Welcome to the Journalism School from Prof. Elena Cabral, Director of the PT Program
Greetings!
As director of the part-time program at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, I am delighted to welcome you to the school. We are very much looking forward to working with you this summer and in the semesters to come. No doubt you have many questions about the upcoming term, so please look to the following information as a guide:
Orientation: Mandatory orientation for the part-time class, which includes an introductory meeting with your RW1 instructor, will be held on Friday, May 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., with a reception to follow from 4:15 to 5:45 p.m. You will also be setting up your computer accounts and receiving your ID cards, two essential items, so you do not want to miss this day.
CLASS REGISTRATION: You do not have to register for classes; we will automatically place you in an RW1 class. We’re offering three sections this summer. Due to a scheduling change, we will be surveying all part-time students again to learn their preferences among the current options. Please go to the following online form to indicate your preference: http://fs8.formsite.com/cjdos/RWIpreference/. The link states that Professor Robin Reisig’s class will meet on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 7 to 9:45 p.m. Professor Ari Goldman’s class will meet Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 9 p.m., and Professor Addie Rimmer’s class meets on Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The deadline to complete this form is Monday, May 12 at 7 a.m.
We will do our best to accommodate your preference, although we cannot guarantee that all of you will get your top choices, as we must insure the number of students in the three classes is roughly equal.
START OF Classes: Classes begin the week of Memorial Day. Please note that if you are in Prof. Reisig’s Monday and Wednesday class, you will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday (that week only) to accommodate the holiday. If you’re in Prof. Rimmer’s Saturday class, your first class will be held on Saturday, May 30.
ADDITIONAL DIGITAL MEDIA TRAINING: As part of your experience in RW1, you will receive additional training in digital media during the first four weeks of the summer term. The training will require students to be on campus for additional hours beyond their regular class time. Please let me know as soon as possible if you are not able to attend some or all of these training sessions. The training will take place as follows:
Week One (week of May 25): Students will receive digital media (DM) training on their regular class days but for an extended class time.
Professor Reising
DM training Tues & Weds 7 to 10 p.m.*
Professor Goldman
DM training Tues & Weds 7 to 10 p.m.
Professor Rimmer
DM training Saturday 10 a.m. to 4p.m.
* Professor Reisig’s class will meet on Tuesday instead of Monday because of the Memorial Day holiday.
Week Two (week of June 1): Students in all three RW1 sections will attend one night of digital media training in addition to their regular class times.
Professor Reisig
Regular class Mon & Weds 7 to 9:45 p.m.
DM training Tues 7 to 10 p.m.
Professor Goldman
Regular class Tues & Weds 6:30 to 9 p.m.
DM training Mon 7 to 10 p.m.
Professor Rimmer
Regular class Saturday 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
DM training Thurs 7 to 10 p.m.
Week Three (week of June 
: Students will attend one additional night of digital media training.
Professor Reisig
Regular class Mon & Weds 7 to 9:45 p.m.
DM training Tues 7 to 10 p.m.
Professor Goldman
Regular class Tues & Weds 6:30 to 9 p.m.
DM training Mon 7 to 10 p.m.
Professor Rimmer
Regular class Saturday 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
DM training Thurs 7 to 10 p.m.
Week Four (week of June 15): Students will attend one additional night of digital media training.
Professor Reisig
Regular class Mon & Weds 7 to 9:45 p.m.
DM training Tues 7 to 10 p.m.
Professor Goldman
Regular class Tues & Weds 6:30 to 9 p.m.
DM training Mon 7 to 10 p.m.
Professor Rimmer
Regular class Saturday 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
DM training Thurs 7 to 10 p.m.
TAKING OTHER CLASSES: Part-time students often ask if they can take additional classes at the same time they are taking RW1. While it is not forbidden, we do not encourage this because RW1 is an intense and demanding experience, and most part-timers find it best to focus their energy on this first course. However, if you feel your schedule will allow for an additional class, we do offer two 3-credit electives, the course known as Journalism, the Law and Society, and a five-week video skills class. If you’re considering signing up for an additional class, please get in touch with me as soon as possible to discuss your options before filling out the survey.
ACCELERATING: Students also frequently ask if they can begin their studies in the summer and then accelerate to graduate the following May. The answer to that question is yes, as long as you have the time to take several classes in both the fall and spring semesters. However, once you reach 12 credits, you will be billed a flat rate, as opposed to a per-point rate. If you are considering doing this, please make sure you’ve first talked to me or Associate Dean Melanie Huff.
Email: Once your $1,000 electronic deposit has been received, your UNI (which also serves as your Columbia e-mail address) is generated. Please allow a couple of days for your information to be updated into the system.
Go to http://www.columbia.edu/cu/studentservices/newstudents/docs/Activate_Uni/index.html to look up and activate your e-mail. If you want these emails to go to another address, you can set up your Columbia account to forward your mail electronically. We’ll also add you to the student listserv so that you will receive all of our updates, including information on the many special events occurring at the school. Meanwhile, you can keep tabs on what’s going on via the Daily Plan-It blog, published by the Dean of Students office. It can be accessed at http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/. In addition, please visit the Web page for new students at http://snurl.com/newstudent. It includes a checklist of items you need to do to get started.
TUITION: Your tuition bills are issued by and paid directly to the university, not the journalism school. The university will send you an electronic statement at the beginning of each semester. You can also access it through the Student Services Online link on the university’s Web site. There is no need to worry if you have not yet received a tuition bill. The University will be emailing the first summer statement on Monday, June 1, with the first payment due on Thursday, June 18. Information on payment options, plus access to your online account, can be found here: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/sfs/docs/billing/payment-options.html
Technology: You can expect to use both a digital camera and a digital tape recorder while reporting stories for class and for our main student Web site, http://columbiajournalist.org. We have this equipment on hand, so it is not mandatory for you to purchase your own. However, some students wish to do so. If you are considering this, please take a look at our technology guide for incoming students, where you’ll find suggestions for affordable equipment that interfaces smoothly with the rest of our technology. The guide, which will be updated at the end of May, also discusses computers and laptops. Here is the link:
http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/cs/ContentServer/jrn/1212608972593/page/1212608974271/JRNSimplePage2.htm
Academic calendar: The Dean of Students blog also provides links to the J-school’s online event calendars, which can be viewed online or uploaded to your own Google calendars. For a quick reference, here is a link to the page through which you can access (and import) the J-school’s master calendar, as well as a calendar published by the Columbia chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, which is the school’s student organization. http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2007/09/04/calendars-a-new-master-calendar/
If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me at mec9@columbia.edu or 212-854-1124. Please let me know if you’d like to drop by my office, 101K, which is located on the first floor of the building, one floor beneath the ground floor. I look forward to welcoming you in person on May 22.
