000/year + benefits.
Although it may be helpful, no prior organizing experience is necessary. Fluent Spanish speakers are encouraged to apply.
To find out more about DART or to apply, we encourage you to visit www.thedartcenter.org. Still have questions? Contact Hannah Wittmer at hannah@thedartcenter.org or (202) 841-0353.

October Small Group Meeting

October 2, 2017Events, Featured, General News

Freshmen, you all are doing an AMAZING job on four year plans. Congratulations! As we wrap those up, it’s time to move on to the next advising beast: SPRING REGISTRATION! At October Small Group Meetings, we’ll answer burning questions such as:

What is spring registration going to be like?
How do I get rid of this registration hold on my account?
Should I stay with my current Origins/Science faculty member or switch things up?
Are college students still allowed to trick-or-treat?
[Insert your non-personal, generalizable question about basically anything here]

Please RSVP for a small group meeting here. Small group meetings are first-come, first-served and they’re small (duh), so don’t procrastinate! We’ll be holding meetings on Foggy on:

Monday, 10/16	4pm	UHP Club Room
Tuesday, 10/17	4pm	UHP Club Room
Wednesday, 10/18	4pm	UHP Club Room
Thursday, 10/19	4pm	UHP Club Room
Friday, 10/20	10am	District House B118
Friday, 10/20	11am	District House B118
Friday, 10/20	1pm	District House B118
Friday, 10/20	2pm	District House B118
Friday, 10/20	3pm	District House B118

So SIGN UP NOW and we’ll see you soon! If the only meeting you can attend is full, please contact the UHP front office or email uhp@gwu.edu. If you cannot attend any of the meeting times, please schedule a one-on-one appointment with Mary here.