BENEFITS

21 CREDITS

Kathwari Honors Students can register for up to 21 credits in a semester without special permission or extra fees. 

PRIORITY REGISTRATION

Kathwari Honors Students will register for courses in the priority registration group, which normally takes place 2-3 days before senior registration.

VIEW THE REGISTRAR'S WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION

HONORS TIPS FOR PRIORITY REGISTRATION

1. CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION DATE IN BANNER TO MAKE SURE THAT IT HAS THE RIGHT DATE. If your registration date in banner does not match what the Honors Program told you it should be, email honors@wcsu.edu ASAP.

2. You MUST get your registration PIN#, from your Academic Advisor in order to register for courses. You CANNOT register for courses without your PIN#.

3. Be sure to have all of your course CRNs ready for registration at midnight. The next registration group after your priority registration group is set to open 2-3 days after the priority registration date.

4. WE strongly suggest that you register into your Honors course first, right at midnight since those will fill quickly. After you register into your Honors course, you can then register for other courses you plan to take.

5. Be sure that the Honors course you register for is definitely the one you want to take. Honors courses fill quickly and there may not be space available if you want to switch later. Overrides are very rarely approved, though considered in exceptional cases.

6. Do not enroll in more than 1 Honors course per semester unless you truly intend to take both courses in that term.

7. HERE, you will find a list of all Honors courses taught in the last 5-6 years with information about the honors modes and gen ed competencies. I hope this is a helpful tool for you.

8. You can track your honors modes of inquiry with the Honors Program Sheets.

HOW TO VIEW COURSES

1. Go to Browse Classes

2. Select the Term that you'd like to view the courses for.

3. Select the subject: Honors

4. Click the search button at the bottom of the page.

IN THE HOUSE

In the house, you have access to:

• Seminar Room with tables, smart screens and desktop computers that have access to free printing.

• Full Kitchen with high-top tables and stools two fridges, freezer, stove and oven, two microwaves, electric water kettle, coffee maker, toaster and all of the kitchen gear you need - Pots, pans, cooking utensils, cups, mugs, plates, bowls, silverware, cutting boards, baking essentials and more!

• Den with comfy couches, 30+ board and card games, TV with limited cable channels and a Nintendo Wii

• Lyceum for quiet studying, yoga practice, singing or group events with big open spaces, high ceilings and beautiful windows with a small elevated stage. Some of the Honors courses are held in this space.

• 3 Gender-Neutral Restrooms are available on the first and second floors.

• Staff Offices are located on the second floor.

• Lift Access for anyone who needs it. Honors students who need access to the lift are provided with a lift key and an overview of how to access it. If assistance is needed at the lift, doorbells have been installed for use during regular business hours (typically M-F 9-5). The doorbell rings inside the Honors House so present Honors staff can come out to assist. If Honors staff is not available to assist, you can call WCSU Police at 203-837-9300.

ACCESS

• All Kathwari Honors students have 24/7 ID card access to the Kathwari Honors House with your 4-digit access PIN. If you don't know your PIN, you can reset it online or visit the WestConnect Office on the Midtown Campus for help.

• ALWAYS enter at the side entrance and not the double doors. Your ID CARD AND PIN ONLY WORKS AT THE SIDE DOOR OF THE HOUSE. Your ID card and PIN DO NOT WORK AT THE FRONT DOUBLE DOORS WHEN THE DOOR IS LOCKED.

• If you are having any access issues, please email honors@wcsu.edu.

GENERAL HOUSE RULES:

• Be respectful of the space and others in the house.

• Leave the Honors House better than you found it.

• The Kathwari Honors House is an academic space first.

• Clean up after yourself. Put things back exactly where you found them.

• If you are the last person in the house to leave, turn off all lights, electronics, A/C units, etc.

• Please refrain from playing loud music, tv or videos.

• Please refrain from excessive use of expletives or other foul language-including music.

• No alcohol or drugs in the honors house.

• Please refrain from excessive P.D.A. (public displays of affection) inside and around the house.

• The Honors House is frequently used as a space for classes and other activities. Be mindful during meeting times. People can hear you, even in the Lyceum.

• The Honors Staff reserves the right to ban offending students (and their guests) from the Honors House temporarily, indefinitely, or permanently. 

KITCHEN RULES:

Please be mindful of others sharing the common kitchen space and use your common sense in helping us keep the area clean and functional. Here are rules to follow so we can keep the kitchen space running smoothly. 

• Read and follow all signs in the kitchen.

• Never leave any food on the stovetop unattended. If you need to step away, ask someone else to watch it or turn the stove/oven off completely.

• Wash all dishes that you use. Do not leave them lying in the sink.

• Clean up any spills on tables, countertops, stove and in refrigerators.

• Wipe out the microwave after use, particularly if your food splattered.

• Sponges are to be used only for dishes.

• If you use a sponge, please rinse it out before putting it away.

• Throw away or recycle any wrappers, containers, peelings etc. that you no longer want.

• Please label all food and drinks with your name, date, and put away anything you wish to keep in the pantry/refrigerator.

• Respect other people’s labeled foods.

• Anything that is left unlabeled will be considered common property and may be consumed or thrown away.

• If you intentionally wish to leave something in the kitchen to share with others, please write “Share” on it and date it. Be sure to return to clean up what is left behind.

• Thursday is the dump day. Let’s ensure we don’t have a skunky fridge with forgotten food in there for weeks. If you don’t want something thrown out, please leave a post saying “Do Not Throw” on the item. Otherwise, it will be thrown out on Thursday afternoon.

• Thou shall not steal. Food theft may seem like small potatoes, but in a communal environment, it’s a big deal. Never take anyone else’s food knowingly without asking.

• If you see something running out (paper towels, sponges, soap, etc.), please email honors@wcsu.edu or notify any of the Honors Assistants. 

STUDENT GUEST POLICY:

(A student guest is a WCSU student that is not a member of the Kathwari Honors Program) 

• All student guests coming to the Kathwari Honors House to meet with a staff member are welcome at any time when the staff are present and do not need to be signed in by an honors student.

• Student guests who are invited to and attending any honors related events in the honors house must sign in with the honors event coordinator.

• All other student guests must be signed-in by the honors student with whom they are coming in with. Link to sign-in form below.

• Honors students are allowed ONE guest at a time. If you would like to have more than one guest for an event in the house, you must receive permission in advance from Caitlin by email at kennedyc@wcsu.edu.

• Guests are only permitted in the house when a staff member is present, during regular staff hours (M-F 9:00am – 5:00pm). There are no exceptions to this rule.

• The honors student hosting a guest must always remain in the honors house with their guest.

Honors House Guest Sign-In

Please help us enforce these rules. If you see someone violating these rules, please let us know. 

Incident Notification Form

HOUSE LOCATION

VIEW ON GOOGLE MAPS

Kathwari Honors students interested or planning to travel domestically or internationally, for credit or not, for any reason connected to your academic or professional goals while at WCSU may apply for travel funding from the Kathwari Honors Program.

Start seeking funding support EARLY!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

1. The Kathwari Honors Program may fund UP TO $1,500 toward the total or remaining cost of your trip at the discretion of the Kathwari Honors Program.

2. Travel funds are limited and are available on a first-come first-served basis by term so start the process EARLY!

3. Students must apply for honors travel funding NO LATER THAN 60 DAYS BEFORE YOUR DEPARTURE.

4. To be eligible for honors travel funding, your travel must take place while you are still an enrolled and matriculated student at WCSU. Graduating seniors are ineligible for funding for a trip taking place after they graduate.

5. FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL, meet with Donna Warner (warnerd@wcsu.edu), International Services Coordinator to discuss your international travel plans and begin organizing the steps needed to travel abroad.

Questions? Email Assistant Director, Caitlin Kennedy at kennedyc@wcsu.edu. 

APPLY HERE

INSTAGRAM

NEWSLETTERS

HONORS SUCCESS STORIES

The Kathwari Honors Residential Community provides Kathwari Honors students a unique opportunity to live in one section of Litchfield Hall on the Midtown campus where students live in a supportive environment with other Honors students and an Honors Resident Assistant (RA).

You can select your roommate, but all students must be current Kathwari Honors students to live in honors housing. Make sure to follow the housing process. Please let us know if you have any questions about the Kathwari Honors Residential Community and remember to select Honors Housing in your housing application.

FOLLOW THE HOUSING PROCESS - Housing and Residence Life - Western Connecticut State University (wcsu.edu)

HOUSING QUESTIONS? CONTACT HOUSING & RESIDENCE LIFE AT 203-837-8531 OR HOUSING@WCSU.EDU

Priority consideration will be given to Kathwari Honors Students who apply for the new Kathwari Graduate Fellowship. This fellowship will provide up to $2,000 per semester stipend (up to 4 semesters) when enrolled in any WCSU graduate program. 

Read the full details and application process here: Kathwari Graduate Fellowship - School of Graduate, International, and Career Studies

Take advantage of these unique opportunities for honors students only. Visit the relevant pages at the links below:

Honors Research Practicum

Honors Teaching Practicum

Kathwari Honors Students have access to a professionally connected network of honors alumni, faculty and staff. The program will facilitate opportunities for students to meet with a variety of Kathwari Honors Alumni who are current leaders and change-makers in their professional communities. 

https://www.wcsu.edu/honors/faculty/

Kathwari Honors Students Receive:

• Honors notation on their transcript

• Honors cord/medal to wear at WCSU commencement and a certificate of program completion at the Kathwari Honors Convocation Ceremony

• Recognition in the WCSU commencement program.