Instructions for Current Students

Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies

Current Students Resources

Welcome from the Dean: Memo to Students

TO: All BRGS Students

FROM: Daniel Rynhold, Dean

DATE: September 9, 2024

Dear Student,

Welcome to the Fall 2024 semester. As is now the norm for BRGS, many courses are remaining fully online via Zoom, while others will be hybrid, taking place in person, but with a remote option for those across the country, if not the globe, who are unable to join us in-person.

As per usual, and if you have not done so already, please examine the list of courses and the academic calendar that are accessible on this website, and pay close attention to the information below.

If you have any other queries regarding other changes, feel free to ask.

All the best,

Daniel

Daniel Rynhold

Dr. Mordecai D. Katz Dean

Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies

Furst Hall, Room 327

500 West 185th Street

New York, NY 10033

646.592.6370

rynhold@yu.edu

Registration

It is ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE that Revel students register in a timely manner for three reasons:

1) To ensure that courses run (the policy out of the Provost’s office no longer allows us to run courses with too few students).

2) Students will have no way to access Zoom courses (or remote options) unless they are fully registered and “onboarded” into Canvas in time for the first class. Students who leave registration until the last minute often end up without access to course materials and/or having trouble getting into the first class.

3) The list of registered students is essential in order for tuition scholarships to be supplied to the Office of Student Finance in a timely manner.

For all of these reasons, be sure to register NOW for your courses if you have not done so already. All registration now takes place online, with the exceptions of Master’s Research and Guided Readings for which you will need to contact Ms. Washington. In addition, non-matriculating students and auditors will need to contact Ms. Washington to be registered. Instructions for online registration appear in the new Welcome Pack and further down on this webpage.

If you have any questions or problems, please email Ms. Washington (swarren@yu.edu). The deadline for registration, after which you will be responsible for paying a late fee can be found on the Revel calendar here, though for all the reasons indicated above, we would hope that you will be registered well before that.

Students should be aware that they must have a continuous record at BRGSJS. MA students who have completed the course work but are making up assignments and/or studying for the comprehensive examinations, or students who wish to take a leave of absence, must register in the appropriate category during the regular registration period. Those who need to do this will need to contact Ms. Washington who will be able to arrange for you to register online for the course.

Please note the deadline for applying for the Comprehensive Examinations as listed on the Revel calendar. You can now register for the comprehensive exam online.

To take the examination a student must be an active student. This means that one must either be taking regular courses or be registered for Master’s Research. In addition, the student must have completed all the courses for the MA or be in the process of completing them during the relevant semester. Students taking 5000 level courses during the relevant semester that are required in their concentration must receive special permission from the office of the Dean to take the examination; for the Bible concentration, such permission will generally not be granted. Students with an “Incomplete" on their record are not eligible to take the examination unless they have submitted the work necessary to remove that "Incomplete." The final grade itself does not have to be filed by the date of the examination.

Registration for written comprehensive exam (Fillable PDF)

Students who expect to graduate at the end of the semester must file an application for the degree by the deadline stated on the Revel calendar. Applications are filed with the Registrar's office. Students should make certain that their academic record is in order. They must also determine that the final transcript documenting their undergraduate degree is on file.

The work for a given semester should normally be completed by the end of that semester, or before the start of the next, depending on the instructor. Note that this does not apply to undergraduates taking Revel courses who will need to follow undergraduate deadlines. In the case of a summer course, the deadline is at the beginning of the following spring semester. Give your work directly to the instructor, and an electronic copy must be filed with the office by the appropriate deadline. Fellowships will not be renewed and scholarships will not be granted if work is not submitted within this time frame. In special circumstances, a modest extension may be granted with the permission of both the faculty member and the Dean. Requests for such extensions must be made before the deadline. After the deadline, the course(s) in question may not be completed successfully and will not count toward the degree. Any additional courses that will consequently be needed to complete the degree will not be covered by financial aid.

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must file the appropriate course withdrawal form and submit it for processing (with a W and penalty applied) at the Revel office. If the form is submitted by tne deadline stated on the Revel calendar, the course will not appear on the student's record. It will appear on the student's record with a “W” if the subsequent deadline on the calendar is not met. University policy requires students who drop a course after the stated deadline to pay tuition for the course, according to a sliding scale which can be found on the Revel calendar. Those who were granted a tuition scholarship for the course will be billed.

Please also note the last day to drop a course. Students who do not file the appropriate form by that date must complete work in the course by the deadline(s) outlined in the section on Incompletes.

Please note that Revel does not have the power to make exceptions to any of the above. Withdrawal deadlines cannot be overturned once your attendance is reported to the National Student Clearinghouse, so please do not "bite off more than you can chew" when registering for courses. In the event of a genuine emergency, you can submit an appeal to an appeals committee. The committee meets at the end of each month to consider circumstances and refunding. Students can request an appeal by sending an email to wilfregistrar@yu.edu.

Terms and conditions of scholarships and fellowships can be found here.

Students applying for parking through the Security Office at 521 West 185th Street. See the Department of Safety and Security website for more information. Space is limited.

Links with instructions and information regarding student health insurance and fees
Health Insurance
Revel's Tuition and Fees

Proceed with Registration:

Using your default browser, go to
Log in with your username and password
On the side panel, hover over/click on “Students”
Select “'Undergraduate/Graduate”
Navigate to Student Dashboard (on the right)
Under "Registration" click on "Add or Drop Classes"
Select the appropriate term (e.g., Fall 2023) and click on “Submit”

To ADD classes:

Read the instructions.
Scroll to the bottom and enter the CRNs for the classes you wish to ADD in the “ADD CLASSES” boxes.
Note:
1. You must be registered for a Torah studies program before proceeding to add afternoon Jewish studies courses and general studies courses.
2. For courses with corequisites, CRNs must be entered simultaneously.
Click on “SUBMIT CHANGES” to submit your ADD requests. Errors, if any, will be displayed at the bottom of the page.

To DROP a class:

Use the ACTION pull‐down boxes to WEB DROP a class in the “CURRENT SCHEDULE” area.
Click on “SUBMIT CHANGES.”

To ADD a dropped class (subject to the last day to add a course):

If you webdropped a class, scroll to the bottom and enter the CRN for the class you wish to ADD in the “ADD CLASSES” boxes.
Click on “SUBMIT CHANGES.”
If the dropped class has the ‘Drop/Delete’, ‘Web Withdrawal’ or ‘Official Withdrawal – Z’ status then use the ACTION pull‐down box to WEB ADD the class in the “CURRENT SCHEDULE” area.
Click on “SUBMIT CHANGES.”

To SWITCH a class with a corequisite:

Use the ACTION pull‐down box to WEB DROP the class in the “CURRENT SCHEDULE” area and then enter the CRN for the class you wish to ADD in the “ADD CLASSES” box.
Click on “SUBMIT CHANGES.”

Have a GREAT semester!

Rights of Victims/Survivors

The University is committed to providing options, support and assistance to victims/survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and/or stalking to ensure that they can continue to participate in University-wide and campus programs, activities and employment. All victims/survivors of these crimes and violations have the following rights, regardless of whether the crime or violation occurs on campus, off campus or while studying abroad:

All students have the right to:

Make a report to local law enforcement and/or state police;
Have disclosures of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking and sexual assault treated seriously;
Make a decision about whether or not to disclose a crime or violation and participate in the judicial or conduct process and/or criminal justice process free from pressure by the institution;
Participate in a process that is fair, impartial and provides adequate notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard;
Be treated with dignity and to receive from the institution courteous, fair and respectful health care and counseling services, where available;
Be free from any suggestion that the reporting individual is at fault when these crimes and violations are committed, or should have acted in a different manner to avoid such crimes or violations;
Describe the incident to as few institution representatives as practicable and not be required to unnecessarily repeat a description of the incident;
Be protected from retaliation by the institution, any student, the accused and/or the respondent, and/or their friends, family and acquaintances within the jurisdiction of the institution;
Access to at least one level of appeal of a determination;
Be accompanied by an adviser of choice who may assist and advise a reporting individual, accused or respondent throughout the judicial or conduct process including during all meetings and hearings related to such process; and
Exercise civil rights and practice of religion without interference by the investigative, criminal justice or judicial or conduct process of the institution.

For more information about preventing and addressing sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking at the University, see the University’s "Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy and Complaint Procedures" available on the University’s website at: http://www.yu.edu/student-life/resources-and-services/standards-policies; http://www.yu.edu/hr/policies; and http://www.yu.edu/ogc/policies (among other places). This policy includes information about filing a report, seeking a response and options for confidential disclosure.

Appeal of Grade

The authority for assigning grades is vested in the instructor. A student who wishes to appeal a final grade must first meet with the instructor. If the student is dissatisfied with the result of that meeting, he or she may appeal to the Dean, who may, at his discretion, refer the matter to an ad hoc committee of appropriate faculty. The committee will report its recommendation to the Dean, who will make the final determination. A change can be made only in cases where there is powerful evidence that the grade is improper.