minary W orld Class Seminary - Bethel Seminary - Bethel University

San DiegoStudent Services and ResourcesAppeal ProcessStudents with concerns in any area ofdue process related to student life mayappeal to the student affairs committee.The committee will be appointedby the faculty for students who feelthat individual circumstances warrantexceptions from published policy. Thestudent affairs committee will includeone faculty member, one member of theadministration, and one student representative.Further appeals beyond thiscommittee will be directed to the fullfaculty. Written requests should be submittedto the associate registrar’s office.BookstoreBethel Seminary San Diego operatesa bookstore that enables students topurchase all required textbooks at thelowest possible cost.Computer AccessBethel Seminary San Diego’s library hasIBM-compatible computers connectedto a main laser printer that studentsmay use. There are also typewritersavailable for student use.EmploymentMost students find it a financialnecessity to work part time while inseminary. Many students are involvedin paid positions within local churchesin the San Diego area. Various businesseshave regular contact with Bethelin order to provide part-time employmentopportunities for students.Health InsuranceStudents are required to participate ina hospital insurance plan. This may bedone by purchasing a policy from aninsurance company of the student’s ownchoosing or by participating in a planwhere the student or spouse is employed.PlacementThe seminary seeks to prepare graduateswho qualify for ordination or forM.F.T. licensure in California, but thesuccessful placing of a graduate in aposition involves several variables, suchas the needs of the specific church oragency, the availability of the graduate,and his or her competency for ministry.Students are encouraged to establish adenominational relationship early intheir seminary experience to preparefor placement and ordination, if that istheir goal. Representatives from severaldenominations and mission agenciesregularly visit the campus to meet withstudents.Students should use their requiredsupervised ministry experiences as opportunitiesto build a résumé of experiencesthat will lead naturally towardtheir ministry goals. Service withinthe chosen denominational setting,contacts with established pastors, andattendance at denominational conferencesand ministerial meetings build anetwork of relationships that facilitateplacement.Students are expected to take theinitiative in seeking placement upongraduation since most ministry placementis done through establishednational and district offices. The Officeof Supervised Ministry is available forplacement counseling, to help studentscommunicate with their officials, andto make students aware of placementopportunities. Those who feel called tooverseas ministry are urged to maintaincontact with appropriate missionagencies beginning early in theirseminary careers.PublicationsHeart & Mind magazine, publishedthree times a year, is distributed toprospective and current students andalumni. Its purpose is to highlighthow God is working in the seminarycommunity as well as to provide stimulatingarticles by faculty and othercontemporary theologians.The San Diego M.F.T. departmentpublishes The Bridge, a newsletter tokeep in touch with alumni, the SanDiego therapeutic community, and localchurches.The SW Friends newsletter is a periodicpublication of interest to a wide-rangingconstituency in the southwest U.S.,primarily highlighting San Diego-relatedevents, programs, and opportunities tostudents, alumni, parents, and friends ofBethel University and Bethel SeminarySan Diego.The Student Handbook, which is updatedannually, contains all information pertainingto academia and student life andis issued to all incoming students.Student SenateThe seminary Student Senate is activeon the San Diego campus, contributingin numerous ways to enhance the educationalexperience of each student aswell as ministering to the entire seminarycommunity. Specifically, the Senate existsto promote and serve student interests,to lead and guide in student desired initiatives,and to establish and sustain thewelfare of the student body.Additionally, the senate is in charge offacilitating worship opportunities, programmingperiodic seminars and otherstudent activities, enhancing internalcommunication, and serving as liaisonsbetween the student body and facultyand administration. Senators are electedto a one-year term at the beginning ofthe school year in the fall. All studentsare eligible to serve.Disability ServicesBethel Seminary provides services andreasonable accommodations for studentswith documented disabilities. Examplesinclude sensory, physical, systemic,learning, and psychiatric disabilities. Studentsenrolled in Bethel courses shouldcontact the instructor as soon as possibleif disability-related accommodations areneeded. Accommodations for studentswith documented disabilities are set upthrough the Office of the Associate Dean.For further information about theseservices or to request accommodation,contact Kent Eaton, associate dean, at619.582.8188, ext. 223.74