Support and Letters of Recommendation
If you are experiencing anxiety, depression or other health issues
Your health and well-being should take priority. For you to succeed in this course, you need to care for yourself first. Swarthmore College has a number of services that can help.
For life threatening emergencies, please call Public Safety at 610-328-8333 and 911. Public Safety is available via their emergency number 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Swarthmore College’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers free and confidential support for anxiety, depression, eating concerns, body image concerns, panic disorders, OCD, grief, relationship difficulties, suicidal ideation, substance abuse, trauma, sexual assault and abuse, sexuality, and more. CAPS is located at the Worth Health Center in the North Wing. To reach an on-call counselor, CAPS On-Call is available for consultation 24 hours a day, every day of the year at 610-328-7768.
The Student Health and Wellness Center offers acute and chronic health care services. Preventive health services are also offered with a focus on issues that impact college students. Providers are available for assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and referrals as needed. The Swarthmore College Student Health Portal is available for managing your on-campus health needs and required forms. You can access your Student Health Portal through your mySwarthmore account. In your mySwarthmore account select Worth Health Center, then, select Student Health Portal, choose Swarthmore College from the drop down menu then sign on with your Swarthmore username and password.
If you have a disability or are facing other challenges
If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact the Office of Student Disability Services (Parrish 113) or email studentdisabilityservices@swarthmore.edu to arrange an appointment to discuss your needs. As appropriate, the office will issue students with documented disabilities a formal Accommodations Letter. Since accommodations require early planning and are not retroactive, please contact them as soon as possible. For details about the accommodations process, visit the Student Disability Services Website.
You are also welcome to contact me, Prof. Venkatagiri, privately to discuss your academic needs. However, all disability-related accommodations must be arranged through the Office of Student Disability Services. To receive an accommodation for a course activity you must have an official Accommodations Letter and you need to meet with me to work out the details of your accommodation at least two weeks prior to any activity requiring accommodations.
If you need technical support
For all technical support (e.g., your personal computer, email, logins, etc.) apart from using the lab computers and accessing the course material, Swarthmore IT Services offers enrolled students many resources, including a by-appointment Help Desk, training workshops, short-term equipment loans, and more. You can contact them through email at support@swarthmore.edu, by phone at 610-328-8513 or x4357 (from an on-campus Cisco phone), or by submitting a ticket at the ITS Service Portal.
If you need additional coaching, mentorship, and tutoring
Outside of this course, your academic advisor can help you with all matters related to managing your workload, your broader selection of courses, and determining how this course fits into your long-term goals.
Peer assistance is also an integral part of studying at Swarthmore. Academic support can be accessed through academic departments (peer mentors, clinics, and review sessions), the Writing Associates Program, the libraries, the Student Academic Mentors and the student deans. No additional fees are required for any of these services.
Tutors can be arranged through the Office of Academic Success. Writing Associates (WAs) collaborate with students during all stages of the writing process and in various disciplines.
If you need help with career counseling
If you are considering pursuing a career in HCI or Social Computing, I am more than happy to chat with you about potential next steps. However, I ask that you first do some research on your own and set up a one-on-one counseling meeting with Career Services. Swarthmore Career Services offers a plethora of resources to help you with your career, including one-on-one career counseling, skill development workshops, job postings, and more. The telephone number is 610-328–8352.
If you are considering asking for a letter of recommendation
I want to support you in your career advancement and see you thrive. Oftentimes, letters of recommendation (LoR) are needed when applying to graduate school (both master’s and doctoral programs), for fellowships, and occasionally for internships and job applications. I would be delighted to write a LoR for you, provided you read the guidelines I have written here. For me to write a strong LoR, you should have received at least an A- in this course or successfully completed a research project with me. Please give me at least 30 days notice.