The Scholars’ Honors

Program Student Handbook 2016-2017

I. Program Requirements

1. You must complete 5 honors courses/contracts in any combination (a minimum of 15 total units). • A list of honors courses is posted on the SHP website each semester (Fall and Spring). • It is strongly recommended that you complete the honors section of English 100 and English 103. Our transfer partners expect that honors students are competent writers and critical thinkers. • Students who enroll in honors courses are more successful than those who focus on completing honors contracts. 2. You must complete the Honors Writing Requirement. • Students can satisfy this requirement by completing the honors section of English 100 and/or the honors section of English 103 with a “B” or better. • Honors contracts do not fulfill this requirement. • Students who do not fulfill this requirement will not be certified as honors students and will not receive any of the transfer benefits of the SHP. 3. In order to be considered an active SHP student in good standing, you must: • Maintain a 3.0 transferable GPA 1 o Students interested in UC Berkeley should have a 3.7+ GPA o Students interested in UCLA should have a 3.5+ GPA o Students interested in CA private universities should have a 3.5+ GPA • Complete at least one honors course or contract each semester (Summer is optional) • Make successful progress toward completing the SHP, completing your general education requirements, and completing your major requirements • Attend mandatory SHP workshops 4. All students are required to make an appointment with one of our honors counselors. Students must update their Education/Transfer Plan on a regular basis. Visit the Transfer Center to schedule an appointment with one of the SHP counselors: Brittany Lundeen, Marvelina Barcelo-Graf, and Berenice Gallardo. You can contact them by email too. • Brittany Lundeen [email protected] • Marvelina Barcelo-Graf [email protected] • Berenice Gallardo [email protected]

If your GPA drops below a 3.0, you may be placed on probationary status or dropped from the SHP. If your GPA remains below a 3.0 for two consecutive semesters, you will be dropped from the SHP. If you are dropped, you may reapply to the program once your GPA rises to 3.0 or better. Any honors credits that you earned while in the SHP will remain on your transcripts.

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5. Priority registration is a privilege, not a right. In other words, this privilege is earned and only offered to SHP students in good standing. • Complete the Priority Registration Contract (posted on our website) • Complete at least one honors course or contract each semester (see the Priority Registration Contract for further details) • Maintain a 3.0 transferable GPA each semester • Maintain a consistent academic record 2 • Meet with one of the SHP counselors on a regular basis • Complete academic progress reports each semester 6. Join our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ScholarsHonorsProgram. 7. Keep us informed of any changes to your email address, other relevant contact information, and your transfer date. If you have not been receiving emails that other SHP students are receiving, contact the SHP Director. 8. Get to know the Director and the SHP Counselors; these are the individuals that are responsible for certifying you as an honors student and they want to see you succeed. 9. Finally, successful students and graduates make sure to: • Visit the SHP website • Take advantage of the Transfer Center’s activities/events • Attend all relevant orientations for the SHP • Develop their academic abilities while they attend Cerritos College • Network with other students in the SHP (potential future roommates)

II. Honors Courses and Honors Contracts 1. Honors credit can be earned in the following ways: • Honors Course (see below for specific details) • Honors Contract (see below for specific details) 2. Honors Courses (honors sections) are offered in the Fall and Spring semesters. A list of these courses is posted on the SHP website and listed in the Schedule of Classes. In order to earn SHP credit in an honors course, you must receive a “B” or better in the course.

GPA is consistently high, a small number of courses are repeated or none at all, a small number of withdrawals or none at all, and steady academic progress is made each semester toward graduation/transfer.

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3. Honors Contracts are independent study projects. An Honors Contract is a written agreement between a student and a professor for the purpose of granting “honors credit” in a non-honors course. The professor commits to meeting with the student on a regular basis in order to provide additional help, support, and guidance. The student commits to completing all of the requirements of the project under the guidance of the professor. The following steps are required to successfully initiate and complete an honors contract: • Approach your professor at a time when he/she is available. Try to set up an appointment as soon as possible (within 2-3 weeks of the course). • Respectfully ask a professor if he/she is willing to supervise an honors contract with you. Bear in mind, a professor IS NOT REQUIRED to work with you on an honors contract. If a professor does not wish not to work on a project with you, ask another professor in a different course. • If possible, approach the professor with an idea for a project. Acceptable honors contract proposals are as follows: o Traditional: scholarly research paper (10-pages + Works Cited) o Non-Traditional: art portfolio, performance, software, etc. 3 • If your professor agrees to work with you, fill out a Contract Proposal Form (downloadable form). Each contract must have this form. Incomplete forms turned in after the deadline will not be accepted. The SHP will not recognize any honors contract if the paperwork was not approved by the Director of the Scholars’ Honors Program. See the deadlines below: o 15-week and 18-week courses: submit form by end of 4th week o 6-week and 9-week courses: submit form by end of 2nd week • Set up a timeline with your professor. You should submit a rough draft to your professor at least two times before you complete your final paper. If you fail to do this, do not be surprised if your professor rejects the project entirely and/or requires you to rewrite the entire paper. • Original research and field research IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. • Research papers cannot be less than 10 typed, double-spaced pages (top to bottom and the bibliography does not count as one of the required pages). o Margins are set at 1-inch (top, bottom, left, and right). o Required font size and type: 12 pt. Times New Roman. o All projects must follow APA or MLA documentation standards. o PROOFREAD YOUR PAPER. • Once you have completed your project, print a copy of the Project Completion Form (downloadable document on the SHP website) and attach it to the final paper. After you have made a photocopy for yourself, give both documents to your professor. • It is the student’s responsibility to make sure the SHP receives a copy of your completed honors contract.

The SHP supports original and innovative projects that allow students an opportunity to conduct original research and/or hands-on learning. These projects still need to be documented in a manner that allows the student to submit their project for review by the professor and the SHP Director. The project needs to be equivalent to the amount of time and work that one would spend writing a scholarly research paper.

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4. General Restrictions and Guidelines for Honors Contracts: • Labs are not eligible for honors credit. • Limits per semester: maximum of two contracts per semester (Fall and Spring) and a maximum of one contract each Summer session. • Contracts with part-time faculty are discouraged because they might not have enough time outside of the classroom to work with students. • Honors contracts cannot be used to fulfill the Honors Writing Requirement; hence, contracts in English 100 and English 103 are prohibited. • Extensions to honors contracts are discouraged. • If a student fails to complete an honors contract in a timely manner, he/she may be placed on probation or removed from the SHP.

III. Honors Certification for Transfer Students 1. In order to be certified as an honors student with our Transfer Partners, you must complete the SHP. 2. UCLA Certification Requirements • All SHP students who want to be certified to UCLA must have a 3.5 GPA or better (transferable and major GPA) • All impacted majors and all Life Science/Biological Science majors are required to declare an alternate major • Science majors will not be certified if they select a Life Science/Biological Science major as their alternate major • Engineering majors: Physics is not a good choice for an alternate major • Business Economics majors: your Math and English must be completed during the same semester that you apply to transfer. • Exceptions to these changes: must be approved by the SHP Director by the last Friday of September. • See Item #4 3. UC Irvine Certification Requirements • SHP students who apply as Business Administration majors will not be certified. Exceptions to this rule are as follows: o Prior approval by the SHP Director by the last Friday of September. o The SHP student must have a 3.7 or better GPA (transferable and major GPA) o The SHP student must select an appropriate alternate major • All SHP students who want to be certified to UC Irvine must have a 3.4 or better GPA (transferable and major GPA). Exceptions may be made for Fall 2017 applicants (see the Director of the SHP for more information). • See Item #4 Page 5

4. Students applying to UC Irvine and UCLA must complete a minimum of two honors courses/contracts prior to completing their UC Application and complete a minimum of three honors courses/contracts by the end of their final Fall semester at Cerritos College. See below: • Fall 2017 UCI and UCLA applicants o Two honors courses/contracts completed before Fall 2016 o Three honors courses/contracts completed by the end of Fall 2016 • Fall 2018 UCI and UCLA applicants o Two honors courses/contracts completed before Fall 2017 o Three honors courses/contracts completed by the end of Fall 2017 • Fall 2019 UCI and UCLA applicants o Two honors courses/contracts completed before Fall 2018 o Three honors courses/contracts completed by the end of Fall 2018 5. Certification to Other Transfer Partners • All SHP students who want to be certified to our other transfer partners must consult the GPA requirement for each individual institution. • Copies of these transfer agreements can be found on the Honors Transfer Council of California’s website. • Contact the Director of the SHP or visit the SHP Office (LC-206) if you have questions. 6. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Students who are applying to UC campuses should complete the General Education requirements in English and Math at least one semester before they complete the UC Application. See below: • Fall 2017 applicants: English & Math requirements completed by the end of May 2016. • Fall 2018 applicants: English & Math requirements completed by the end of May 2017. • Fall 2019 applicants: English & Math requirements completed by the end of May 2018.

IV. Honors Counselors

1. Counseling appointments should be scheduled two weeks in advance. 2. SHP students should only make an appointment with one of our SHP Counselors: • Brittany Lundeen [email protected] • Marvelina Barcelo [email protected] • Berenice Gallardo [email protected] 3. SHP students should bring unofficial copies of their transcripts from every college that they have attended. In addition, high school transcripts are needed if AP credit was earned.

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V. Research Opportunities 1. The SHP belongs to national, regional, and state organizations that recognize and encourage undergraduate research. SHP students in good standing are encouraged to present their research at one or more of the conferences listed below: • National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR): this is a national conference. Students who are presenting their research at the conference can ask the SHP to pay for their registration fee, hotel, and travel expenses. •

Southern California Conference on Undergraduate Research (SCCUR): this is a local conference. Students who are presenting their research at the conference can ask the SHP to pay for their registration fee.

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National Collegiate Honors Council Conference (NCHC): this is a national conference. Students who are presenting their research at the conference can ask the SHP to pay for their registration fee, hotel, and travel expenses.

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Honors Transfer Council of California Undergraduate Research Conference (HTCC): this is a local conference. The SHP does not reimburse students for this conference and students need to provide their own transportation to UC Irvine.

2. Deadlines and links to the conference applications are listed on the SHP website. 3. A successful honors contract project usually provides excellent material for a conference presentation. If you are pleased with a project you completed, make an appointment with the Director of the Scholars’ Honors Program to discuss its presentation potential at a research conference.

VI. Code of Conduct

1. Students will comply with all of the rules, regulations, guidelines, and responsibilities as described in the Cerritos College General Catalog and any other relevant campus document or publication. 2. Academic honesty and integrity is integral to the Scholars’ Honors Program. Students who violate the Academic Honesty/Dishonesty Policy at Cerritos College shall be permanently removed from the SHP. 3. Students shall treat all members of the Cerritos College Community with respect and courtesy.

4. Ignorance is not an excuse for failing to abide by the Code of Conduct outlined in this document; moreover, ignorance is not an excuse for failing to comply with rules, regulations, guidelines, and responsibilities described in any other relevant Cerritos College document or publication. Page 7

VII. Changes to Program Requirements and Transfer Agreements 1. Every year, the SHP reviews its requirements and guidelines. All SHP students must follow the new requirements and guidelines. 2. Transfer agreements are updated each year. All SHP students must follow the new requirements and guidelines. 3. All SHP students are expected to keep informed of any changes to the Program and its transfer agreements. Ignorance is not an excuse for failing to meet the new requirements and guidelines. 4. Keep in contact with the Program by visiting the SHP Office, talking to the Director of the SHP, and meeting with the SHP Counselors; moreover, read every email from the SHP Office, an SHP Counselor, and the Director of the SHP.

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