As we noted in a previous tip, Degree Works is a very powerful tool that will do lots of things. However most people use it to see what classes they need to take in the coming semester (or semesters), and/or to check on their progress toward graduation.

This final tip deals with how to read – evaluate – your progress, such that you can see where you stand and what classes are still needed.

Pro Tip #4 (the Ultimate Secret Insider Tip): Look for, and only for, the red text. Red text alerts you to a class or classes that still need to be completed before you can graduate.

The illustrations below are examples of where you might see red text throughout the Worksheet view of Degree Works. Each is explained below the illustration.

Illustration #1, below, shows the student’s “Degree in Bachelor of Science” block, found near the top of the worksheet (below the personal information block). This is basically a table of contents, presenting the a summary of the sections or blocks which follow. If all of the requirements in any of these blocks are fulfilled, you will not see and red “still needed” text. Having said this, you really don’t need to pay too much attention to this block, because all of the information you need in it is repeated in more detail in subsequent blocks.

Illustration #1

Illustration #2 (below) shows the “Writing Intensive” block, which comes below the “Degree in Bachelor of Science” block. In this example, the student still needs to take ENGL 2201 and one POLS class that is writing intensive – that has the “WRIT” attribute.

Illustration #2

In Illustration #3 (below), we see the block outlining the “General Education Requirements.” Here we can see another reminder that the student needs to take ENGL 2201, a class in KINE with the “EXSS” attribute, as well 7 credits of a natural science course (example, biology).

Illustration #3

Illustration #4 deals with the major (POLS) course requirements. By this point you probably understand how this works, but we’ll go ahead and do it anyway: The student needs

• POLS 2010
• POLS 2090
• POLS 3031
• POLS 3032
• One of the following: POLS 2070, 3008 or 3050

The next line may be somewhat confusing, but it’s actually fairly simple. In the Bachelor of Science track, a student has the option of selecting a pre-law concentration. If they do not, they will stay on a generic Bachelor of Science track. This, by the way, is the default option.

This line is where that choice shows up. On the “Pre-law Concentration or Restricted Electives” line is says that “still needed” is “1 of the Following.” The 2 lines list the “Concentration (this is the pre-law) Option” and the “Restricted Electives Option.”

In this case, the student is NOT pre-law, which means that all 4 lines under the “Restricted Electives Option” have to be fulfilled, even though there is no red “still needed” there.

Illustration #4

The final illustration (#5) deals with the student’s minor, in Hispanic Studies. Here we see that they have completed none of the requirements for the minor – again, as detailed in the red “still needed” text.

Illustration #5

Degree Works – the online tool that makes it easier to chart your university career.

Today’s tip is very simple and straightforward. Underneath the personal information block (“Student View”) of near the top of the screen (where all of your information is located) there is a Progress Bar, that supposedly tracks your progress toward completion.

Many people – including many advisers – get confused by this.

So, Pro Tip #3: Completely ignore this progress bar. It is meaningless. If you want to know your progress, you can check one of two things:
• “Overall credits,” in the “Student View” block, tells you how many credits you have actually completed. This does not include the credits you are taking this current semester.
• “Credits applied” includes the classes you are currently enrolled in (and assumes you will pass all of them).

Today is the second in a short series we are presenting on how to use Degree Works – the online tool that makes pesky advisers almost unnecessary!

Pro Tip #2: Degree Works is a very powerful tool that will do lots of things, but most people, most of the time, will only use only one simple feature: The “Worksheet” function that tells you where you stand in your degree progress.

So, after logging in (remember, using Firefox), make sure you have the “Worksheet” tab at the top selected.

See the example below:

This is the first in a short series on the basics of how to use Degree Works.

The first thing to remember is that Degree Works is the Pirate Map to graduation and your future!

The second thing to know: It’s not nearly as complicated as you might believe – honest!

So, Pro Tip #1: Degree Works wants you to use Firefox browser. They don’t tell you that, but we will. If you have ever gotten frustrated because you have logged into Degree Works and nothing seems to be displaying, it almost certainly is because you are NOT using Firefox. So, if you don’t have Firefox installed on your computer, it might be time to consider doing so – if only to make use of this indispensable aid to your university career.

In 1788, British settlement begins in Australia: Captain Arthur Phillip guides a fleet of 11 British ships carrying convicts to the colony of New South Wales, effectively founding Australia. After overcoming a period of hardship, the fledgling colony began to celebrate the anniversary of this date with great fanfare and it eventually became commemorated as Australia Day.

In 1938, Tennessee passes nation’s first prohibition law: The first Prohibition law in the history of the United States is passed in Tennessee, making it a misdemeanor to sell alcoholic beverages in taverns and stores. The bill stated that all persons convicted of retailing “spirituous liquors” would be fined at the “discretion of the court” and that the fines would be used in support of public schools.

In 1950, the Republic of India is born: On this day the Indian constitution takes effect, making the Republic of India the most populous democracy in the world.

The 2022 “40 under Forty Leadership Award” winners have been announced, and we are happy to see that two of them are from our department. Townley Cheek is a graduate of the Masters of Public Administration program, and Bryce Goodwin is Political Science alumnus. Congratulations to both!

Dr. Casey Fleming has a forthcoming article in Public Integrity that examines citizen reaction to rulebreaking among local government administrative officers, paying special attention to the identities and underlying motivations of the accused violators. A key punchline of this experimental evidence suggests citizens are significantly less outraged when city administrators skirt bureaucratic rules in order to advance some social benefit or the “public good” versus more self-interested ends. This is consistent with corruption studies that show the public is surprisingly unwilling to punish harshly certain politicians (notably, those on their “team”) when mired in scandal.

Abstract: Despite the serious demands for public organizations to maintain political accountability and bureaucratic responsiveness, rule breaking persists among employees across all levels. Unlike our deeper understanding of corruption of elected officials, myriad questions remain regarding the nature of public response to policy violations of government bureaucrats working in politically neutral administrative positions. This study uses a survey experiment to investigate factors influencing the intensity of citizens’ recommended punishments for rule-breaking local government managers, specifically testing the effects of managers’ demographic attributes of age, race, and gender as well as their motivations for the violations. Findings strongly suggest that motive matters to citizens in this context, with prosocial rule-breaking managers incurring significantly less harsh penalties than destructive rule-breakers for all age-race-gender profiles. However, an absence of demographic information nullifies penalty differences between prosocial and destructive rule-breaking managers. Among the demographic attributes, only the managers’ race predicted the severity of punishments favored by citizens. No interaction effects between manager attributes were present. Results suggest public communications emphasizing person and purpose are particularly important for local government managers in this context.

Looking for an internship to build skills for your career while also working towards positive social change? Apply to be part of the 2022 Democracy Summer internship class! at Democracy North Carolina, we believe that our fight does not end until every person feels empowered to use their voice. This summer, you could be a part of advancing that reality.

Democracy Summer is a life-changing, hands-on internship experience for college students from across the state. As an intern, you would receive a $5,000 stipend (taxable) as well as training to kickstart your career in social and political change. Democracy Summer is ideal for college students interested in working in social and economic justice, community-based advocacy, research, politics, law, nonprofits, or public service.

This year’s cohort of interns will work for 9-10 weeks in one of three departments: Organizing, Communications, or Advocacy & Research. Interns work with Democracy North Carolina’s staff and partners to:

• Empower local volunteers and amplify the work of community leaders
• Advocate for local, state, and national policies that improve democracy
• Gain familiarity with North Carolina’s power structure
• Practice new techniques in strategy, organizing, communication, research, and advocacy for social movements

“This internship allowed me to do hands-on advocacy in my community, and I know it’s made Western NC a better place” (Syd, Democracy Summer 2022)

Find more information about the program & apply here. Applications are due by 7 p.m. on Monday, March 14th.

Desmera Gatewood <desmera@democracync.org>
Organizing Program Manager, Democracy North Carolina

Democracy North Carolina is North Carolina’s voice for a government that is truly of, by, and for the people. With an innovative integration of research, organizing, and training, Democracy NC increases civic participation, reduces the influence of big money in politics, and removes systemic barriers to voting and serving in elected office