Student Advising Portal

For a PDF summary of the academic support and student support resources at Bates, click here.

For a PDF summary of the general education requirements and the members of a student’s advising team, click here.

Recommended Entry Course Page: This page includes information that 1) briefly summarizes the field of study of each academic unit, 2) highlights introductory courses or entry points for students who might be interested in that field of study, and 3) explains how those entry courses also fulfill requirements of the General Education Program (Major + 1, 5 MOIs, 3 Ws)

Advising Guides for Particular Fields of Study: Some academic units or divisions have created advising guides that inform students about particular courses they should take if they want to major in a particular field of study.

The Peer Learning Commons (PLC): The PLC is students’ central hub for academic support at Bates. Located in the ground level of Ladd Library, the PLC houses the Student Academic Support Center (SASC) and the Student Writing and Language Center (SWLC). Each of these Centers are staffed by peer tutors and professional staff to assist students in engaging their academic work across the curriculum as well as in developing study skills ranging from time management and note-taking to inclusive study group practices.

Student Academic Support Center (SASC). SASC provides support for introductory and intermediate level courses in mathematics, statistics, programming, natural sciences, life sciences, and quantitative social sciences. SASC is located in the Peer Learning Commons on the Ground Floor of Ladd Library (you can enter either through the ground level Ladd door across from Chase Hall and Carnegie Science or you can enter the main level Ladd door, make 2 left turns and go down the stairs). SASC is open for drop-in support on the Ground Floor of Ladd Library at the following times: Mondays – Thursdays from 11am to 4 pm & 6 pm to 9 pm; Fridays from 11am to 3pm; Sundays from 6 pm to 9 pm. You can also make an appointment by using Penji. Instructions on how to do so are here.

Student Writing & Language Center (SWLC). SWLC, located in the Peer Learning Commons on the ground floor of Ladd Library, empowers Bates students in becoming more effective writers, language-users, communicators, thinkers, and learners by providing a supportive environment for idea generation, collaboration, drafting, writing, reading, revising, editing, studying, speaking, and presenting. SWLC tutors are Bates students trained to listen to and guide their peers in using writing and language to achieve students’ personal and academic goals. The SWLC serves all writers at any stage of the writing process. Our peer writing tutors can help students develop strategies for: understanding a writing assignment; coming up with ideas to write about; understanding feedback from professors; outlining and drafting; using your voice; integrating and citing sources; revising your drafts; editing and proofreading final drafts. You can also make an appointment by using Penji. Instructions on how to do so are here.

Accessible Education: Accessible Education is committed to ensuring full access to both academic and co-curricular programming college wide for students with disabilities.  It is located on the lower level of Ladd Library. It is open Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm and is available at 207-786-6222 or accessibility@bates.edu.

Library and Research Support: The research librarians in Ladd Library can assist students in learning how to utilize all of the available resources to conduct research. Students can also check out class materials on reserve if they chose to do so instead of purchasing them.

Student Research Support and Funding: A distinctive characteristic of a Bates education is the emphasis on student research. At Bates, we help students to develop the skills and background they need to undertake research projects throughout their time at Bates. The Dean of Faculty office offers a wide variety of research funding during both the academic year and during the summer to assist students in conducting research during their entire time at Bates and not only for senior thesis and capstone support. Tips for preparing a strong proposal to apply for research support from Bates can be found here. The Dean of Faculty has prepared a Student Research Handbook that can assist students in utilizing any research funding provided by Bates.

Pre-Health Professions Information and Pathways: Students interested in pursuing a health profession should be sure to review all of the resources at this site put together by the pre-health advisors at the Center for Purposeful Work. It is important that students considering a pre-health pathway take CHEM 107, which is only offered in the Fall semester.

Center for Global Education: The Center for Global Education is the hub of global learning and cross-cultural engagement for students, faculty and staff of Bates. The Center for Global Education provides advising, programming, and resources for international students and for all students seeking to study off-campus. For an overview of all of the off-campus study opportunities at Bates, please view this video. You can find more information on semester/year off-campus study and Short Term off-campus study on the relevant websites.

Purposeful Work in the Curriculum. Purposeful Work is infused into every aspect of student life at Bates. Each semester, there are dozens of Purposeful Work Infusion Courses, in which professors weave discussions and assignments about purpose and work into their syllabi. Find Infusion Courses in Garnet Gateway by searching for the Course Attribute “Purposeful Work.” Additionally, during Short Term, Purposeful Work brings Bates alumni and other experts to campus to teach one-of-a-kind Practitioner-Taught practicum courses in career-related fields outside of the regular Bates curriculum.

Harward Center for Community Partnerships. The Harward Center’s mission is to weave together campus and community for the enrichment of both student learning and public life. We seek to weave the resources and concerns of our community into the Bates educational experience and onto the Bates campus. And in the process, we seek to educate students who can themselves weave together their learning, personal growth, ethical values, and public action for the common good. Staff at the Harward Center can connect students with community-engaged courses, community-engaged research, community-engaged volunteer opportunities, and more.

Registrar. The Office of the Registrar and Academic Systems maintains the permanent academic records of all students. The Registrar is located at Libbey Forum on Mountain Avenue and can be reached at registrar@bates.edu. The office oversees and provides services related to the curriculum, course registration, production of the Course Schedule each term, classroom scheduling, grades, management of applying non-Bates credit to your Bates degree, e.g., AP credit, transcripts, transfer credit, enrollment certifications, independent study, and diplomas. It also maintains the “First Day of Class Meeting Drop Policy.“

Academic Policies are discussed in the Bates Catalog. To review these polices, go to the Catalog, click on “Academic Program” at the top. Then, click on “Academic Policies.”

The General Education Program: This page provides a helpful summary of the Bates general education requirements, which includes the Major +1, 5 MOIs, and 3 Ws). For a rationale for the program please see either the college catalog or review this PDF about “Exploring the Bates Curriculum.” Students and faculty may find the advising pyramid graphic helpful as it visually depicts all of the requirements of the general education and illustrates how the 5 MOIs can be understood as a foundation on which a Bates educational experience may be built. For answers to Frequently-Asked Questions about the MOIs, please see this document prepared by the Registrar.

The Bates Catalog: The Bates College Catalog is a comprehensive guide to the academic program. It outlines official academic policies and procedures followed by students, faculty, and administration. Information on Major and Minor requirements, General Education Concentrations, Modes of Inquiry as well as course descriptions are included. Please note that the Catalog is a comprehensive guide to all courses, and the catalog should not be confused with the schedule of courses offered in a given semester. The schedule of courses can be found through the Garnet Gateway.

Applying Non-Bates Credit from Global Education Programs: After completing a study away/abroad program, students must take particular steps to ensure that the credits from those programs are applied to their Bates degree as well as to their major, minor, general education concentration, or other general education requirement such as Mode of Inquiry. All of the information for each of these credit application processes is here.

Applying Non-Bates Credit from AP, IB, or A-Level Courses: Students are permitted to apply up to 4 non-Bates credit toward degree (not including study away/abroad programs). Information on how to apply these credits so they are listed on the student’s transcript and the student’s Degree Audit is here.

Applying Non-Bates Credit that is not from Global Education, AP, IB, or A-Levels: If students have non-Bates credit that is neither from Global Education programs or AP, IB, or A-Level credits, e.g., courses taken during the summer at other higher education institutions, they must complete a Transfer Credit Application Form, which can be found on the Forms page at the Registrar site.

Academic Standing Committee: The Academic Standing Committee is made up of faculty and staff members from different departments. This committee is responsible for evaluation of a student’s progress and evaluates petitions for exceptions to academic standards, policies, and procedures. Additionally, the Committee reviews requests for registration adjustments that are not considered purely administrative in nature. Students who believe their situation may warrant an exemption from a College academic policy or requirement may submit a Petition to the Committee on Academic Standing. Petitions are typically reviewed weekly when classes are in session. Students can find the petition form, instructions, and committee review timeline on the Academic Standing Committee website. Any questions about the petition process can also be sent to academicstanding@bates.edu

Information and Policies on Academic Integrity, Plagiarism, and Unintentional Misuse of Source Material: Violations of academic integrity are among the most serious offenses that students can commit; any violation may result in consequences at both the course and institutional levels. As contributors to an ongoing scholarly and creative conversation that depends upon thoughtful and fair acknowledgment and treatment of the inquiries, reflections, and expressions of others, each member of the Bates community is expected to use and represent the work of others fairly and honestly; to acknowledge the work of others fully and accurately through proper attribution and citation; and to produce their own work unless collaboration is allowed.

Academic Appeals Procedures:  Bates’ commitment to fairness and consistency supports an appeal process that affords students the opportunity to have certain significant decisions affecting their academic work and status reviewed. If a student has reasonable grounds to believe that a faculty member has assigned a final grade or taken other academic action that significantly departs from established course-specific policies, is inconsistent with established College policies, or is grossly unfair for other reasons, the student may follow the appeal procedures described at this site to obtain equitable review of the matter. It is the student’s responsibility to make a timely, compelling case.

Course Attendance Policy: Information on the Bates College course attendance policy and guideline for absences.

Pass/Fail Grade Policy. Over the course of their Bates career, students may take a total of 2 Bates courses in the fall or winter semester on a pass/fail basis, with a maximum of 1 course per semester. Students may not elect to take a Short Term course pass/fail. The following conditions apply:

  1. Students may declare or change a pass/fail option until the final day to add a course. Students may change from a pass/fail option to a letter grade option until the final day to drop a course.
  2. Students taking a course pass/fail are not identified as such on class rosters. Faculty members submit a regular letter grade (A, B, C, D, F) to the registrar, who converts the letter grade to a pass or a fail. A grade of D-minus or above is considered a passing grade. Unless the student chooses to inform the instructor, only the student, the student’s advisor, and the registrar know the grading mode the student has elected for the course.
  3. Departments and programs decide whether a course taken pass/fail can be used to satisfy major and minor requirements. This information appears in catalog entry for each major and minor.
  4. Courses taken pass/fail are not computed in the student’s grade point average.
  5. Courses taken pass/fail may not be used toward General Education requirements. In other words, all MOIs and all Ws (including thesis/capstone if that is the W3 and FYS, which is the predominant W1) must be taken for a letter grade. All courses within a General Education Concentration must also be taken for a letter-grade.

Course Deferrals: Students are expected to complete all work assigned by faculty by the end of finals. In turn, faculty are expected to provide students with clear guidelines in their syllabi and in class discussions regarding all assignments, including test dates and paper deadlines. The College recognizes that circumstances beyond the control of the student may occasionally necessitate the extension of a deadline for some course work beyond the end of the semester. In the interest of fairness and equity to all students, the reasons for such deferrals must be limited in scope. For more information on circumstances in which a course deferral is warranted and the processes to obtain a deferral go here.

Repeating Courses. Students may repeat a course only if they have received a grade of F for the course or have withdrawn and received a grade of W, with the exception of certain courses which may be repeated for credit, as determined by the Committee on Curriculum Review. Course descriptions note if a course may be repeated for credit. An F grade remains in the student’s grade point average even if the course is repeated. Consequently, if a student fails or withdraws from a course and enrolls in it in a future term, both instances of the course will be considered when Satisfactory Academic Progress is calculated. More information can be found at the Bates Catalog. Click on Academic Program and then click on Academic Policies to find more information.

Make-Up Exams. The policy and parameters for making up missed exams is here. Accessible Education may be able to proctor a make-up exam. Requests for a make-up exam can be completed here. Please note that qualifying absences for makeup exams include those related to NCAA athletic competitions, observance of a significant religious holiday, illness, severe medical or psychological issues, personal emergencies, and debate competitions. For absences that fall outside of these categories, arrangements must be made directly between the student and instructor to make up the exam. All students who need to make up an exam due to illness must receive clearance from Bates Health Services prior to submitting your makeup exam request.

Leaves of Absence, Withdrawals, and Dismissals. Students may take a leave of absence or withdraw voluntarily from the college at any time by meeting with the Director of Student Support Services. There are a variety of reasons why a student may choose to take a leave or to withdraw from the college. If you are considering one of these options, we encourage you to meet with the Director of Student Support Services early on to begin a conversation regarding your options and to be sure you have enough time to plan accordingly.

Medical Leave. If a student is seeking to take a medical leave of absence from Bates, they should connect with their Student Support Advisor (who is listed at the top of their Degree Audit) and their Academic Advisor (who is also listed at the top of their Degree Audit). Degree Audit can be accessed at Garnet Gateway. Full information about Medical Leave policy is here. A student may consider or be encouraged to take a voluntary medical leave in the event that physical and/or mental health concerns are significantly interfering with their ability to succeed at Bates and/or the demands of college life are interfering with the student’s recovery or safety. Involuntary medical leaves are meant to be utilized only under extraordinary circumstances, when a student is unable or unwilling to request a voluntary medical leave. Such a leave may be necessary when a student’s behavior is disruptive to the college’s learning environment, the student’s health concerns have compromised the student’s health, safety, or academic success, or the behavior poses a direct threat to the safety of one or more members of the college community. Before an involuntary leave is considered, efforts will be made to encourage the student to take a voluntary leave.

Degree Requirements for the Bachelor of Science: Bachelor of science requirements. Candidates for the bachelor of science degree must complete CHEM 107A; CHEM 108A; MATH 106 or 206; PHYS 108 or s31. Students with Advanced Placement credit, International Baccalaureate credit, A-Level credit, or approved transfer credit may fulfill the requirement for one or more of these courses. Students must declare their intention to earn the B.S. degree no later than the end of the first semester of their senior year. Pass/fail may not apply to courses for the B.S. requirements.

Satisfactory Academic Progress refers to both the number of credits and the GPA threshold that a student must maintain over their time at Bates. Federal law requires the college to establish standards of satisfactory progress toward the degree and to monitor each recipient of federal aid to ensure that the student is making satisfactory progress according to those standards. However, Bates applies Satisfactory Academic Progress standards to all students, regardless of financial aid status. The concept of satisfactory progress mandates the monitoring of both grade point average (GPA) — qualitative progress — and the number of credits completed — quantitative progress. The academic standing of students is reviewed twice a year: following the fall semester and following Short Term, when both the winter semester and Short Term are considered. Short Term is considered part of the student’s cumulative GPA and is included when calculating good standing or probation. A brief guide to GPA and Credit Thresholds as well as to guidelines in cases of academic dismissal is here. information on the GPA and credit thresholds is in the discussion of “Satisfactory Academic Progress,” can be found in the Academic Policies section of the Catalog.

Religious Holiday Observance: Bates recognizes the right of students to fulfill their religious obligations and practices. In recognition of Bates’ commitment to a diverse and inclusive student body and the variety of religions observed and practiced by our students, faculty are encouraged to consult the Multifaith Calendars posted online by the Office of the Multifaith Chaplain when developing course syllabi so that conflicts between in class examinations and major religious holidays may be avoided. Given the range of faiths embraced by our students, it may not be possible to avoid all conflicts between scheduled examinations and religious holidays. Students are expected to approach the instructor within the first 3 weeks of the semester if there is a conflict between a scheduled examination, paper, or project due date and a significant religious holiday observed by the student. This timely communication with the faculty member ensures that the student may observe significant religious holidays and make alternative arrangements to complete course assignments without academic penalty. The Office of Accessible Education will continue to be available to proctor makeup exams for students who miss an exam due to observance of a significant religious holiday, illness, severe medical or psychological issues, or personal emergencies.

Information on How to Register — The New Interface. It’s in your Bates email.

All students received an email on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 at about 3 PM eastern that provided information–including screenshots–of the new Registration interface at Garnet Gateway. Please see that email for further information. All faculty received a copy of that same email on Monday, February 3, so academic advisors should be able to reference that email to support students in their questions about the registration process.

Timeline for Short Term 2025 and Fall 2025 Course Registration Process 

(NOTE: These dates are also visible at the Important Dates and Deadlines Calendar at the Student Advising Portal)

  • Monday, February 24, 2025 – The schedule of courses for both Spring Short Term 2025 and Fall 2025 should be available on Garnet Gateway by noon for you to review and to start thinking about what courses you want to select. The academic advising period also begins on February 24.
  • Friday, February 28, 2025 – You can select one .5-credit short term course for Short Term 2025 and up to 4.5 credits for Fall 2025 in Garnet Gateway starting at 9:00 am EST. Please remember that registration is NOT first-come/first-served, and you have until Friday, March 7, 2025 at 4:00pm Bates (Eastern) time to select courses for both Short Term 2025 and Fall 2025. Please remember that students must complete no fewer than 2 short-term classes (each short term would add .5 credits to the total 32 credits needed for the degree) before they graduate. 
  • Friday, March 7, 2025 – Course registration closes at 4:00 PM Bates (Eastern) time. This is also the last day to drop a Winter 2025 course. And, it is also the last day to select a letter-grade mode for any course you may be taking in the current Winter 2025 semester. Dropping a class and changing the grade mode (only from pass/fail to letter-grade, but not letter-grade to pass/fail) must be done by 11:59 PM EST. Please note: all General education requirements such as the MOIs, the W-courses, and courses to count for a GEC, must be taken for a letter grade. Students can only utilize one pass/fail per semester. Students are allocated 2 pass/fails during their time at Bates.
  • On or Near Tuesday, March 11, 2025 – First-round results of registration will be released and a notification will be sent to students’ Bates email when the process is complete and the results are available. If you are satisfied with the outcome and you are registered for the 4.0 or 4.5 Fall 2025 and 0.5 Short Term 2025 credits that you want to take, you do not have to do anything. If you did not get optimized into courses you are still interested in taking, you may file a petition for an available seat via Garnet Gateway (see petitioning dates below). 
  • Wednesday, March 12, 2025 – Petitioning for a course that you selected but did not receive during the first-round of registration opens once initial course schedules are released.
  • Sunday, March 16, 2025 – The petitioning process closes at 11:59 PM EST (Faculty will review petitions between Monday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 26–if the faculty member accepts the petition, the Registrar will enroll the student; no action is needed by the student).
  • Tuesday, April 1, 2025 – The Add/Drop period for all classes opens at 7 AM Bates (Eastern) time. If your petition is accepted by the faculty member, the course is added to your schedule automatically prior to the beginning of the add/drop period. You can add credits to your schedule up to a total of 5.5 credits at this time.
  • Wednesday, April 30, 2025 – This is the last day to add a Short Term 2025 course; the course must be added by 11:59 PM Eastern. The add period for Fall 2025 remains open.
  • Friday, May 2, 2025 – This is the last day to drop a short-term course. The course must be dropped by 11:59 PM Eastern.
  • May 31, 2025 at 11:59pm EDT – The add/drop period for Fall 2025 closes. It will reopen on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 at 7:00 AM EDT.

If you have questions, please see your academic advisor first. Your academic advisor is listed at the top of your Degree Audit; they are also included at the landing page (called “My Success Network”) at BatesReach.

Bates utilizes an “Advising Team” approach whereby each student has a network of support. In the BatesReach system, this network is referred to as “My Success Network,” and it includes 1) a student’s Academic Advisor, Student Support Advisor, Athletic Coach (if the student is a student-athlete), and all of the student’s faculty instructors during a given semester.

Each first-year student has a set of three advisors–their Academic Advisor, their Student Support Advisor, and their Junior Advisor–and each has a different role. The Academic Advisor is most often a student’s First-Year Seminar until the student declares a major. Then the academic advisor is a faculty member in that major field of study (if a student declares two majors, they work with an Academic Advisor in each field of study, and if a student declares a minor, they also have an Academic Advisor in that minor field of study). Here is a bit more information about each role:

Academic Advisor: Until a student declares a major (no later than March 1 of their second year), their pre-major academic advisor is most often their First-Year Seminar instructor. Once a student declares a major, a faculty member within that academic unit becomes their academic advisor. The academic advisor helps students explore the curriculum to discover their interests and to fulfill general education requirements, e.g., 5 Mode of Inquiry credits, Major + 1 (where the “+ 1” can be a second major, a minor, or a General Education Concentration), 3 W credits, 32 total credits toward degree (including 2 short-term courses, each short-term course counts as 0.5 credits).

Student Support Advisor (SSA): The Student Support Advisor supports student success by ensuring they know whom to go to when they need guidance, assistance, or just someone to talk to. Students are assigned a Student Support Advisor prior to their matriculation and remain with their advisor for the duration of their enrollment at Bates. While your pre-major academic advisor – who is your First-Year Seminar (FYS) instructor – provides the primary academic advising for students, Student Support Advisors are an additional point of contact and support for students who have concerns or questions about their academic plans.

Residential Junior Advisor (JA): At Bates, all first-year students live within First-Year Centers in the residence halls. Each FYC has an assigned junior advisor (a residential advisor often a sophomore or junior) who serves as a key peer resource to assist students in navigating opportunities at Bates. Most common questions about residence life at Bates, e.g., housing accommodation, roommate information, etc., are answered at the Office of Residence Life and Health Education website.

Writing Course-Attached Tutor (W-CAT): At Bates, all first-year students enroll in a First-Year Seminar (FYS) during their Fall semester. Each FYS includes a peer writing tutor, who is a sophomore, junior, or senior who serves as a key resource to assist students in developing their writing and communication skills within the FYS. First-year students can meet with their FYS W-CAT throughout the Fall semester to review FYS assignments with them as well as to get assistance on the First-Year Experience Workshops, which are tethered to the FYS. The W-CATs are part of the student staff at the Student Writing and Language Center, which is part of the Peer Learning Commons. The Peer Learning Commons is on the Ground Level of Ladd Library.

Campus Map. This interactive campus map shows the locations of all buildings, parking lots, emergency “blue phones” and other locations of interest at Bates College.

Student Affairs: This is the main website for Student Affairs. The overarching goal in Student Affairs is to support every student for a successful Bates experience, and to help prepare students for rewarding and engaged lives after Bates. The site contains links to all offices within Student Affairs as well as key resources such as BatesReach. You can also access the Student Advising Hub at this site.

Overview of Student Support Resources: This brief document summarizes a range of health and wellness and other support resources at Bates. It provides information on health-related, community, confidential, and emergency response resources and can be a good first step in identifying the appropriate resource for your student.

Student Support Advisors: The Student Support Advisor program supports student success by ensuring they know whom to go to when they need guidance, assistance, or just someone to talk to. Students are assigned a Student Support Advisor prior to their matriculation and remain with their advisor for the duration of their enrollment at Bates. Your Student Support Advisor is listed as a member of your Student Success Team in BatesReach. You can login to BatesReach via your Garnet Gateway.

Student Conduct and Community Standards. In keeping with the College’s mission to encourage student development, and to foster leadership, service, and creativity, certain policies and community standards have been established to further these educational goals. An overview of the College Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures is here. Conduct includes matters of Academic Integrity and matters of Social Conduct including but not limited to actions against persons or property as well as alcohol and marijuana use policy

BatesReach: Student Affairs has launched BatesReach: an online tool that will make it easier for students to reach out to their advisors and professors. In order to help students develop and maintain strong connections with faculty and staff across campus, and to enhance student success, a new online tool has been implemented called, BatesReach. The purpose of BatesReach is to help students succeed by connecting the student to faculty and staff that are in a position to help by virtue of their role with the student. To learn how to navigate BatesReach, please see various “how-to” resources here.

Accessible Education: Accessible Education is committed to ensuring full access to both academic and co-curricular programming college wide for students with disabilities.  It is located on the lower level of Ladd Library. It is open Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm and is available at 207-786-6222 or accessibility@bates.edu.

Bates Health Services: Health Services strives to enhance each student’s wellbeing by providing comprehensive confidential health care, and encouraging informed participation in all health-related decisions. Bates Health Services is open Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. To make an appointment, please call Health Services at 207-786-6199 or email healthservices@bates.edu. 

Counseling and Psychological Services: Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) strives to enhance each student’s well-being by providing comprehensive, confidential mental health care and by encouraging informed, individual participation on mental health-related decisions. Counseling is free to all Bates students. You can contact CAPS at 207-786-6200 or at CAPS@bates.edu from 9am-5pm ET on Mondays through Fridays. If you have an urgent need to speak to a counselor during the academic year, please call (207) 786-6200 and press 0 to be connected to our off-site crisis counseling service. This service is available 24/7.

Bates Care Collaborative: The Bates CARE Collaborative (BCC) is a multidisciplinary team that provides coordinated, proactive, and person-centered support for students, faculty, and staff, who may be in distress and/or exhibiting concerning behaviors. If you have an immediate concern or an emergency, please contact Security at 207-786-6254, or their emergency line at 207-786-6111. Otherwise please click on the Report A Concern button on the top right side of this page. If you have any questions, please contact BCC members via email at batescarecollaborative@bates.edu. *Please note this email is only monitored during regular business hours.

Residence Life: At Bates, all first-year students live within First-Year Centers in the residence halls. Each FYC has an assigned junior advisor (a residential advisor, often a sophomore or junior) who serves as a key peer resource to assist students in navigating opportunities at Bates. Most common questions about residence life at Bates, e.g. housing accommodation, roommate information, etc., are answered at the Office of Residence Life and Health Education website. Specific questions regarding move-in dates and move-out deadlines are addressed on the 2023-24 residence life calendar. Questions not addressed at these resources can be directed to housing@bates.edu.

Bates Campus Safety. Campus Safety aims to foster an environment whereby all individuals are safe and secure to learn, live and work in community with one another.  Campus Safety accomplishes these goals through building relationships, education, and collaboration with individuals, groups and campus organizations.  Campus Safety is committed to providing services in a compassionate and respectful manner that values and recognizes the diverse experiences of our students, staff, faculty and guests. In addition to supporting the safety of the community on campus, Campus Safety has many safety programs in place, including a student safety shuttle program operated 7 nights a week from 7 pm to 12 midnight, a campus wide notification system for all students, faculty and staff, Rape Aggression Defensive (RAD) Training, and over 140 security (blue light) phones located throughout the campus. Campus Safety also over sees all parking on campus, bicycle registrations, student ID’s, and access control (key or card access) to the campus.

Confidential Resource Advisor (CRA): The CRA (formerly known as the Sexual Assault Victim Advocate of SAVA) provides confidential advocacy and support for survivors of sexual violence, dating and domestic violence, stalking, and other types of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct. The CRA can be contacted at cra@bates.edu or 207-753-6996.

Financial Support Resources: This resource is for students seeking information on financial support for their Bates education. First, To be considered for need-based financial aid from Bates, you must indicate that you will be applying for financial aid on your admission application and provide all of the materials shown below by the applicable deadline. Bates is committed to meeting 100% of the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student, regardless of citizenship or immigration status. Financial aid at Bates is renewable for up to four years, provided that financial aid application forms are submitted on time, the student’s family continues to demonstrate eligibility according to institutional standards and the student meets satisfactory academic progress. Families applying for renewal of Bates financial aid must complete the CSS Profile and FAFSA and provide copies of family income tax returns and other materials annually. Deadlines for Financial Aid consideration are here.

Additional Financial Resources: Bates offers financial support for academic and creative endeavors including but not limited to academic research, summer internships, community engagement projects, and student organization events. For a summary of those resources and whom to contact for more information, please go to this document (Bates community only).

Student Emergency Fund. The Student Emergency Fund (SEF) was established with the intention of providing short-term financial assistance to on-campus students experiencing unforeseen and emergent situations during the academic year that would likely impact a student’s ability to remain enrolled at the college. Student Emergency funding requests are reviewed weekly by the Student Emergency Fund Committee.  The committee will respond to requests within two business days. Note that the committee does not review requests over the weekend. Students can apply for Student Emergency Funding by completing this form. When submitting a request, students should be aware that a request may be funded wholly, partially or denied.  The student will be notified of the decision via email.  Student Emergency Funding applications will only be viewed by and shared with the Student Emergency Fund committee unless additional information is necessary from an appropriate department or staff member. Please note the there are eligibility requirements for an application to the SEF to be considered, and those requirements are detailed here.

Office of Title IX/Civil Rights Compliance: The Office of Title IX and Civil Rights Compliance works to promote a community characterized by trust, mutual respect, and responsibility where all can feel secure and free from bias and discrimination in the classroom, in social, recreational, and residential environments, and in the workplace. Working together with partners across campus, the Director of Title IX & Civil Rights Compliance/Title IX Coordinator provides assistance and support to any Bates community member who experiences bias, harassment, or discrimination based upon any measure of identity, including race, gender, ability, religion, and national origin. Contact: Gwen Lexow, Director of Title IX & Civil Rights Compliance/Title IX Coordinator at titleix@bates.edu or 207-786-6445.

Well-Being Initiative: We know that definitions of well-being are culturally defined and unique for each individual and that well-being can be uniquely challenging for college students who have many academic, extracurricular, and social demands that can affect their ability to thrive. The Well-Being Initiative is a hub for information and resources on 9 dimensions of Well-Being: 1) Academic, 2) Environmental, 3) Financial, 4) Mental, 5) Occupational, 6) Physical, 7) Relational, 8) Social, and 9) Spiritual. This page also contains a link for more immediate support as well. Just click on the “Need Support Now” button at the upper right.

Information on the Multi-faith Chaplaincy and Support It Offers: The Multifaith Chaplaincy warmly and creatively nurtures the religious, spiritual, secular, and searching community at Bates College, encouraging students to live into fullness and build deeper connection. Through radically inclusive hospitality, we strive to provide spaces for deep sacred expression, devotional exploration, community connection, reflective contemplation, and compassionate transformation.

Student Center for Belonging and Community: The Student Center for Belonging and Community supports the Bates College community by providing educational cultural programming to students. The Student Center for Belonging and Community is a welcoming environment that has comfortable lounge spaces, a computer lab, a conference room, a community kitchen, and much more.

SPARQ!–LGBTQIAP2+ Support: SPARQ! is a network of resources sponsored by the OIE that strive to support students’ positive development of gender, (a)sexuality, and (a)romantic identity. We offer peer mentoring, ally education, and targeted programming focused on specific LGBTQIAP2+ identities accessible to the entire Bates community.

Center for Purposeful Work. Preparing students for lives of meaningful work lies at the heart of the liberal arts mission. Purposeful Work at Bates focuses on helping students discover the joy and power that arise from aligning who they are with what they do. We work with students to: engage in exploration and reflection, find community and connection, and embrace equity and inclusion. We guide students in their discovery of their interests and strengths, their expressions of purposeful work, and their career pathways through appointments, assessments, infused courses, job shadows, and events and opportunities posted on Handshake. We invite students to make an appointment with one of our advisors here via Handshake.

Please watch the short 5-minute video below, which provides information on how to make the most of the Student Advising Portal.

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