Winthrop University: CVPA - Theatre and Dance - Student Handbook - Department Policies
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Dept. of Theatre & Dance
115 Johnson Hall
Rock Hill, SC  29733, USA
803/323-2287
803/323-2560 (fax)

Theatre and Dance

Department Policies

Governance:

All policies and procedures are subject to the approval of the faculty of the Department of Theatre and Dance and of the department Chair.  The Chair is the principal officer charged with the enforcement of policies and procedures, although it is the responsibility of all active members of the department to both monitor and adhere to them.  It is the responsibility of the various committees to develop policies and procedures, develop curriculum, select production seasons, and plan future initiatives.

Committees:

  • Theatre and Dance Department
    • Membership includes all faculty and the Chair.  This is the primary legislative body of the department.  It must approve all other committee recommendations.  This committee meets at least once a month.
  • Theatre Faculty
    • Membership includes all theatre faculty and the Chair.  It serves as an advisory committee on all issues directly related to the theatre program.  This committee meets al east once a month.
  • Dance Faculty
    • Membership includes all dance faculty and the Chair.  It serves as an advisory committee on all issues directly related to the dance program.  This committee meets at least once a month.
  • Curriculum Committee 
    This committee is responsible for developing and overseeing the curriculum, including but not limited to course proposals, program changes, addition and deletion of programs, degree requirements, recommending action on student petitions and general policies with impact on instruction and learning.  This committee meets on an as-needed basis.  Membership includes two full-time theatre faculty, two full-time dance faculty, two student members from the Chair's Advisory Council (one theatre and one dance major), and the Chair.  The Director of Dance automatically serves as one of the dance faculty members.  The committee must always include one member (Theatre or Dance) who also serves on the CVPA curriculum committee.  Faculty members are elected by the department's faculty to serve staggered three-year terms.  The student representative on the Chair's Advisory Council nominate the two student members.  faculty or student members may be re-elected to the committee to serve consecutive terms.  
  • Season Selection Committee 
    • This committee is responsible for developing the season of productions and reviewing all production policies and procedures with input from constituents.

    Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

    • Implement a Season Proposal Form and timeline for this process
    • Solicit proposals for production from department students, staff, faculty and Department Chair.
      • Deliberate the proposals with attention to:
        • Academic value
        • Resources available during a given year
        • Opportunities for student participation
        • Tech/design challenges and opportunities
        • Appeal and marketability to potential audiences
        • Scheduling performance into the academic calendar
        • Artistic coherence
        • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
        • Balance of styles/genres
        • Styles/genres to be produced once every year:
          • Musical theatre/revue
        • Styles/genres to be produced at least once every four years:
          • Shakespeare or Renaissance
          • Late 19th-early 20th century realism
          • Contemporary
          • Avant garde/non-realism
        • Additional styles/genres to be produced periodically:
          • Classical (Greek & Roman)
          • 17th-century to early 19th-century (pre-Realism)
          • Farce
          • New unpublished script or performance
      • Recommend a season to the faculty and staff for their consideration and approval.

    Appointees to the committee are appointed by the department chair; however, the committee will include the following representatives at a minimum:

    • A faculty member serving the department as dramaturg or theatre historian;
    • A faculty member serving the department from dance or theatre education area;
    • A faculty or staff member from the performance/musical theatre area;
    • A faculty or staff member from the design/tech area;
    • A faculty or staff member from the dance area;
    • One or two at-large faculty or staff members;
    • Two students from Chair’s Advisory Council

    A single individual may represent more than one area.

    There is no limit to the number of terms an individual may serve on this committee.

    Members will select a committee chair at the first meeting.

  • Health, Safety and Security Committee
    • The Building Supervisor is the chair of the committee and a permanent member. The committee shall also include the department chair, at least one full-time theatre faculty member, and at least one full-time dance faculty member. Faculty members serve staggered three-year terms. Faculty members may be re-elected to the committee to serve consecutive terms.  The purpose of this committee is to insure faculty, staff and students work together to maintain a safe, healthy, and secure work environment. The goal of this committee is to identify work place hazards and to find ways to prevent/ eliminate them with the assistance of faculty, administration and Facilities.

     Responsibilities include but are not limited to: 

    • Involve faculty and students in achieving a safe, healthy workplace.
    • Promptly review all health and safety-related incidents
    • Conduct a workplace inspection at the beginning of each semester, identify hazards, and recommend methods for eliminating or controlling the hazards.
    • Action plan for required purchases, renovations, etc. to render the work place a safer environment
    • Action Plan for NASD /NAST compliance

    The safety committee will evaluate the Department of Theatre and Dance workplace safety annually and provide a written evaluation of the program to the Chair for the annual Report. The committee will also evaluate its own activities annually and use the evaluation to develop an action plan for the next academic year.

  • Program Assessment Committee

    The Program Assessment Committee oversees Theatre and Dance Program’s Assessment. Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

    • Review and enhancement of the assessment plan based on feedback from the previous year (Rubric-University Assessment of our Program Assessment plans)
    • Review and enhance program curriculum maps
      • Ensure that the curriculum map has been established for each program outlining a common project for each of the stated student learning outcomes.
      • Ensure the student learning outcomes address all areas of NASD and NAST competencies
      • Ensure data is collected at the stated assessment points indicated in the curriculum map
      • Ensure data is collected effectively so that it can be assessed in a meaningful manner
      • Develop a strategy for the collection of all data/ projects and results for continuous improvement (all projects in curriculum map, sophomore review, junior review, capstones)
    • Review Program Mission Statements
    • Work with Department Chair to conduct workshops, meetings, work groups and year end retreat to review data collected to complete the Continuous Improvement report. Enter approved plans into OARS system after the Continuous Improvement report retreat at the end of the year.
    • Note: While initiatives are led by the committee chair and members, all faculty are expected to contribute to Program Assessment in their individual areas.
    • Sophomore and junior Review: Process, Policies, and Assessment.
  • Student Recruitment and Scholarship Committee

    This committee is tasked in developing materials, strategies, and programming related to recruitment of new students. the committee will include the following representatives when possible:

                    Department Chair
                    Dance Program Director
                    1-2 additional Dance faculty
                    2-3 Theatre faculty, of varying disciplines
                    2 student representatives from the Chair’s Advisory Council

    • Lead, coordinate and engage in recruitment events including the planning of our Open House Events, and departmental auditions (including ensuring accompanist)
    • Develop strategies to promote our programs to the wider community (high school programs etc.)
    • Develop materials for branding/ marketing/ promotion of our programs
    • Coordinate with the Chair and CVPA Admissions specialist Paula Garofalo
    • Review and enhance the rubric for assessing auditions / portfolios (face to face and via Getacceptd.com)
    • Assess students who audition/portfolio and establish who will be awarded the DMA scholarships
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

    The faculty of the department serves as committee-of-the-whole in supporting compliance with diversity standards and goals for all Theatre and Dance programs. This includes design, implementation and evaluation of curriculum and production opportunities that address needs of diverse learners, as well as recruitment and retention of diverse faculty and students. 
    At least two faculty members will serve on the CVPA diversity committee.

  • Technology Committee

    The Technology committee creates an inventory of all Theatre and Dance technological assets, Identifies a wish list with rationale of required purchases to enhance the program, Identifies requirements in teaching and learning spaces (i.e. smart board, Projectors, AV, Software, etc.), and gathers requests from faculty as relating to IT needs.

       

  • Task Forces
    • Task Forces are developed on an as needed basis to develop special projects for the department.  These committees are intended to by highly active but short-lived.
  • Special Assignments
    • Special assignments have ongoing responsibilities but do not require the work of a committee and are appointed by the Chair.
  • Archivist
    • The Archivist is responsible for maintaining department production archives (including:  posters, programs, publicity, reviews, photos, slides, and videotapes).  Also responsible for bulletin boards and lobby displays for productions.
  • Library Liaison
    • The Library Liaison is responsible for coordinating department purchases for the library.
  • The Chair's Advisory Council (CAC)

    (CAC) of the Department of Theatre and Dance is a group of undergraduate student representatives who serve in an advisory role to the chair and faculty of the department.

     Mission of Chair’s Advisory Council

     To serve as liaisons for the student population of the department, creating an open dialogue between administration and the student body, and providing advice to the chair on decisions and issues of importance to Theatre and Dance students. These would include, but are not limited to: 

    • Academic curriculum and programming:members will help the faculty to better understand the student perspective on courses and curricula. 
    • Recruitment and retention:members provide advice on how to better bring students to Winthrop, and how to retain them. 
    • Season Selection and Production:members provide advice on season planning and production policies that seeks to serve all constituents.
    • Ongoing concerns:members should bring issues to the chair's attention of concern to the department as a whole. 

    Length of Service

    Each member shall serve a term of one year. 

    Membership of CAC

    The concentrations within the Department of Theatre and Dance elects one (1) upper classman student (>53 credits) in good academic standing (2.0 GPA or above)  to serve as members, totaling six (6) members overall. 

                     Theatre: Performance

                     Theatre: Musical Theatre

                     Theatre: Design / Tech

                     Theatre: K-12 Certification

                     Dance

                     Dance: K-12 Certification

     In addition, there is also a representative on the CAC from APO (Alpha Psi Omega), Terpsichore, and a theatre or dance major from BLAC (Winthrop’s Black Artists Coalition)

    CAC Responsibility

    Meet as a full council at least once each semester.

    Elect two students to serve on Season Selection Committee

                Elect two students to serve on Curriculum Committee

                Elect two students to serve on Student Recruitment and Scholarship Committee

                Elect two students to serve on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee

  • Alpha Psi Omega Advisor
    • Serves as faculty advisor and department liaison to the Winthrop chapter of the national honorary society.
  • Terpsichore advisor
    • Serves as faculty advisor and department liaison to the Winthrop dance interest club.
  • Improv This! Advisor
    • Serves as faculty advisor and department liaison to the Winthrop improvisational performance club.
  • Nu Delta Alpha Advisor
    • Serves as faculty advisor and department liaison to the Winthrop chapter of the national honorary society.
  • Skin Deep Advisor
    • Serves as faculty advisor and department liaison to the Winthrop social theatre performance club.

Grievances:

Students have the right to voice their concerns to anyone.  However, there are usually channels of communication, which will lead to a less stressful resolution of the problem for everyone. The following are recommendations of the least stressful routes:

  • Concerns or question regarding department policies or procedures should be directed to the Chair.  If your complaint is not satisfactorily resolved, it should be referred to the Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts.
  • Concerns regarding Instructor policies or procedures or course requirements should be directed first to the Instructor. If the complaints are not satisfactorily resolved they should be referred to the Academic Adviser and then the Chair.
  • Concerns regarding production policies or procedures should be directed first to either the Production Director or the Technical Director.  If the complaints are not satisfactorily resolved they should be referred to the Chair.
  • Concerns regarding facilities or equipment should be directed to the Technical Director. If the complaints are not satisfactorily resolved they should be referred to the Chair.

 

 

Last Updated: 1/27/23