The Bridgewater College
Frequently Asked Questions

By way of introduction, this list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) is designed to help new faculty address some questions they may be leery to ask other individuals or may not have considered yet but would be helpful to know. However, what you will notice is that there are some overarching themes surrounding our responses to these questions. We encourage you to talk with other faculty, they are willing to help! This is a friendly, supportive community, so do not be afraid to seek assistance. There are procedures and some red tape but mostly things work to support you. Above all communicate, with students, colleagues, and various administrative staff members.

Contents

Student Concerns

1.What resources are available to students to ... A) learn critical thinking, B) learn to write better, C) learn about socialization in their new environment?

2.A student comes to my office and I discover some serious emotional issues – what do I do, my Ph.D. did not prepare me for this!?

3.A student comes to my office and tells me about seeing stolen materials in the dorm, what do I do?

4.A student comes to my office with very tough roommate issues, what do I do?

5.A student stops coming to class, and doesn’t respond to a quick email from me, what do I do?

6.A student will be absent for an exam or asks to reschedule a final exam. What do I do?

7.What are some guidelines for how to get first-year students on the right track towards fulfilling all of their General Education requirements?

8.If I have a fantastically brilliant class of students and they all work really hard and achieve at a high level, will I get flack for giving all A’s and on the other hand if I give a lot of failing grades will I be called on the carpet?

Bridgewater Structure

1.Which Dean is in charge of what…..how do I know if I’m taking my questions to the right person?

2.What role and authority do various Faculty Committees have on campus?

3.What is Founder’s Day?

4.Does IT provide help for faculty personal computers?

5.How do I contact IT for set up and in emergencies?

6.What access if any do I have to administrative assistance – to a secretary?

7.Where can I make copies on campus? Is there a budget for that?

Classroom/Teaching Concerns

1.How can I best create group activities for students in the classroom?

2.What's the contact information for the current head of the Honor Council?

4.Where can I get help when I have a teaching problem to solve?

5.What teaching methods seem to work best for different kinds of students?

6.Are there good class/course development resources available and what are they?

7.How do experienced teachers go about creating a syllabus and design a course?

8.Are there standard expectations about classroom manners – food, cell phones, arriving late, etc.?

9.Are there midterm grades or reports or just finals?

10.Is there a standard grade scale? Can we assess pluses and minuses?

11.How important are final exams typically in a BC class?

12.What is the procedure for ordering textbooks through the bookstore?

Equipment/Supply Concerns

1.How do I get a van for a field trip?

2.How do I arrange to show a movie on campus outside of class?

3.How do I place an order?

5.How do I purchase work supplies from the campus bookstore?

Resources/Funding Concerns

1.Is there money for field trips?

2.How long can faculty check out books or other materials from the library?

3.How do I place items on reserve in the library? What if it is my material I want on reserve? What if I want to put something from the library on reserve?

4.Will the library purchase books, journals, films, etc. that I want access to (or I want my students to access)?

5.How do I get keys to the building and rooms where I teach or work?

6.What does Bridgewater offer for faculty development? I have heard about travel money, sabbatical and even college grants, do these things exist and how do I access these resources?

7.Does my department have a budget? How do I find out about buying lab or lecture supplies?

Student Concerns

  1. What resources are available to students to ... A) learn critical thinking, B) learn to write better, C) learn about socialization in their new environment?
  1. Learning how to “think critically” is central to the mission of the liberal arts program at BC. PDP 150 is meant to help students begin to think more critically and get acclimated to the liberal arts. However, given the central nature of critical thinking to our mission, faculty members are encouraged to nurture and refine critical thinking skills within their courses. If you are in need of assistance in this endeavor, please contact the Teaching Resource Group.

Additionally, academic assistance, tutoring services, and study groups for students who are struggling with academic, particularly students with learning disabilities, are available through the Academic Support Center in the Bicknell House. The Director, Chip Studwell, can be reached at or extension 5370.

  1. The Writing Center, located in Bowman 310, is available for students 24 hours a day and is staffed by student tutors Sunday through Thursday evenings as well as Friday afternoons. Any student may drop in to discuss a writing assignment. Dr. Alice Trupe ( or extension 5604) is the director of the writing center and is extremely helpful!
  1. Residence Life Staff (RDs and RAs) living within the residence halls are a valuable source of information and support related to socialization. There are also a number of clubs and organizations available to students, covering a wide range of interests including athletics, religious groups, honor societies, and leisure/recreation clubs. All clubs and organizations are listed in the handbook and the college hosts an Activities Night twice a year, at the beginning of each semester.
  1. A student comes to my office and I discover some serious emotional issues – what do I do, my Ph.D. did not prepare me for this!?

The counseling center is always available to students and is staffed by two counselors, Randy Hook and Amy Ghaemmaghami . If you are concerned about a student, you may complete the online referral form by visiting the Counseling Services webpage at and clicking on the “I am concerned about a student…” link found on the left. The counseling center will handle things from there and they will likely give you a call to get additional information from you. Between 8:00am and 4:30pm, you can also contact Ursula Dinkel, Secretary in the Office of Counseling Services (extension 5692) and she will facilitate the connection with one of the counselors.

Randy Hook, Director of Counseling Services, x5358

Amy Ghaemmaghami, College Counselor, x5379.

  1. A student comes to my office and tells me about seeing stolen materials in the dorm, what do I do?

You can direct the student to Campus Police and Safety Department.

Chief Nicholas Picerno – x5761

Campus Safety Officer – x5317

  1. A student comes to my office with very tough roommate issues, what do I do?

Depending on your comfort level with the student and with the situation, you can listen and help the student work through the issue. If you don’t feel comfortable, you can direct the student to his/her dorm’s Resident Director and/or Resident Assistant to handle such issues.If the problem seems particularly serious or you sense that they are part of broader problems the Counseling Center is once again a good resource.

  1. A student stops coming to class, and doesn’t respond to a quick email from me, what do I do?

The Associate Academic Dean’s office in collaboration with Student Affairs is prepared to help! Noticing a student’s absence from class may be the first sign of academic stagnation or deeper issues, so if you are concerned, get in touch with Ed. An email or phone call to Dean Ed Huffstetler (, campus extension 5332) will start a process to find the student that may involve a member of Student Affairs going to the dorms to find the student. One other note, if you contact Ed about a student missing class, his office can generate a letter for the student that is cc’ed to you about the importance of attending class. This letter can be a nice piece of support if the student or parents dispute grades later!

If there is any indication that a student’s absence from class may be part of larger problems, you can use the on line counseling referral: Or during business hours call the Counseling Center directly. Someone from the Rebecca Hall staff will get in touch with you to close the loop so that you know the contact has been made.

  1. A student will be absent for an exam or asks to reschedule a final exam. What do I do?

Generally, this is really up to the professor. Depending on the situation, many professors would require the student to take the exam before the regularly scheduled exam time. You can decide how best to handle any unique situation.

However, please note that for final exams a different standard prevails. During Final Exam Periods the rule is that there are no changes – students must take final exams as they are scheduled by the Registrar’s office. However, in practice exceptions may be made for real hardship cases. These exceptions cannot be made unilaterally by the professor but instead must be approved by the Dean of Academic Affairs. If a student wants to take a final exam at a time other than the one on the Exam Schedule, he or she must appeal via email to the Dean, who will be governed largely by whether or not you, the faculty member, are willing and able to accommodate the student’s request. There are two big issues here. The first is communication among the three parties: you, the student, and the Dean. Make sure lines of communication are open. You may want to email the Dean with your take on the request. In any case, she will c.c. you when she communicates with the student. Secondly, there is the issue of supporting your colleagues holding the line on this no changes rule. If the student has a valid reason for moving an exam and you are able to make another arrangement, the Dean will allow you and the student to work it out. If, on the other hand, the student is asking for an unfair or unwarranted change or you cannot accommodate their request, the Dean will hold the line for you – she’ll be the “bad cop,” not you.

  1. What are some guidelines for how to get first-year students on the right track towards fulfilling all of their General Education requirements?

This process varies by department so you should talk with your faculty mentor or department chair about how to schedule General Education courses given the structure of the department major. However, some general guidelines are listed below:

  1. Download the General Education Requirements (available at look for General Education Requirements) to review with the student. Encourage them to take ownership of meeting the requirements throughout their time at Bridgewater.
  2. For first year students encourage them to complete the Core Skill Courses during their first year or at the very latest during their second year. In general they should complete at least 6 General Education Courses during their first year. (Caveat: Some majors will complete 2 General Education Courses in their first year, for example, biology majors usually only complete PDP150 and one other course their first year. So again be sure to check with your department). With 21 courses in the General Education Curriculum they will have completed more than 25% of the requirements in their first year. So as a general rule of thumb in the remaining 3 years students would need to complete 5 General Education Requirements each year to fulfill all requirements. However, students and faculty must be aware that some courses may not be offered every year or may not fit a student’s schedule so care should be exercised in laying out the courses over the remaining three years. Some faculty encourage students to create a full three year plan in the spring of their first year when registering for classes for the sophomore year to make sure that they stay on track.
  3. If first year students state that they have placed out of some courses, transferred courses in, or have completed the Core Skill Courses check their transcript in WebAdvisor.
  4. If a student has placed out of a course (e.g., by taking a Math or Foreign Language placement test, or achieved a high SAT writing score and submitted a portfolio to the English Department) it will appear on WebAdvisor with a “P” in the grade category. To place out of a course means that the student has met the General Education Requirement although the class credit does not count as credits earned toward graduation.
  5. If a student has transfer credit a “T” will appear in the grade category. This means that the student either had dual enrollment credit in high school or took a course at another college that has met a similar course offered at Bridgewater. Transfer credit counts toward meeting a General Education Requirement and the credit counts towards credits earned for graduation; however, the course does not impact the grade point average.

After checking WebAdvisor, if students have completed the Core Skill Courses ask them to explore the other General Education Requirement Categories and identify courses that would be of interest to them or that would complement their major. Be sure that students have the necessary pre-requisites to take the course by consulting the Course Catalog.

  1. If I have a fantastically brilliant class of students and they all work really hard and achieve at a high level, will I get flack for giving all A’s and on the other hand if I give a lot of failing grades will I be called on the carpet?

Thisdoes not seem to be a problem on our campus. In both cases – when there are an unusual number of excellent grades or a similar abundance of failing grades - faculty with long experience at the college report that they have received support rather than censure from their department chairs and the Dean for Academic Affairs.

If you are at all concerned about the way the grade curve seems to be working out in your courses, talk frankly with colleagues. Ask your chair and other colleagues about whether the grade profile you see in your class is significantly different from other sections of the same course or other similar courses. If the grades earned in your courses are different, the question becomes why this is so, and the answers will be focused on how to increase student learning not on blaming you.

Bridgewater Structure

  1. Which Dean is in charge of what…..how do I know if I’m taking my questions to the right person?

The organizational structure at Bridgewater College is pretty straight forward. The good news is people will always redirect you if you aren’t in the right spot.

Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs: Dr. Carol A. Scheppard—oversees all issues relating to Academics at Bridgewater. You can discuss honor council violations, class room expectations, tenure and promotion concerns, conference attendance, and research support with her. In addition, address these concerns with your Department Chair first, so your Chair is part of the conversation and can provide additional assistance for you.

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs: Dr. Ed Huffstetler—assists the Dean with Academic Affairs and oversees the Personal Development Portfolio Program. Dean Huffstetler is the frontline person for students in academic distress; this includes attendance, disruptive behavior in class, honor council violations, grade disputes, and parent conferences and concerns, etc.

Dean of Student Life: Dr. Bill Miracle—oversees all student life issues including residence halls, Eagle Productions, Student Government, and disciplinary issues relating to behavior, social life and communal common trust.

Associate Dean of Student Life: Crystal Lynn—directly responsible for networking faculty to student life support persons. When you post a note to “I have a concern about a student” on the Student Life Website (see web address on page 5), Associate Dean Lynn ensures that contacts are made with the appropriate staff members. In short, she’s your front line person when wanting to discuss co-curricular and student life issues.

Director of Counseling Services: Randy Hook—directs the Counseling Center and works directly with students in need of services. Randy is an excellent resource whenever you are concerned or sense a “red flag” going up for a student.

NOTE: There are two disciplinary boards at Bridgewater College—

The Honor Council—which is student lead and has three faculty advisors. This body hears all violations related to Academic Lying, Cheating, Plagiarism and Theft.

The Judicial Hearing Board—is a council that is composed of selected faculty, student and members of the student life administration. This body hears all cases related to severe cases and/or repeated cases of inappropriate behavior both on and off campus.