Introduction to Convocations
Receiving credit for seven Convocation events each term (except as noted below) is an expectation of all full-time Berea College students. By the beginning of the fall Term, the Director of Convocations publishes and distributes the official calendar of Convocation events for the academic year. The web-site (www.berea.edu/convocations) should be consulted regularly for any announcements of changes in the official schedule. Credit is not given for an event that is cancelled by the Director or missed by a student for any reason. It is advantageous to plan attending more than the number expected each term. This creates flexibility at the end of a term when an examination, weather, illness, or an "infraction" (a violation of the Convocation rules described later in this section) might prevent the granting of Convocation credit.
All students will be enrolled automatically in a 1/4-credit Convocation course (CNV 100) during each of their regular terms of in-residence enrollment, with the exception of the final term of enrollment, for a maximum of eight such terms. For each term of enrollment in CNV 100, the student will earn a grade of CA (which is calculated as an A in the GPA) for receiving seven convocation credits. The grade of CF (which is calculated as an F in the GPA) will be given if a student receives fewer than seven Convocation credits in the term. Convocation credits only count in a student's GPA and not in the minimum earned credits required for graduation. If a student is enrolled at Berea College for eight terms, seven terms of Convocation credit are required and the eighth term is optional. If a student is enrolled for nine or more terms, the student is required to attend Convocations except for the term of graduation.
Note: Teacher Education majors will not be enrolled in CNV 100 during the term in which student teaching occurs. Those who have not yet completed the appropriate number of terms of Convocation credit (seven or eight, depending upon the total terms of attendance) will be enrolled in CNV 100 in the next regular term that follows student teaching.
During the academic year, a student can receive Convocation credit for attending up to a total of three (3) performances of the following Berea College student ensembles: one theatre event (Theatre Laboratory), one musical event (Black Music Ensemble, Concert Choir, Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensembles, or Bluegrass Ensemble), and one dance event (Country Dancers or Kinetic Expressions), but only for the specific events and dates publicized as being offered for Convocation credit.
Convocation credits earned during the academic year by each student are posted in the student section of the myBerea Web portal. Students should check myBerea to confirm whether or not credit has been received for Convocations attended, card scanned, and post-Convocation response completed. Any discrepancy must be reported to the Director of Convocations as soon as possible after the convocation in question—but not later than one week following the Convocation in question.