Memo

Dear Incoming Student,

The Admissions Office has notified the Office of the Registrar/Student Academic Programs that you have confirmed your acceptance to the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy to begin studies in the Fall 2011 semester.  We in the Registrar’s Office are very much looking forward to welcoming you in person this coming August or earlier!  The purpose of this e-mail is to provide you with general information and requirements prior to your matriculation in August.

Important Note:  In this email, you will find many imbedded links.  But if you find that there are no imbedded links (showing up in blue font with underlining), please go to the orientation website  (http://fletcher.tufts.edu/orientation/2011/) and click on the forms/pre-registration link for a copy of this email and all of the forms that is referenced.

We apologize, this e-mail is lengthy – although there is lots of valuable information throughout and worth reading!  This email is divided into four sections, A, B, C and D.  Once again, you can readily find this entire e-mail on the Orientation website.  
Section A contains general information regarding our mandatory orientation program;
Section B contains pre-registration information that you are required to complete by July 1;
Section C provides you with some general academic information; and
Section D provides you with general information that we think you find to be helpful. 
We hope that you will find this e-mail and links to our orientation website useful as you begin to make plans for the fall.    

Please note on the orientation schedule that all entering students are expected to arrive at the School by 9:00 am on Monday, August 29. Attendance at orientation is mandatory.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 617/627-3055 or contact us by email at   FletcherRegistrar@tufts.edu.

Orientation is designed to assist you in your transition to The Fletcher School.  The information sessions and skills workshops will help familiarize you with Fletcher and Tufts and the services we offer.  These sessions will also help you plan your academic program.  The social activities will offer opportunities to meet and start building relationships with your classmates.

Important information will be covered during Orientation that will not be offered at other times of the year.  Participation in Orientation is mandatory.  Orientation week starts on Monday, August 29, 2011 at 9:00am.  The mandatory sessions end on Thursday, September 1, 2011.  Equivalency/Placement exams will be held on Friday, September 2, 2011 beginning at 9:30am.  As a note, equivalency exams are only given two times during the academic year.  The next time that they will be offered will be on Thursday, January 12 beginning at 9:30am

The Orientation website contains a great deal of helpful information.  Here you will find:

  • Pre-Registration Requirements, SUBMIT BY JULY 1
  • Final Official Transcript with Degree Certification.

Official transcripts, with certification of degree awarded, for each college and university completed, must be submitted prior to registration at Fletcher.  Copies should be sent from the Registrar's office at the appropriate institution if official final copies were not sent as part of the application process.
                                   
Additionally, we suggest that students bring several copies of their transcripts with them.  During the year, it may be necessary for you to provide official transcripts, for various reasons, on short notice.  The Fletcher Registrar does not provide students with transcripts, which were sent to the admissions office as part of the application process.  Note, many of you did submit final official transcripts as part of your admission to Fletcher and likely we have them on record. This is really aimed at those who are coming in directly after a program or to those who only sent in copies or notarized copies. 

Faculty Advisor assignments are made principally on the basis of a student's academic interests. If we do not receive a preference form, the Registrar will assign your advisor.  The name of your advisor will be included in your orientation/registration packet, which you will receive on August 30.  If a student wishes to change advisors, he or she may do so after September 17.  Consult the Registrar's office after this date to process this change.  Students are welcome and, indeed, encouraged to consult widely among the faculty when making plans or considering options.  You should note that your academic advisor does not need to serve as your thesis advisor. In most cases, they are different.

All students receiving degrees from The Fletcher School must possess the ability to speak a foreign (second) language sufficiently well to exchange ideas in conversation with a native speaker and the ability to read and restate into English primary materials on contemporary topics involving foreign affairs. Foreign nationals whose native language is not English and who have received a substantial portion of their education in their native language may have English accepted as their second language. Generally, these students will have completed the TOEFL (Test of English as a Second Language) exam.

Every year, the Fletcher School produces a Fletcher Faces, a booklet that provides general information about students, including a photo as well as photos of staff and faculty.  This is a printed publication available only to members of the Fletcher Community (Fletcher students, faculty and staff).  Along with some general information, Fletcher Faces asks students to write a brief biographical statement (approximately 100 -200 words) to be shared with their fellow Fletcher students.  In this statement, please include highlights of your pre-Fletcher career as well as your current academic interests.  This should be written in the first person.  Fletcher Faces also includes information about where you completed your undergraduate degree, other than English, foreign languages spoken, Hometown (City, State, and Country), nickname, name of spouse/partner.  Our objective in publishing this information is to enable you to network with your classmates for both career, academic and social purposes.  A form is provided for this purpose or you can review it and send us the requested information via e-mail to mailto:FletcherRegistrar@tufts.edu.

  • Photo for Fletcher Faces and Student ID

We are requesting that you send to us electronically through Tufts  Department of Public Safety (see requirements  and link below) a photo that can be used both for your annual Fletcher Faces publication  as well as for your student ID.  This photo will also appear on class lists distributed to faculty.  If you do not have an electronic photo that meets these requirements, you can send us a photo which we can scan for only the Fletcher Faces purpose. Please note that if the photos do not meet the requirements set forth by Public Safety that you will have to have a photo re-taken for your ID during orientation.

Photo requirements:                              

    • The image file is in JPEG format and ends with the .jpg filename extension.
    • The image file is not more than 3 MB
    • The image is a clear, front view, full face of you alone, taken in normal street attire without a hat or dark glasses
    • You are in front of a plain, light (white or off-white) background
    • The photo is sufficiently recent to be a good likeness (normally within the last 6 months)
    • Your face is at least 300 pixels in width and height.  The more pixels the better.

Link to submit photo:  https://picasso.publicsafety.tufts.edu/
Note:  You will need your UTLN (Universal Tufts Login Name) and Password in order to submit a photo. Your UTLN is typically your first initial followed by first five letters of last name and a number.  An example of this would be  JSmith01.  Your UTLN is given to you at the time that you request your Tufts E-mail account and the Password is your E-mail password.  You secure a Tufts email account before you can upload a photo.

Students who submit a photo to public safety will have their IDs ready the first day of orientation.  There are a couple of benefits to submitting your photo online. The first is that there is no standing in line at the public safety office with all of the the undergraduates and being able to select a photo that you like of yourself….no horrible mug shots!

A brief note about Privacy
If you submit a photo to public safety it will be used in Fletcher Faces UNLESS you inform the staff in the Registrar’s office (FletcherRegistrar@tufts.edu) July 20 that you do not wish to have your photo published in Fletcher Faces.  If you have any questions about privacy, please contact me.

Health Services Required forms and information
The Health Services Office requires all graduate students to complete the Health Examination Report  which is to be endorsed by you and your health care provider.  The link above directs you to the health service website online forms section.  The health forms should be sent directly to the Health Services Office. The form has their address/and fax on the first page of the form.

With the exception of the Final Official Transcript and the Required Health Services Forms, the other items can be submitted electronically directly to our office.  Simply send the Registrar’s office an E-mail (FletcherRegistrar@tufts.edu) with the required information.   You can use the forms to help as guides in submitting information, but as long as we get the information we are fine.  Alternatively, the forms can be printed and either mailed (Registrar’s Office; The Fletcher School, Tufts University; 160 Packard Avenue; Medford, MA  02155; USA) or faxed(617-627-4028)  to our office. 

  • Academic Information
  • General Registration Information & Requirements

In order to register for classes, students must be “cleared" to register.  This means:

    • tuition paid/financial clearance from the Bursar;
    • health form, including immunization status, returned and approved by  Health Services;
    • final official transcripts from previous colleges sent directly from the college/university Registrar to Fletcher.
  • Course Selections:

CREDIT
Classes begin on Wednesday, September 7.  The deadline for making final course selections is Wednesday, September 14th at noon.   There is no pre-registration at the Fletcher School. During the first week of the term students “shop” for classes and sign-up for them using our on-line registration format.  Directions for registering for your courses on line will be provided in your registration packet.  Tuesday September 6, the day before the official start of classes, is a special “shopping day” where students can learn more about seminar courses, courses new to the Fletcher curriculum, and classes taught by new full-time or adjunct instructors.  Students are also encouraged to review the past evaluations of courses submitted by students, which are on file in the reference room of Ginn Library.

AUDITS
A student who is registered full-time, (taking minimum of 4 course credits) at the Fletcher School may, with the permission of the Fletcher Professor, register to audit one course per semester, at no additional charge.  Upon satisfaction of such requirements as the Fletcher Professor may specify, he or she will approve the recording of the audit upon the transcript. Audits are not counted for degree credit nor do they fulfill course distribution requirements.  A student who is registered full-time may also, subject to the discretion of the professor, attend a class, which he or she is neither auditing nor taking for credit.

  • Faculty Office Hours:

All Faculty members have specified office hours, which are posted on their office doors during the first two weeks of classes.  Students must consult with faculty advisors, and are also encouraged to consult with other members of the faculty and administration, with regard to their course program.

  • Breadth Requirement Information for MALD students

All MALD degree candidates will be required to take:

  • two courses in the Division of Diplomacy, History, and Politics,
  • one course in the Division of International Law and Organization,
  • one course in the Division of Economics and International Business, 
  • one course in Quantitative Reasoning.

Specific course requirements/options for each of the three divisions as well as Quantitative Reasoning can be found on the following URL:  http://fletcher.tufts.edu/academic/breadthrequirements.shtml

Breadth Requirement for MA students:
MA students are required to complete one course in each of the three divisions, ILO, DHP, and EIB.

Breadth Requirements for PhD students:
PhD students must complete two courses in two of the divisions and one in the other division.

Breadth Requirements for LLM Students
LLM students are required to complete one course in both the DHP and EIB divisions.

Breadth Requirement for MIB Students
Divisional breadth requirements are automatically satisfied by the nature of the core curriculum.

Equivalency for the Economics divisional requirement and for the Quantitative Reasoning requirement will be given during the Friday of orientation (Friday, September 3).  Three exams (E201, E210m and B205) are given out on this day. Students are not required to take the equivalency exams. However if you have a foundation in Economics, Statistics and/or Quantitative Methods you may want to try one or more of these exams in an attempt to either satisfy the Quantitative Reasoning Requirement and/or by being able to take a higher level Economics course (from the list) in order to satisfy the Economics breadth requirement. MALD students who pass the E201 equivalency test can immediately take a higher course (from the list of courses) to satisfy their economics breadth requirement.  MALD Students who pass the E210m equivalency test have satisfied the Quantitative Reasoning Requirement and if they enroll in and pass E211m then they will have satisfied the Economics breadth requirement. MALD students taking and passing one or both of the Quantitative Reasoning Placement Exams will satisfy the Quantitative Reasoning requirement.   MIB students are eligible to take the B205 equivalency exam and if successful in the exam will not be required to take B205 but will be required to take an additional elective course.  LLM and MA students may take the equivalency exams but passing any will neither satisfy any breadth requirement nor provide any course relief.  PhD students may take the equivalency exams, but passing any will not satisfy any breadth requirement. However, PhD students passing the B205 exam will satisfy the completion of the required Statistical Methods course requirement.

All Fletcher students whose native language is English must demonstrate the ability to read and comprehend and to speak a second language by passing the foreign language reading comprehension and oral examinations offered by the Fletcher School. Reading comprehension exams are offered three times each year in September, February, and April. Entering students are strongly encouraged to attempt the reading comprehension exam in September when they first arrive. The best way to prepare for the reading comprehension exam is to read and summarize into English foreign journal and newspaper articles on contemporary topics involving foreign affairs.

Oral exams may be scheduled with one of our approved oral examiners at any time during a student’s enrollment at Fletcher. However, we encourage all students to fulfill this requirement as soon as possible.
For specific questions regarding the foreign language requirement please contact Ann Marie Decembrele, Associate Registrar at:  ann.decembrele@tufts.edu

Please note that these are preliminary and subject to change. As changes occur, the web will be updated.

Course Descriptions will be updated closer to the end of the summer.  Most course descriptions are fairly standard and do not change significantly from year to year.  All students will receive a copy of the annual Fletcher Course Bulletin which provides course descriptions and faculty bios as part of their registration packets.

For students that are planning to pursue a business or quantitative-heavy courseload at Fletcher and feel they need to brush up on key foundational skills, we are offering two on-line preparatory courses that are available through the summer and fall semester. All MIB students are required to complete these courses (information was sent to them separately), but we encourage MALDs, MAs, and LLMs to consider taking these courses if they are appropriate for your academic goals and background. The courses are:

“Spreadsheet Modeling”: This course demonstrates using Microsoft Excel 2007 as both a reporting tool and a modeling tool for solving business problems. It should take approximately 20 hours to complete. This class is highly recommended if you are intended to take Foundations in Corporate Finance and Financial Accounting with Professor Jacque, which is the required course for the International Business Relations field of study. Course cost: $49.50
Access the course at: http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/access/9334565

“Mathematics for Management”: This course is intended for students entering graduate business programs and reviews key mathematics concepts used solve quantitative problems in a business curriculum. Depending on your level of quantitative experience, this class will take 10 to 20 hours. This class could be helpful for students planning to take statistics, business economics or finance classes. Course cost: $39.50
Access the course at: http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/access/9334521

  • General Information
  • Tuition Bills will be going out electronically this year through Tufts e-Bills.  The first e-Bill will be going out in early July and students are required to ‘enroll’ in the e-Billing system once they have obtained their Tufts ID number (see below).  Tufts e-Bill is not for use in billing 3rd party sponsors, scholarship organizations or grant administrators. If a third party sponsors you (meaning that tuition and/or fees should be billed directly to the sponsor rather than yourself), please make sure that the bursar's office has the proper documentation. This documentation would include what is to be billed to the sponsor, the duration of the sponsorship and the sponsor’s billing address. 

The following people handle third party billing: 

  • Anita Violi (anita.violi@tufts.edu) for those whose last name begins  in A-E ;
  • Marie Costanzo (marie.costanzo@tufts.edu) for those whose last name begins in F-L and R-Z
  • Lisa Cardalino (lisa.cardalino@tufts.edu) for  those whose last name  begins in M-Q

Please contact the designated person to determine if they have the appropriate documentation on file so that they can bill your third party.  All can be contacted through the front desk at Dowling Hall – 617-627-2000.  Since you are ultimately responsible for your bills and making sure that they are paid on time, you will always receive a copy of your e-Bill.  It is your responsibility to check it for accuracy and ensure that it is paid in full.  
The University participates in a tuition payment plan administered by Sallie Mae.  Students have the option to spread tuition payment out over the duration of a semester (5 monthly payments) or year (10 monthly payments).   More information can be found at https://tuitionpay.salliemae.com/tufts.   Applications must be done online.  Important note, if you are to utilize this payment plan, you must enter a contract by August 12, 2011.

Tufts provides all students with an email account.  It is required that all students sign up for an email account since all official Tufts correspondence will be sent to your Tufts email address.  We highly encourage you to obtain an account as soon as possible. This is because in obtaining your account it is the gateway to obtaining your ID number (required for E-bill) and allows you to submit a photo for your ID.

Once you set up your email account, you can access it directly on the web at:  https://exchange.tufts.edu/.  If you wish to set up forwarding, vacation notices, etc. of your Tufts email to another email account, you can do so by going to:  https://tuftstools.tufts.edu/   If you have a Smartphone or other mobile device you want to set up to receive your Tufts email, visit https://wikis.uit.tufts.edu/confluence/display/infoexchange/md-setup.   For more information about your Tufts email account, call Eaton Computer Lab at 617-627-3701, or email studentaccounts@ase.tufts.edu. 

When obtaining your Tufts Email you will be provided with your ID number.   Please write this down and keep it in a secure place so that you can obtain and use it when needed.

  • Student Mail

All students will be issued a student mailbox in Cabot Hall in which they can receive campus mail.  Those residing in Blakeley Hall will be able to have their U.S. mail delivered to their Fletcher mailbox.  If you live off-campus, you must use your local address as your mailing address.

Blakeley Hall residents who plan to ship boxes or trunks at the beginning of the school year should address them as follows:
                                                      Your name
                                                      The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
                                                      c/o Hill Hall Package Room
                                                      Tufts University
                                                      Medford, MA  02155
                                   
Please do not mail large packages to the Fletcher School, as our mailroom is small and cannot handle such parcels.  The hours for Hill Hall Package Room, which can receive larger packages, will be posted when you arrive in late August.

  • Discounted computer and software purchases:  Through a special license agreement with vendors such as Microsoft, IBM/Lenovo, Apple, etc, Tufts is able to offer its students, faculty, and staff a selection of computers and Microsoft software titles at significant discounts. To make purchases at discounted prices, you will need your UTLN (webmail login name) and your webmail password.  To find out more, you can go to the following URL: https://student.support.tufts.edu/vendors.php
  • Health Insurance

All students must have adequate health insurance, as determined by the Tufts University Health Service, in order to enroll at the Fletcher School.  A health insurance fee is automatically charged to all enrolled students.  Students who have comparable US insurance may have this fee waived by the Director of the Health Services.  If you choose not to enroll in the health insurance program, you must waive the insurance.  You can waive the insurance charge beginning the second week in July.  If you have questions about the insurance plan, contact the Health Services Office at memomemomemomemo617-627-3350memo).  Please be aware that foreign insurance coverage as well as some U.S. insurance plans are often not considered comparable coverage.
                         
INSURANCE COVERAGE
                               
 a.  Student
The 2011-2012 student health insurance plan will cost the student $1,723.00 annually. For those starting in January 2012, the plan cost will be:  $1065.00 The plan maximum is $500,000. Each student will have the opportunity to purchase a supplemental catastrophic insurance plan that will provide additional coverage up to a plan maximum of $250,000. Given the high cost of medical care in the United States, students may want to consider the additional coverage..  Insurance coverage is from August 31, 2011 to August 30, 2012 for those who begin in the fall 2011 term at Fletcher and from January 15, 2012 to August 30, 2012 for those who will begin in January 2012.
 
b.  Insurance Coverage for Dependents
 Arrangements can be made with the Health Insurance Company to insure a spouse and/or children.  The 2011-2012 rates are $5,139.00 for spouse and $2,287.00 to add a child (ren).  For those starting in January 2012 who would like coverage for a spouse and/or child(ren) please contact the health services office for pricing information.  Dependent spouse or children benefits will be considered for payment on a "First Manifesting Basis."  This means that charges will be considered as expenses eligible for coverage only for accident or sickness claims, which happen on or after the date the insurance policy became effective. Dependents may also purchase the supplemental catastrophic insurance. 

All students who are on a J-1 visa that is sponsored by either Tufts University or The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy must purchase the health plan offered by Tufts University for themselves and dependents. 

Mandatory Comprehensive Health Service Fee
In addition to health insurance, all students must pay a student comprehensive health service fee of $668.00  For those who begin in January 2012, the fee will be $334.00.  This fee is not insurance coverage but it allows the student to use the Tufts University Health Service for routine illnesses.  This fee may not be waived.  Access to the Tufts University Health Service is not available to a spouse or children. The Tufts University comprehensive health service fee covers students for unlimited primary care and walk-in visits, allergy injections, an annual flu shot, the Counseling Center, and the first three psychiatric visits.  There are sometimes other additional charges for which students are responsible (i.e. lab tests).  These charges appear on the student's Bursar bill.  In all cases, the Health Service can provide you with an itemized bill and help in obtaining reimbursement from your insurance company.
 
Aetna Dental Plan
In addition to health insurance, students can purchase dental insurance through the health services office.   Dental insurance is purchased separately and is a separate policy.  One does not have to enroll in the health insurance plan offered by the university in order to purchase the dental insurance plan.    The cost of "Aetna Dental PPO" is $440 per student only,  $452 for spouse only and $500 child(ren). The cost for the Dental “Advantage Plan” is approximately $226 per student.  For the student and one dependent, the cost for dental insurance is approximately $443.00 and the cost for dental insurance for the student and two dependents is approximately $736.00.  This plan is effective September 1, 2011 through August 31, 2012.  In addition to this dental plan, there is a dental plan (called Vital Savings) that costs approximately $25.00 for the student, $44.00 for the student and one dependent and $63.00 for the student and two dependents.  Please check with the health services office for more information about this discounted plan and its coverage.

All information about health insurance can be found on the health services website at:  http://ase.tufts.edu/healthservices/default.htm

  • Delta Dental – Dental Plan of Massachusetts

In addition to the Dental Plan offered by Aetna through the University Health Services Office,  Tufts University has teamed up to offer an optional and affordable dental insurance plan which will be available beginning September 1, 2011.

The plan is the Delta Dental Preferred Provider Option (PPO). The benefits offered include in and out-of-network coverage for preventive care, and discounts on basic and major services. A summary of the benefits is attached (document entitled “SP366 PPOValuePlan"). Rates are relatively low at $290.52 and $656.76 for one year coverage for individual and family coverage, respectively.  The coverage period is September 1, 2011 to August 31, 2012. The deadline for signing up is August 10, 2011.

To sign up, you will need to complete the forms that are linked (Tufts University Student Dental Enrollment Form and Payment Form and ACH Form). The general instructions and form specific instructions to complete these forms are also attached. To ease the registration process, the Delta Dental Plan Enrollment form is a fillable PDF and several sections are pre-filled for you. You will, however, need to designate the school you are enrolled in or if you are a postdoctoral resident.

Administration of the plan will be handled by Crosby Benefits Systems. Crosby requires that you complete an additional form and provide payment by check or automatic deduction from your bank account to initiate coverage.

The forms can be sent to Crosby as an electronic attachment scan that is then emailed to servicecenter@crosbybenefits.com or sent via fax to 617-928-0001. Forms can also be mailed to: Crosby Benefit Systems; PO Box 98140; Boston, MA 02298-1401.