Co-curricular Programs

Andrews University offers a rich learning environment inside and outside the classroom. Classes required for a student’s academic curriculum are complemented by a number of required co-curricular programs each semester. Together they deliver the whole-person education at the heart of Andrews University’s mission.

Weekly Schedules

See the co-curriculum schedules for Meier, Lamson and University Towers.

Co-Curricular Programs

Three types of co-curricular programs are offered:

1. Chapels and Forums. Held Thursdays at 11:30 a.m., Chapels gather the University community to explore and celebrate faith. Forums bring noted leaders and authors to campus for Christian dialogue. These occur once a month in the same time slot.
2. Choices. Smaller groups of students gather each week for a variety of Choices programs that focus on personal, spiritual, professional and leadership development. Many of these choices are available on Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m., on Friday evenings and daily in the residence halls.
3. Changes. Students can earn co-curricular credit for experiential learning outside of class. Experiences must involve at least 10 hours of work in a student organization, campus ministry, workplace, church, etc. and be supervised by an advisor (pastor, club sponsor, work supervisor, etc.). Participants must initiate a Learning Contract before the September or January deadlines and will earn five credits upon completion of a Learning Assessment. Please contact Student Life for more information.

Co-Curricular Fee

A co-curricular fee is assessed at the end of each semester. This fee is cumulative, based on nonattendance. Students are charged $25 for the first program that falls short of the required number and $11 for every program short thereafter. A maximum of $344 may be charged to traditional students and $179 to non-traditional students per semester. This fee can be minimized or completely eliminated by attending programs.

Attendance Requirement

Attending co-curricular programs is part of earning an Andrews degree. These programs should receive the same weight as classes when planning work schedules and overall academic load.

1. Traditional Undergraduates. All traditional undergraduates are required to attend 30 co-curricular programs a semester, meeting one or two minimums (below) as part of the total requirement. Tuesday/Thursday Chapel/Forum Minimum. Students must attend a minimum of 15 Chapels/Forums each semester. Residence Hall Minimum. Residents must attend a minimum of 8 Choices offered in any residence hall each semester. Community students are also welcome to attend these programs for credit. The remainder of the requirement can be fulfilled by attending other Choices programs, as well as by participating in the Changes program.
2. Non-Traditional Undergraduates. Students 25 years and older or who are parents with a child in their care are identified as non-traditional. Non-traditional undergraduates are required to attend only 15 programs a semester, drawn from any of the available programs. They also have the option of viewing Chapels online and submitting a report in lieu of physical attendance. Parents under the age of 25 must present a copy of their child’s birth certificate to the Student Life office in order to receive non-traditional status.
3. Exempted Undergraduates. Marital status or work conflicts do not exempt students from attendance. However, if an undergraduate student is registered for 7 or fewer credits, pursuing a second bachelor’s degree or has earned 120 credit hours or more by the beginning of the semester, the student is welcome but not required to attend programs. Earned credit hours can be viewed using the University Academic Record link on the iVue page. Do not use the CAPP program to figure earned credit hours.

Recording Attendance

Attendance at co-curricular programs is recorded by scanning ID cards with a handheld optical scanner. Students must have their ID card with them in order to receive credit. You will not receive credit without an ID card. Some smaller programs may utilize a manual sign-in system.

[Requirements at a Glance] Program|Residence Hall Students|Community Students|Non-Traditional Students ---|---|--- Chapels/ Forums|15 minimum|15 minimum|No minimum Res. Hall Choices|8 minimum|No minimum|No minimum Choices/ Changes|No minimum|No minimum|No minimum Total|30 programs|30 programs|10 programs

Pass/Fail System.

Traditional undergraduates must complete at least 60% of the co-curricular requirement in order to pass for the semester. Students who fall short of the pass level will be placed on co-curricular probation. The completion levels are as follows:

Co-Curricular Probation and Registration Hold

Students placed on co-curricular probation at the end of a semester will be allowed to continue their studies the following semester. However, a hold will be placed on future registration until the pass level is achieved in the new semester. A continued pattern of failing attendance will result in the withholding of registration privileges for a period of one semester.

Absences due to occasional field trips, medical appointments, and illness or family emergencies will not be excused. Students should plan to offset these conflicts with attendance at other programs. However, those who miss Thursday Chapels for one of these reasons may have the option to view a missed program online and file a report. Please contact the Student Life office within one week of your absence to discuss this option.

Attendance Monitoring.

Students are responsible for keeping track of their attendance throughout the semester. To access your attendance record, visit www.andrews.edu and click on "Current Students." Then click on "Chapels and Choices." If programs you have attended do not show up on your record within a week, use the “missing programs” link in your attendance record to report the discrepancy. This must be done within 21 days of the missing program.

Worship Decorum, and Conditions for Receiving Worship Credit

University Towers's chapel is dedicated to the worship of God. Doors will only be unlocked at your request for your personal study and prayer needs. Reservations for rehearsals and meetings should be made with the Guest and Convention Services during office hours.

Credit for attendance requires that you:

• Present only your own ID card
• Be at the scheduled meeting place on time & stay for entire program
• Be dressed appropriately-no curlers, PJ's, etc., please.
• Behave appropriately and quietly, don't detract from the service or disturb others-don't bring reading material, food, cell phones, no studying or talking. If a University Towers staff member must address you about behavior during worship, you will receive no attendance credit for that program.