1) CURRENT DEADLINES AND DATES OF NOTE

May 23, Friday

Examination period ends.
Deadline for submission of fall term inter-House transfer applications (Round 2) to the Office of Residential Life by 4pm. Transfer meeting held in mid-July.

May 25, Sunday

Non-graduates must vacate their rooms by noon.

May 26, Monday

Memorial Day.

June 5, Thursday

Harvard University Commencement.

June 6, Friday

Graduating seniors must vacate their rooms by 5 pm.

2) HOUSE EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

2.1) Quiet Hours Start at 11PM Every Night during Exam Period

Everyone has different schedules during May, but at some point everyone will surely need a good night's sleep or an undisturbed block of time to complete an assignment or study for an exam. Since parties are not allowed during exam period, quiet hours in the House begin at 11PM every night. Please be respectful of those who might be working or sleeping while you are taking a break from your studies.

Also, with warmer weather, windows will be open through the night. Please keep this in mind as you relax with friends in the courtyard or your common room. Noise travels quite well throughout the House and even moderate noise can disturb other members of the community.

2.2) Private Party Registration Policy for Fri. (5/23) to Thurs. (6/6)

Beginning on the last day of exam period (5/25), private parties must be registered, as usual, by 2PM on the day of the party (Friday for a weekend party). Registration forms are available in the Office of the Resident Dean, which will be open for regular business hours (9:30AM-12PM, 1PM-5PM) through 6/6. Weekend parties must close down at 2AM, as usual. Weekday parties must close down at 12AM, which is one more hour than during the term. These guidelines will be in effect because of concerns about community safety and recognition that some residents of the House have early morning commitments over the next two weeks.

2.3) Year End Move Out Information from the Building Manager

• The College encourages students to send items home as early as possible. Complete information about shipping will be available beginning in May in the Distribution Center in each House.

• Change your address with all correspondents: credit card companies, magazines, friends and family.

• A Harvard Student Mail Forwarding Card will be placed inside your mailbox. You can change your address on the World Wide Web. http://www.uos.harvard.edu/smfc. Do not fill out a United States Postal Service form 3575 to forward your mail. All students currently receiving mail at an Undergraduate Mail Center should update their mail forwarding information at the web site above. SMFC must return to sender any mail it receives for students who have not updated their forwarding records. SMFC forwards First Class U.S. Mail. Bulk mailings and periodicals will not be forwarded. Please call with any questions: (617) 496-4290 or hsmfc@harvard.edu

• Students are responsible for leaving their suite in the same condition as they found it in the fall. All rooms must be free of trash and recyclable items and swept clean. All College owned furniture removed during the school year must be returned to the room. All personal belongings including unwanted furniture, books, etc. must be taken to designated areas for donation or disposal. Students will be charged individually or as a rooming group for suites that are left in poor condition.

• Phone lines are deactivated for non-graduating students May 25th and for graduating students on June 6th. Please direct any questions about phone service deactivation to Paetec Communications at 1-800-960-6555. Please make sure the red “Harvard University” telephone remains in your suite.

• All bicycles must be removed from the bike racks. Bicycles left on the bike racks after June 6th will be considered abandoned and discarded. Please note that this includes any bicycles locked to the Dunster House bike racks.

• After vacating your suite, be sure to return your original coded keys to the Building Manager's Office. Un-coded/copied keys are not acceptable. Failure to return the coded keys will result in a charge of $25.00 per key on your term bill.

• All underclassmen must vacate their rooms by Sunday, May 25th at Noon. Seniors must vacate their rooms by Friday, June 6th at 5:00 P.M. ** Access cards (ID card) will be programmed to comply with the above dates and times. **

If you have any questions, please fell free to contact Miguel at the Mather House Building Manager's Office. Phone: (617) 495-4826 or casill@fas.harvard.edu

2.4) Summer Storage Information from the Building Manager

In mid-May you will receive inside your mailbox your storage kit prepared by the “Storage Committee.” It has been designed to provide you with all the information and materials necessary to conveniently store your belongings in designated house areas for the summer.

Storage is provided only to students who live beyond a 150-mile radius of the college. Space is very limited and offered on a first come first served basis. Therefore it is imperative that you read the instructions to avoid any problems as you prepare to leave for the summer.

No storage will be accepted outside the hours designated for each house. All articles are stored at the students' risk. The University assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged property. Students are strongly urged not to store items of significant value. If an item of value must be stored, students are encouraged to make private arrangements for insurance.

Students taking a leave of absence, withdrawing from the College, or graduating may not store any belongings at the College.

Those students who do not meet the above criteria for storage should seek alternate storage arrangements. Flyers with alternative storage facilities are located in the distribution center in each House and are on bulletin boards around campus.

College fire safety policy prohibits storage in hallways, stairwells & basements, etc…at any time. Any items found in the above locations will be considered abandoned and disposed of.

For more info go to the Mather website www.mather.harvard.edu and the bulletin board in the entryways.

2.5) BBQ Grill Available for Matherites

Now that it is getting warmer, some of you might want to borrow the house BBQ grill. The BBQ grill guidelines are listed below. Mather has two grills in the house and they are located at the bottom of the stairwells by the SCR. Please note: You can only use the grill in the Mather courtyard; the grill cannot be taken out of the premises!

If you are going to borrow the grill, please e-mail the Building Manager, Miguel, (casill@fas.harvard.edu) with the day and time you will be using it. (Once you borrow it you are responsible for the grill, so please take good care of it)
After use, you MUST clean the grill and return it to the designated area.

Questions? Contact Miguel (casill@fas).

2.6) SENIORS: Commencement Day Luncheon Tix Available, Beginning Tues. (5/27) @ House Office

Planning on attending the lunch after the diploma ceremony at the House? Tickets will be available from Jackie Wheeler in the House Office beginning Tuesday, May 27. Seniors receive three complimentary tickets, additional tickets are $13.50 each, cash only. Questions? Contact Jackie (jwheeler@fas).

2.7) SENIORS: Play-by-Play Game Plan for Commencement Day

JUNE 4 (WEDNESDAY):

4:30-6:30PM
MASTERS' RECEPTION
COURTYARD & MASTERS' RESIDENCE
All family and friends of Mather's graduating seniors are invited. There are no tickets and rsvp's are not required for this event.

JUNE 5 (THURSDAY):

6:45AM
SENIOR BREAKFAST
MATHER BIG TV ROOM
Bring your Harvard ID. You will get an ID lanyard, which you must wear with your academic robe to enter the Yard for the morning ceremony.

7:15-7:30AM
LINE-UP & MARCH
MATHER FRONT GATE & COURTYARD
Mather seniors will line up four abreast to march behind the House banner. We will march up Plympton St. to Widener Gate. If you are late, catch up at Senior Chapel or the Old Yard formation. (See details below.)

8AM
SENIOR CHAPEL
MEMORIAL CHURCH
We will march through the Old Yard and around Thayer to reach Memorial Church. We may not be able to sit together, but Mather will reconvene in front of Thayer for the Old Yard formation. A map will be posted on June 2 nd outside of the Building Manager's Office.

8:15AM
OLD YARD FORMATION
IN FRONT OF THAYER
Upon exiting Memorial Church, we will go back around the north end of Thayer and assemble immediately. Seniors will line up on both sides of the walkway. Mather will be at the front before Pforzheimer. (A map will be posted on June 2 nd outside of the Building Manager's Office.) Alumni and the President's Division then process through open ranks of seniors.

9:15AM
PROCESSION
OLD YARD TO TERCENTENARY THEATRE
Mather will be called and we will process four abreast into Tercentenary Theatre. We will be led to our seating area and will fill in two rows at a time.

9:45-11:30AM
MORNING CEREMONY
TERCENTENARY THEATRE
The President confers honorary degrees and degrees for graduates from all of the University's schools.

APPROXIMATELY 12PM
DIPLOMA CEREMONY
MATHER COURTYARD
Seniors and guests should return to Mather immediately when the ceremony in the Yard ends. Diplomas will be awarded to Mather's Class of 2008.

AFTER DIPLOMA CEREMONY
LUNCHEON
MATHER COURTYARD
Seniors should pick up their 3 complimentary tickets from Jackie Wheeler in the Mather House Office. (The red ticket is for seniors, and the two white tickets are for guests.) You may purchase as many additional tickets as you wish. Tickets must be paid for with cash; they cost $13.50 each and are available from Jackie. Tickets will also be available for sale on June 5 from Dining Services at the door, but there may be long lines so please purchase ahead of time if possible.

3) HOUSE ACADEMICS AND ADVISING

3.1) Resident Dean's Office Hours

The Resident Dean's office will be open for regular business hours from Friday (5/23) through Thursday (6/5). (Please note that the office will be closed for Memorial Day.) Laura will be available by appointment only. To set up a time to meet with Laura, please email her directly (ma-abrd@fas ).

3.2) Extensions beyond Fri. (5/23) Require Administrative Board Approval

No instructor can accept your work after the end of the exam period without the authorization of the Administrative Board. You must petition the Board for an official extension of time beyond the exam period. The notation "Incomplete" (INC), often used in the grading of graduate students, cannot under any circumstances be given to undergraduates. If you will be submitting work after 5/23, then contact Laura (ma-abrd@fas) immediately.

3.3) Impressed a Professor or TF? Get a Rec Before They Forget Details of Your Brilliance

Don't wait until next September to ask for letters of recommendation because professors and TFs might have forgotten details about your written work and class participation. Also, anyone going on leave might be unavailable in September. You don't need a purpose to ask for letters; they can sit in your folder until you need them sent out. Details and waiver forms are at http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~schlosb/LORs.html. Questions? Call 5-4829 or stop by the Office of the Resident Dean.

3.4) SENIORS: Looking for Information Regarding Commencement?

For information about cap and gown rental, visit: http://store.thecoop.com/coopstore/images/HarvardCapGown.pdf .

Also, for the real deal on commencement, find out from those in the know. Visit

4) COLLEGE ACADEMICS AND ADVISING

4.1) Interhouse Transfer Apps for Fall Available Online, Deadline Fri. (5/23), 4PM

Interhouse Transfer Applications for Fall Term 2008, Round 2, are now available online on the ORL's website . For this second round for the fall, the number of students who are able to transfer will be limited to the number and types of spaces available in a House. Download your application early to give yourself time to read through and understand the process. Inter-house transfer decisions will be made over the summer. Students at a minimum must be in their 2nd term of residency in their assigned House this spring in order to apply to transfer to another House (intercollegiate transfer students may apply during their 1st term). Any approved inter-house moves will take place at the start of the fall term 2008-09. If the application is successful, you may not remain in your current House.

4.2) Housing Cancellation Deadline for Fall Term, Wed. (6/11) @ U-Hall

The housing cancellation deadline for the Fall 2008 term is June 11th. Questions? Contact Jackie in the House Office.

4.3) Course in Reading and Study Strategies, Beginning Fri. (7/1) @ BSC

The Bureau of Study Counsel is offering a course in reading and study strategies. The course runs Monday through Friday, July 1 st through the 18 th (no class on July 4 th ), from 4 – 5PM. For more information, call 617.495.2581 or visit www.bsc.harvard.edu.

4.4) Commencement Info Re: Guests with Disabilities

There is a reserved and accessible seating section available for individuals with disabilities in Tercentenary Theatre on Commencement Day. To make a reservation or have questions answered regarding any available service, contact Marie Trottier, University Disability Coordinator via email, marie_trottier@harvard.edu. This section is reserved by ticket only and the DEADLINE to make these arrangements is Friday, May 16, 2008.

4.5) Health Insurance Information for Graduating Students

Students who are graduating this spring should review this important information regarding termination of student health insurance benefits. Information and resources to obtain future coverage are also provided: http://huhs.harvard.edu/Insurance/Students/ContinuingCoverage.aspx.

If you anticipate needing dental care before the end of the term, it is best to make an appointment now to ensure that you are seen in the next two months. Discounted preventive care package available; students receive 10% off fee-for-service visits. Call 617-495-2063 or visit: http://huhs.harvard.edu/OurServices/Dental.aspx.

The last day to apply HUHS charges to your term bill was Saturday, April 26, 2008. After this date, graduating students and students with ID cards with an expiration date of 6/08 must use an alternative method of payment.

5) EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

5.1) SENIORS: Notify Your Hometown Newspaper of Your Graduation

The FAS Communications Office at Harvard would be happy to notify your hometown newspaper of your graduation. To register for this service, please go to our web site, at https://www.fas.harvard.edu/hometown/seniors and complete the online form.

Deadline: June 10, 2008. Press releases will be sent to newspapers approximately a month after Commencement. If you have any questions, please contact Taryn Hogan at taryn_hogan@harvard.edu, 617-384-9400.

5.2) Noma-Reischauer Prizes in Japanese Studies, Deadline Mon. (6/30), 5PM

The deadline for the Noma-Reischauer Prizes in Japanese Studies 2008 is June 30 (Monday), 5:00 pm.

Prizes will be awarded for the best essays on Japan-related topics written by Harvard University students during the current academic year: One $3,000 graduate student award; and, one $2,000 undergraduate award.

Papers -- on Japan-related topics -- written this academic year are eligible, including course and seminar papers, B.A. or M.A. theses, or essays written specifically for the competition. However, doctoral dissertations, as such, will be excluded from consideration. (One entry per student per year.)

Full information and application guidelines are available on the Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies website: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~rijs (under "Grants and awards.....")

If you have specific questions, contact Dr. Theodore Gilman, Associate Director, at (617) 495-3220 or tgilman@fas.harvard.edu.

To post items in Mather Matters please send a detailed blurb to waymire@fas by Wednesday afternoon.