Hello Honorables,

Welcome to the first week of the semester! We hope you all had a relaxing and peaceful winter break, and as we begin yet another semester in the new normal, we want to take some time to appreciate the hard work and commitment students have shown in such challenging times. As we navigate online classes and difficult circumstances, we want to remind you to never hesitate to reach out for help if you need it, and don't forget to take care of your mental and physical health.

Today's edition of the Honorable Messenger features some important announcements, opportunities, and deadlines. Here's a reminder to mask up and have fun with your classes!

CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT THE CLIMATE SURVEY

Announcements and Opportunities

Big Changes to Experiential Learning Requirements!

The Honors Program has made some changes to its experiential learning curriculum. You can now earn all 12 of experiential learning credits through experiential coursework or from the same multi-semester experience (previously capped at 6 or 8). You will also now be able to complete the honors reflection process even if you did not submit a pre-experience questionnaire. A slight reduction in credit will be applied in most cases. In addition, some research experiences now require the completion of the Pre-Experience Questionnaire and Honors Reflection Process. You can find more information about these changes here, and if you have questions contact andrew-willard@uiowa.edu.

Requirements for Undergraduate Research for 2021

Are you engaged (or plan to be) in undergraduate research? Do you use the Research Verification Form? Starting Spring 2021, Honors students engaged in research on a volunteer, paid, or 0 s.h. basis are required to complete the pre/post experience questionnaire and a narrative when your research project is over. Please view our 'Experiential Learning webpage' for more details.

Apply to be a Writing Fellow

Do you enjoy writing in your academic courses? Do you enjoy exchanging writing with your peers? If so, think about becoming an Honors Writing Fellow. Fellows are assigned to courses across the disciplines where they help between students with drafts of major assignments. Applications (and more information) for Fall 2021 can be found on our website and will be due on March 26. For more information (after you've read the website and the application), please contact Megan-Knight@uiowa.edu.

Join Us for an International Iowa Theme Week!

We are excited to announce the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council (ICFRC)/International Theme Week to kick off the spring semester! Join us for a week of Instagram Takeovers, Country Spotlights, Trivia Night and more. Keep an eye out on our Instagram for a takeover tomorrow and register here for an exciting international trivia on Friday at 7 PM!

Complete the Climate Survey

In continued efforts to provide quality service and support, we need your feedback! Please take the 2nd Annual Honors Climate Survey to help us identify areas of growth and strength. Those who complete the survey will be entered into a lottery to win a $50 Amazon gift-card. The survey can be found at https://honors.uiowa.edu/climatesurvey and will be open until February 19 2021.

Work for Honors!

Employment applications for the 2021-2022 academic year are open! Honors student staff are an integral part of the program, and we want you to the join the team. Applications are open for various positions such as Student Admins, Honors Peer Mentors, and opportunities to work with the Honors Newsletter and Publications. Apply here before February 2^nd 2021.

Apply for Honors Scholarships

The Honors Scholarship application is open! To access the online universal application, visit the Iowa Scholarship Portal and click here to learn more about the Honors scholarships! Other questions? Contact Camille Socarras, Honors Scholarships Coordinator at camille-socarras@uiowa.edu

Congratulations to Emily Bronswick!

Congratulations to Emily Bronswick, who is the 2020 recipient of the Kay Keeshan Hamod Scholarship! Emily is a senior from Antioch, Illinois double majoring in History and Social Studies Education, with a Spanish minor and an All Social Studies Endorsement. After graduation, she plans on teaching high school history for several years before potentially pursuing graduate school, working to challenge the myth that the civil rights movement was largely confined to the South, and that men were the most important in driving the movement forward. Emily studies Black Iowa women’s activism during the civil rights era (which she defines as 1945-1965). She explores how activism was influenced by gender, class, and positionality as Midwesterners.

From the Blog

Thriving as Honors Students

Honors Student Olivia Tonelli shares some tips about overcoming the notions and ideals of perfectionism and how to thrive as an Honors student. Read her essay here.