November 2024

Dean Bulldog Families,

November signifies the time when we change the clocks to 'fall back'. While many, especially college students enjoy the extra hour of sleep, it also means that darkness comes in the early evening, often providing a challenge to figure out exactly what time to eat dinner and go to bed. Similar to many points in the college experience, it is all about adjustments. As the sun begins to set on the fall semester, this is an important time to take advantage of the resources on campus to curb procrastination, have a paper reviewed to make it just right and seek any additional assistance study for a test with a peer tutor.

Bulldogs will also register for spring classes beginning this week. Selecting new courses that are both based upon personal choice and continuing to pave the way in their major and toward graduation. A nice segue to Election Day; there have been conversations and reminders throughout the semester for students to exercise their right to vote. Life is all about the choices we make and how it impacts our lives and those around us. It has been noted that over 80 million people around the nation have cast their ballots early; hopefully our students that cannot get home to vote in person are part of that number!

As the final newsletter of the fall will come after the holiday, we wish all of our Bulldog students and families a very happy Thanksgiving and start to the holiday season. View all of the terrific articles and information below from offices around campus.

Best,

Dave Drucker, M. Ed.

Associate Vice President, Student Life & Dean of Students

It was wonderful to see so many of you for Homecoming and Family Weekend. All of the events were very well attended and Mother Nature was much more cooperative this year. We hope you enjoyed our student talents on display: singing, dancing, performing and competing. Enjoy a few pictures from the weekend below.

Residence Life

The Office of Residence Life is dedicated to creating a warm and welcoming community for our residents, with programs thoughtfully crafted by students, for students. This Fall, our Resident Assistants (RA) hosted a variety of interactive events focused on community connections, safety and wellbeing, roommate agreements, campus resources and more. The RA Team embraced the Fall season with fun events such as 'Paint a Pumpkin’, 'Don't be an Out-Cider', and 'Fright Night Creations'. To end October, the Resident Student Association teamed up to host our Annual Haunted House, creating a spooktacular night that brought students together for plenty of fun!

Looking ahead, we’re excited to host our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner, served by staff and faculty, on November 21st in the Smith Dining Center.

Please see below for upcoming break information:

Thanksgiving Break:

The residence halls will close on Tuesday, November 26 at 6:30pm for Thanksgiving Break. Need to request a late departure or stay on campus over break? Students must submit their break request via the Thanksgiving Break Request Microsoft Form located on the Residence Life page on Today@Dean by Wednesday, November 20. Hall meetings to review important break information are scheduled for the week of November 11. After the break, we look forward to welcoming students back on Sunday, December 1, when the residence halls will reopen at 12 PM, noon.

Winter Break:

Residents are required to depart two hours after the completion of their last exam – all residence halls will close at 6:30pm on Friday, December 13 for Winter Break. We ask everyone to clean out their fridges, unplug appliances, and exercise caution when leaving any valuables in their room. If students need to request a late departure, students must submit their break request via the Winter Break Request Microsoft Form located on Today@Dean by Wednesday, December 4.

Plan Ahead: Residence halls re-open for the Spring semester on Sunday, January 19, and classes will begin on Tuesday, January 21.

Career Planning and Internships- Opportunities Fair

Dean's Fall Opportunities Fair is just two weeks away! On November 14th from 2PM - 4PM, Dean will welcome more than 40 employers to campus representing part-time, full-time, internship, study away, and graduate school opportunities for our students. Encourage your student to attend this valuable event, if not to secure an internship, but to practice the essential skill of networking! Nothing to wear? Have them visit the newly remodeled career closet in advising. The closet is full of business casual and business professional attire perfect for this event. Clothing taken from the closet are the student's to keep.

Thea Cerio, Director of Career Planning and Internships

Robbins Family Center for Advising and Career Planning

Course Registration

Winter and Spring 2025 Course Registration

Registration for Spring 2025 courses starts soon! All students have received emails from the Registrar's Office with their registration date and time, and from their Success & Career Advisor with more information on planning courses. Registration starts on November 5th. Students interested in winter courses can also talk through the options during meetings with their advisor. Encourage your student to outreach to their Success & Career Advisor to make sure they're ready to go!

Student Activities and Leadership Development

Campus is always active with great student programming in the last month. From a hypnotist, to tarot card readers, to a silent disco where students attend a dance and choose their own music, their is always diversity in programming and something for everyone. This month will see one of our favorite traditions; hosting Thanksgiving Dinner for students on Thursday, November 21. Staff and faculty will serve a delicious feast as the community get ready for the holidays. A few of the recent activities are noted below.

Study Away Opportunities

Studying abroad is a dream experience for many college students. Research has shown that there are so many benefits to international travel as part of a college education, including:

· deepened academic learning

· increased employability due to companies valuing international experience

· greater intercultural understanding and a broader global context from exposure to different cultures

At Dean, we’re proud to offer a diverse array of study away options to our students, including courses that include a one-to-two-week trip as part of the curriculum. This spring, two such courses are now available for registration. For more information on those, please click here.

While studying abroad is a life-changing experience, it is often unaffordable to many students. If you would like to contribute to a scholarship fund to assist those dreaming of international learning, please click here. Thank you so much for your continued support! If you have additional questions regarding Study Away, please reach out to Melissa Read, Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs at mread@dean.edu.

Center for Student Financial Planning and Services

FAFSA 2025- 2026

The 2025-2026 FAFSA application is scheduled to open on December 1st. The earlier you submit the FAFSA the better as some aid is limited and awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please be sure to have your FSA ID username and password with you to complete and sign the FAFSA. If this is your first time completing the FAFSA visit studentaid.gov to learn about the application process and how to set up your FSA ID.



Stay tuned for upcoming FAFSA filing events starting in January. As always, if you have any questions, you can contact the Center for Student Financial Planning and Services at sfp@dean.edu or via phone at (508)-541-1518.

Did you know you could use your student account credit for books/supplies and Boomer Bucks?

Unsure if you have a student account credit? Log on to Student Account Portal and check your balance information. If you do have a credit and do not have any pending financial restrictions, then you can use your credit to:

Buy books and supplies at: https://www.bkstr.com/deanstore/home

Request Boomer Bucks using the “Boomer Bucks Request” link located under Essential Links on Today@dean.

Spring 2025 Bills

Bills for the Spring 2025 semester will be available the first week of December on the Student Account Portal and will be due by January 3rd.



If you do not have access already, your student can provide you access by logging into their Student Account Portal and clicking “Add an Authorized Party” on their home screen. You will then receive an electronic invitation to set up your very own credentials.

National Financial Aid Day

On Wednesday, October 16th Student Financial Planning celebrated National Financial Aid Day with our “Financial Aid Cash Cab”. Students hopped onto our golf cart, rode to their final destination, and answered Financial Aid Literacy questions for a chance to win some fabulous prizes! (pictured below) Shout out to our winners:

1st Prize – Caleigh Brown

2nd Prize – Thomas Hunt

3rd Prize – Keegan Hamblett

Morton Family Learning Center

The Morton Family Learning Center offers a wide variety of academic supports that will help students throughout the semester. Study labs, workshops, and tutoring through our Theodore & Cynthia Berenson Center for Writing, Mathematics and Presentation Excellence are among the many complimentary services offered. We encourage students to head over to the Learning Center page on Today@Dean for more information.

Academic Coaching, a specialized, fee-based service is also available through the Learning Center in both individual and group formats. Students and families can email learning@dean.edu or call the Learning Center at 508-541-1768 to register and/or gain more information about setting up weekly meetings with an Academic Coach who can help students with note-taking, time management, organization, study strategies, and test preparation.

For additional information about our services, please contact the Morton Family Learning Center at 508-541-1768 or email us at learning@dean.edu.

Calendar Planning

When seeking information about Dean College calendar dates, please use the Official Academic Calendar that is listed on the Dean College website under the heading Academics > Academic Resources. Please do not use Google or other internet search engines for the calendar as it is likely to produce outdated and incorrect information.

Key Dates for 2024- 2025

Wednesday, November 27- Friday, November 29

Thanksgiving Break, No Classes

Tuesday, December 10 - Friday, December 13

Finals Week

Sunday, January 19

Residence Halls re-open for Spring Semester

Monday, January 20

Martin Luther king Jr. Day- No Classes

Tuesday, January 21

Spring Semester Classes Begin

Monday, February 17

Presidents' Day, No Classes

Monday, March 10- Friday, March 14

Spring Break, No Classes

Monday, May 5- Thursday, May 8

Finals Week

Saturday, May 10

159th Commencement Exercises

159th Dean College Commencement

We want to make sure everyone is aware of an important amendment that was made to the Dean College 2024-2025 Academic Calendar – Commencement will now be held on Saturday, May 10, 2025.

Please note this important date in your calendar so you can start planning for the celebration! Here is a list of area hotels that we recommend. During the academic year, we will regularly update you via these emails and our commencement web pages.

Health Services

Flu Clinic

We had a record turnout for the recent on-campus flu vaccine clinic, seeing over 70 students, faculty and staff! Thank you to CVS for their participation in this effort.

SELF-CARE KITS

As we enter cold & flu season, it is important for students to be prepared! We recommend each student keep a self-care kit in their dorm with supplies including cough drops, tissues, a cup of soup/broth, Gatorade, rapid COVID-19 tests, and any OTC medications that they would normally take at home for cough/cold symptoms or allergies.

RAPID COVID-19 tests

We have rapid COVID tests available in Health Services if a student is symptomatic and wishes to be tested. This will be through the close of the fall semester.

Counseling Services

Fresh Check Day

On Thursday October 10, the Counseling Center hosted its annual Fresh Check Day with the support of many campus partners. Pictured above are students at the 7th annual Fresh Check Day. The day was a huge success in engaging students in the important conversation of prioritizing mental health.

The counseling team is here to support students emotional, personal, and academic growth. We are excited to welcome Cristina Valente to the counseling staff this semester. Cristina started in October and is available to meet with students on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s from 9am-6pm. Welcome Cristina! As a reminder students can request to make an appointment with counseling by filling out the counseling request form.

The counseling center is excited to offer two wellness groups to students this semester. Sexual & Relationship Health and Modern Men. Starting October 24th our wellness groups will run for six weeks. Students can sign up for the group by connecting with counseling or drop in. We hope to see you there!

With the Presidential Election not far away, it is not uncommon for students to experience an increase stress. Election stress is a common experience in today’s fast-paced, highly connected world. To support our students with Election stress, anxiety, or feeling overwhelmed the counseling center is offering a variety of supports on campus. The counseling center will be tabling in the student concourse prior to the Election with resources regarding managing Election stress and mental health. Counselors will be available to students on an on-call basis during the day from 11/4-11/6. The counseling center has relaxation groups planned during the days of 11/4-11/6.

Dean College 2024-2025

Performing Arts Season

Hey families, don't forget: Tickets are on sale now! Come and see our current Dean students, award-winning faculty, and renowned guest artists and directors. This year's lineup includes six theatrical productions, four dance shows, and multiple showcase performances. Pictured above are scenes from the recent production of 'Let It Be'. Encore!

November 13-17, 2024

My Favorite Year

A classic musical comedy based on the book by Joseph Dougherty and music and lyrics by Tony award-winning Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens.

November 22-23, 2024

New Dancer Showcase

An informal showing of dance works created by Dean’s upperclassmen dance majors and performed by first-year dance majors.

November 23-24, 2024

New Thespian Showcase

An informal showing of monologues, scenes, songs, and theatre works brought to the stage by Dean’s first-year theatre majors.

December 5-6, 2024

Faculty Dance Works

Two evenings of dance, featuring outstanding works conceived by the Joan Phelps Palladino Dance Program faculty and renowned guest artists.

February 19-23, 2025

Breath of Stars

A play about love and loss reimagining Shakespeare’s “Tempest” written by Caridad Svich.



February 28 - March 1, 2025

Choreographers’ Concert

Dean student choreographers will have selected works showcased and adjudicated by renowned industry professionals in this two-night concert.

March 21-23, 2025

An Evening of Short Plays

A new experience in theatre from Dean’s Schools of Performing Arts, this series of short plays will be curated, rehearsed, and performed in the Chapel at Dean Hall.

April 2-6, 2025

Freaky Friday

A new musical based on the celebrated novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney films, this is a heartfelt, comedic, and unexpectedly emotional update on an American classic.

April 24-27, 2025

Dance Company

Award-winning faculty and guest choreographers showcase the impressive talent of our dance majors through a mixed bill of new and restaged dance works, ranging in style from hip-hop to jazz dance, tap to modern, and ballet.

April 29, 2025

Theatre Senior Showcase

Featuring scenes, songs, and monologues, the “Theatre Senior Showcase” is a celebration of the Class of 2025 and the cohort’s formal introduction to the professional theatre community.

May 1-2, 2025

Dance Senior Showcase

Creating a performance from the ground up, Dean’s talented senior dance students share their choreography, performance, and production expertise in this annual collaborative showcase.

Congratulations to Head Coach Megan Gutierrez and the women's field hockey team for securing the college's first ever playoff berth in the GNAC playoffs! While they would fall to first seed Johnson and Wales in the first round, it was a historic season for the program.

Congratulations to Head Coach Mark Ledwich and the entire women's volleyball team on their first GNAC postseason berth! Congratulations to Skylar Raskevitz on being the first in Bulldog program history to record 1000 digs.

Thank you to all of our fall athletes for your contributions, especially our seniors. Winter sports will be starting up this week! Keep up with all your favorite Bulldog teams, schedules, articles, and more at deanbulldogs.com.

Getting Around Town -Free Shuttle for Students- GATRA GO

Students can download the Gatra Go United app for a free rideshare service available to them Monday through Friday 7 am-6 pm, Saturday from 9 am-8 pm, and Sunday from 9 am - 6 pm. We will provide directions on the student portal as there is a special Dean College code for our community.

There is a three-passenger maximum for each trip. Students can use the service for Franklin and the neighboring towns of Foxboro, Wrentham, Norfolk, and Bellingham. Students have the opportunity to visit grocery stores, retail shopping centers, restaurants, and movie theatres. This includes Wrentham Outlets (Wrentham) and Patriot Place (Foxboro).

Students who choose to leave and return to campus before and after the hours provided by Gatra Go must obtain their own transportation (friend, rideshare, etc.). Campus Police and Safety cannot leave campus for non-emergent transportation needs.