Graduating Seniors: It's time to order your cap and gown!

If you are a graduating senior and plan to march at the spring graduation ceremony, you must order your cap and gown soon. All orders for caps and gowns, graduation announcements, and accessories must be placed online by March 23, 2009. No orders will be taken directly from students in the Bookstore. Place your orders online here.

Students who do not order their cap and gown by March 23 will not be able to march at graduation. You do not have to order announcements or other accessories unless you want to.

If you are a member of Psi Chi and would like to order an honor cord to wear at graduation, please bring me your money no later than March 23 as well. The cords cost $14 including shipping. If you pay by check, please make the check out to Psi Chi (not to me!). You can see the Psi Chi honor cords here. If you wish to order something else, that's fine, but please add $2 per item to cover shipping costs.

Psychology/Sociology Club

The Psychology/Sociology Club will have its next meeting on Wednesday, January 28, at 11:00 a.m. in Room 3 of the Psychology/Sociology Building. All are welcome to come. We will discuss our plans for this semester, including any field trips, guest speakers, fundraisers, or other activities anyone can suggest. Also, the T-shirts are here! If you ordered a T-shirt last semester, you can pick one up at the meeting, and if you can't make the meeting I have them in my office. If you did not order a shirt last semester, we will probably have some extra ones to sell.

Chat for students interested in forensic and counseling psychology graduate programs

Once again, the nice folks at Marymount University in Virginia are hosting an online chat session to provide information about their graduate programs in Forensic and Counseling Psychology. The chat will be on Thursday, January 22, from 7-8 p.m. There is no charge, and all you need is a computer with an internet connection. To join the chat, go to the following website:

www.marymount.edu/admissions/grad/chat.html

Psychology/Sociology Club meeting

The Psychology/Sociology Club will have its first meeting of the semester on Wednesday, January 14 at 11:00 a.m. in Room 3 of the Psychology/Sociology Building. Everyone is welcome to come.

Information for Psi Chi members

If you are a member of Psi Chi, the national honor society in psychology, you may not know that the Psi Chi website has a lot of useful information about scholarship and other opportunities. For example, the latest edition of the Psi Chi Digest discusses two summer programs that may be of interest to psychology majors:

The APA Science Directorate Internship is a paid, 10-week summer program that allows students to gain experience in science administration by working at the American Psychological Association Science Directorate office in Washington, DC. The application deadline is January 15!

The APS Summer Research Grants program provides funding for undergraduate students to conduct research projects under supervision of members of the Association for Psychological Science. The application deadline is March 1.

If you are interested in either of these programs, please consider applying! Be aware, though, that some of these deadlines are coming up soon and the application process might take some planning.

Whether or not you're a Psi Chi member, you might find some useful information about graduate school, employment, or class-related issues in the magazine Eye on Psi Chi (link is to the current version). There is usually a copy of the most current version on the table in the hallway of the Psychology/Sociology building, but you can always go to the website and look at articles there if necessary.

Office hours

On Tuesday, December 2, my office hours will start late. I am giving a test to one of my classes and will be out of the office until approximately 3:00 p.m.

On Thursday, December 4, my office hours will end early. I will have to leave the office around 3:00 p.m. and will be gone for 30-45 minutes. I will be back in time for my 4:00 Human Growth and Development class. Don't forget that you only need to come to class that day if you have to make up an exam; otherwise, use your time wisely.

During exam week (December 8-12), I will not have my normal office hours because the exam schedule interferes with them. I should be free in the afternoon (from 1-3) on Monday, December 8 and before 10:30 on Tuesday, December 9. All of my exams are on December 8 and 9; therefore, if you want to get in touch with me after December 9, it's best to email me to ask about an appointment.

Psychology/Sociology Club Meeting

The Psychology/Sociology Club will have its last meeting of the semester on Wednesday, December 3, at 3:00 p.m. in Room 3. Because our current officers are graduating, the primary purpose of this meeting will be to elect new officers. The available positions are:

President: The President presides over the meetings and delegates responsibilities and duties as necessary.

Vice President: Primarily responsible for publicizing the meetings and activities of the club, but may be asked to fill in if the President is not available.

Secretary: Responsible for recording and distributing the minutes of meetings and also conducting any necessary correspondence.

Treasurer: Responsible for collecting, depositing, and keeping track of dues and other monies.

Any interested candidates and club members should come to the December 3 meeting and be prepared to give a brief speech, if needed, about their qualifications and experiences relevant to this position. Please let Dr. Cotter know if you have any questions prior to the meeting.