| STUDENT LIFE |
SECTION
6
|
The Division of Student Life actively supports the university's mission of education, research, and service by providing comprehensive programs and services to assist each student to develop intellectually, socially, and culturally. The division promotes this development by fostering a community of learning, which encourages individual student involvement and participation. The Division of Student Life provides a broad range of support services, activities, and programs which seek to enhance the learning environment; accommodate the diverse needs of all students; assist students in meeting their basic needs for financing, housing, nutrition, and physical and mental health; provide the means for students to become active participants and leaders in their own learning; assist students in developing logical thought processes and sound decision-making skills; and assist students in developing an appreciation of the arts. Moreover, the division seeks to contribute to the development of the whole individual by fostering in each student a deeper appreciation of the importance of life-long learning, individual responsibility, and human diversity.
The Division of Student Life includes the Departments/Offices of Adult and Commuter Student Services, Campus Dining Services, Career Services, Counseling and Student Development, Disability Support Services, Fraternities and Sororities, Judicial Affairs, Orientation and the First-Year Experience, Recreational Services, Student Financial Aid, Student Health Services, Student Leadership Development, University Housing Services, and University Unions.
ADULT AND COMMUTER STUDENT SERVICES
The Office of Adult and Commuter Student Services (ACSS) provides support services and programs which foster successful college experiences for commuters and students over twenty-four years of age. The office provides a resource booklet for new adult, commuter, and graduate students, newsletters and information on day care, transportation, and other community resources. The Pinnacle Nontraditional Student Honorary, an adult student list serve, a peer-helper program, and family activities are also sponsored by ACSS. Office staff serve as advocates for adults and commuters with the ECU community and strive to find effective avenues of communication with this diverse group of students. For more information, visit the office in the lower level of Mendenhall Student Center or call 252-328-6881.
Campus Dining Services recognizes the importance of variety, value, and convenience, and offers well-balanced, nutritious meals throughout the day at each of its seven locations. Two all-you-care-to-eat dining halls are located near the residential areas of campus. These restaurants serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner Monday through Friday, and brunch and dinner on weekends. Five campus cafes offer food on an a la carte basis and are located throughout campus near academic buildings and residence halls. Each has its own distinct menu, atmosphere, and hours of operation.
Treat Yourself Right, a menu of foods lower in fat that meet the American Heart Association’s nutritional guidelines, is available at every campus dining restaurant. A registered dietitian monitors the Treat Yourself Right menu and assists students with dietary needs.
Campus Dining Services offers several convenient and economical meal plans that can be used in any of ECU's campus restaurants. The Advantage Account is Campus Dining Services’ declining balance meal plan that saves you 6 percent at all campus restaurants and is accessed through your ECU One Card. If you prefer to eat regularly in our dining halls, we offer more traditional meal plans that offer a set number of meals each week throughout the semester and include Advantage Account funds. Either way, when you dine on campus, you’ll choose from a selection of delicious and nutritious menu items.
In addition to great food, dining services hosts an array of special events, theme meals, ethnic parties, holiday celebrations, and more throughout the year, allowing students from across campus to get together and enjoy good times and great food.
More information about campus dining is available at the ECU Dining Services office, Todd Dining Hall; telephone 252-ECU-FOOD (328-3663).
Career services provides career-choice orientation programs and services for students. Students are encouraged to use SIGI, an easy-to-use computerized guidance program, which helps clarify values, explore occupation options, and develop educational plans. The office is located at 701 East Fifth Street; telephone 252-328-6050.
Students are encouraged to register for the services. Graduating students should register by September 1 before their anticipated graduation. Alumni are charged a nominal fee. Reciprocal service is also available to graduates of other institutions. Extensive information is available at http://www.ecu.edu/career.
Resume and interview workshops are available weekly. Individual appointments may be made for videotaped practice interviews. Specialized workshops, class presentations, or group tours may include programs on other career-related areas.
Assistance is provided to employers seeking qualified university educated candidates to meet human resource needs. Registrants are notified of recruiter visits, usually October through April, through the website. Students may sign up for on-campus interviews.
CENTER FOR COUSELING AND STUDENT DEVELOPMENT
The purpose of the Center for Counseling and Student Development is to assist students in making the most of their opportunities for academic and personal development while attending the university. Personal, academic, educational, alcohol and other drug abuse, and career counseling are provided. In addition to individual counseling, group sessions are conducted for those students who wish to focus on various problems or personal concerns that arise from the stress of university life and interpersonal relations. The center's staff provides both classroom and individual programs for students who wish to improve their study skills. When necessary, tests and inventories are used to help students ascertain their areas of interest and/or to gain insight into their personal adjustment. A computer program (System of Interactive Guidance and Information) is available as a resource for students who wish to explore and evaluate career options. All students are entitled to the services provided by the center without charge.
The Center for Counseling and Student Development is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Students are encouraged to visit 316 Wright or telephone 252-328-6661.
The Leo W. Jenkins Fine Arts Center, which houses the Gray Art Gallery, is operated under the School of Art. The Gray Art Gallery installs changing exhibitions of contemporary art, including traveling shows from around the country and important ECU faculty and student shows.
There are weekly shows by School of Art majors in painting, sculpture, etc., in Mendenhall Student Center, Baptist Student Center, and the Foundations Gallery in the Jenkins Fine Arts Center.
The campus chapter of Delta Phi Delta and student organizations such as Craftsmen East, Ceramics Guild, Printmakers Guild, Design Associates, Painting and Drawing Association, and other student art groups hold programs, sales, and exhibitions during the year.
Several disciplines within the school send out shows to other colleges, libraries, public schools, banks, and institutions in the state and region. Guest lecturers in numerous art fields are brought to the campus to supplement the regular faculty.
East Carolina University Poetry Forum
The East Carolina University Poetry Forum conducts an informal workshop in poetry which meets in the Mendenhall Student Center at 8:00 p.m. each first and third Thursday during the academic year. The forum sponsors the visits of established poets; Robert Creely, William Stafford, James Dickey, Carolyn Kizer, Fred Chappell, and Louis Simpson are among the poets who have read on the ECU campus.
Throughout the year films are presented each week on campus in Hendrix Theatre of Mendenhall Student Center. The Films Committee, which is part of the Student Union, selects Blockbuster films and presents movies each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening, as well as a Sunday matinee. In 1999, the committee established the Mercury Cinema, which is a combination of independent, foreign, and American film classics. These films are featured on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. ECU students, faculty, and staff and one guest each may attend these movies by showing his or her ECU One Card. All movies are shown in the newly renovated Dolby Digital Surround Sound-enhanced theatre.
The Student Union's Popular Entertainment Committee annually presents on campus artists from the world of jazz, folk, rhythm and blues, rock, and popular entertainment.
S. Rudolph Alexander Performing Arts Series
The S. Rudolph Alexander Performing Arts Series of East Carolina University is the quality concert series of eastern North Carolina. Selected and presented by the S. Rudolph Alexander Performing Arts Series Committee of the Department of University Unions, this series annually presents world-acclaimed ensembles, choral groups, instrumentalists, vocalists, theatre, and dance companies in Wright Auditorium.
Travel-Adventure Film and Theme Dinner Series
The ECU Travel-Adventure Film and Theme Dinner Series presents world travel films and serves gourmet dinners in Mendenhall Student Center. Some of the world’s finest travel film-makers narrate travelogues to exotic locales. All films are accompanied by all-you-can-eat gourmet buffets. Films are scheduled at 4:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and dinner is served at 6:00 p.m. An ECU student and guest may attend the films free with a valid ECU One Card. Dinners may be purchased by cash, meal plan, or declining balance account. For information call the Central Ticket Office at 252-328-4788.
Tickets for all concerts, entertainment, performing arts series performances, and lectures sponsored by the Student Union and the Department of University Unions are available in the Central Ticket Office, which is located in Mendenhall Student Center. By presenting his or her ID card, a student may purchase, at reduced prices, tickets for concerts and the S. Rudolph Alexander Performing Arts Series. A student may purchase another student's tickets at the same time he or she purchases his or her own tickets by presenting the other student's One Card. Tickets for faculty, staff, and the public are available also. A student may be required to show his or her One Card, along with his or her ticket, for admission to certain activities.
The Department for Disability Support Services adapts the generalized services to the specialized needs of individuals with disabilities. The department integrates individuals with disabilities into the life of the university and assists them in benefiting from the programs, services, and activities that are enjoyed by all individuals. Services include comprehensive academic support services, counseling, personal care attendant referrals, barrier-free campus development, campus orientation, mobility training, advocacy services, adaptive transportation, and parking assistance. Additional program information is available in A-117 Brewster and by telephone at 252-328-6799. Information is also available at http://www.ecu.edu/dss/introdss.htm.
Mendenhall Student Center (MSC) provides quiet and comfortable study areas, and for group studying, private rooms may be reserved. A full-service computer lab is open seven days a week. For relaxation, there are free movies, a wide-screen TV lounge, bowling, billiards, and an art gallery. Additional conveniences include ATMs, meeting and dining areas, and ECU’s Central Ticket Office. MSC is home to the SGA, Student Union, ABLE, IFC, Panhellenic Council, National Panhellenic Council, and ECU Transit. For information, call the information desk at 252-328-4700 or visit the web site at http://www.ecu.edu.mendenehall/
The Department of Recreational Services offers all students, faculty, and staff a broad and diverse program of wellness-oriented activities designed to enhance and promote healthy personal lifestyles. Activity programs are team, individual, and dual in nature offering competitive and noncompetitive play in intramural sports, drop-in recreation, adventure activities, special events, and club sports. Lifestyle enhancement programs provide opportunities for participation in a wide variety of aerobic fitness classes, fitness clubs and workshops, and wellness clinics. An adapted recreation and intramural sport enrichment program (ARISE) provides opportunities in recreational activities for individuals with disabilities. Recreational equipment checkout and towel service are offered daily through the customer service desk in the Student Recreation Center. For additional information about programs, services, or memberships, please call 252-328-6387 or visit our website at http://www.recserv.ecu.edu.
RESEARCH, ASSESSMENT, AND TESTING
The Office of Research, Assessment, and Testing coordinates the assessment activities of the Division of Student Life in order to better understand student needs and the effectiveness of division programs in meeting these needs. The office also conducts research on the personal and educational development of ECU students and disseminates its findings to the university community.
Several national testing programs are offered, including PRAXIS, American College Testing, Allied Health Professions Admission Test, College-Level Examination Program, Law School Admission Test, Medical College Admission Test, Miller Analogies Test, Pharmacy College Admission Test, and Scholastic Assessment Tests. Local and state licensing examinations in nursing and real estate also are administered by the office. Upon request, the office will administer individually arranged exams such as correspondence tests for other colleges and employer personnel examinations. Further information is available at the Office of Research, Assessment, and Testing, D-102 Brewster; telephone 252-328-6811.
The Student Health Service (SHS) provides individualized and quality health care and health education for currently enrolled ECU students. The outpatient clinic provides health care through appointments for the students’ convenience and through an urgent care clinic during operating hours. Services include, but are not limited to, routine health care (illness, accidents, physicals, wellness, etc.), mental health, physical therapy, sports medicine, health and wellness education, pharmacy, laboratory, x-ray, allergy vaccine clinic, self-care medication clinic, health insurance, and more. The SHS is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
The Health Promotion and Education section at SHS assists students in examining their current lifestyle behaviors and making informed decisions regarding well being. The office offers information related to alcohol and other drugs, sexuality, nutrition, and men’s and women’s health issues as well as general health and safety issues. Brochures, pamphlets, books, videos, and CD-ROM resources are available. The staff consults with the campus community about health and well being issues through individuals and groups. The staff also provides programs upon request on and off campus.
Requests for administrative or academic changes because of health problems must be approved by the director of the SHS. The telephone numbers for the center are as follows: main switchboard 252-328-6841; appointments 252-328-6317; health promotion and education 252-328-6794; pharmacy 252-328-6841.
The Student Union comprises eight committees and sponsors yearly, reasonably priced trips. The eight committees are visual arts, marketing, lecture, barefoot, popular entertainment, cultural awareness, films, and spectrum.
OTHER SERVICES AND INFORMATION
East Carolina Playhouse Productions
The East Carolina Playhouse is the producing arm of the Department of Theatre and Dance. The Fine Arts and Performing Groups Board contributes partial funding for the playhouse to produce a musical (occasionally in conjunction with the School of Music), plays, and a dance concert. Although preference in casting is given to students, roles in the productions are open to faculty and staff members of the university and to citizens of Greenville and the surrounding area. Freshmen are eligible to audition for productions in their first semester. Students and others also take part in all areas of technical production.
Ledonia Wright African-American Cultural Center
The Ledonia Wright African-American Cultural Center, located in the Bloxton House, is a free-standing structure located in the heart of East Carolina University’s main campus near Mendenhall Student Center. The center serves as a facility for research, educational programming, and the repository for the university’s collection of African-American art. The purpose of the Cultural Center is to provide an educational, social, and cultural support system for students at the university; to increase awareness, understanding, and appreciation of African-American history and culture; to promote a culturally sensitive environment, while providing a forum for a healthy and informed cross-cultural exchange between diverse populations on campus; to continue the establishment of the tradition of academic and leadership excellence for racially diverse students; and to assist in the recruitment and retention of racially diverse students. The center comprises a reading room, featuring newspapers and other periodicals from across the nation; a main lounge and reception area; two conference rooms; and space for the main Art Gallery. For more information about the center or to make reservations, contact the director at 252-328-1680.
Regulations governing traffic, parking, registration of motor vehicles, and enforcement are set forth in the East Carolina University Traffic Ordinance, which is available at the Department of Parking and Transportation Services. All students desiring to utilize campus parking facilities must register their vehicles with Parking and Transportation Services and pay a registration fee. A student desiring to register a motor vehicle not owned by himself or herself, a spouse, a parent, or a guardian must obtain special permission from Parking and Transportation Services.
Freshmen operating vehicles on campus are required to register their vehicles with Parking and Transportation Services. Freshmen vehicles are not permitted to park on the main campus during the week. On Friday afternoon at 4:00 p.m., registered freshmen vehicles may park in resident areas around the residence halls. Freshmen vehicles must be off campus by 12:00 midnight Sunday evening. There are thirty-minute metered loading zones located at the residence halls which freshmen vehicles are permitted to utilize as long as the meter is activated.
The university's towing policy is strictly enforced. Parking on campus is by permit only. Unregistered vehicles parking on campus may be towed; vehicles with three or more uncleared parking tickets may be towed; and any vehicle illegally parked in a towing enforced zone may be towed.
There is no overnight visitor parking in the university residence hall areas between Sunday midnight and 4:00 p.m. Friday. Visitors to campus must obtain a visitor's parking permit from Parking and Transportation Services, which operates from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. After business hours, visitor permits may be obtained from the University Police Department, which operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Visitors should clear any citations with Parking and Traffic Services before leaving campus. Students are held responsible for uncleared traffic citations traced to their family members.
The School of Music annually mounts a vigorous concert program providing musical enrichment for the cultural life of the university community. All events are open to the public and include a faculty recital series; student recitals; a series of concerts by School of Music performance organizations, both instrumental and choral; opera workshop productions; and a series of chamber music concerts. A diversified musical repertoire provides the listener with a wide variety of music. Premiere performances of compositions by student and faculty composers are a feature of many concerts. Visiting artists, composers, and lecturers of international stature conduct master classes for School of Music students and faculty. Frequently scheduled is the presentation of a major choral-orchestral work by the combined forces of the School of Music.
Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic
The East Carolina University Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic is a clinic for university students, faculty, and staff as well as the general population who live in eastern North Carolina. The clinic provides comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services to individuals with speech, language and hearing disorders and is in part funded by the North Carolina Scottish Rite Masonic Foundation. Graduate students in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSDI) receive clinical training while being supervised by faculty who are certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and licensed by the state of North Carolina as speech language pathologists and audiologists. The clinic integrates state-of-the-art services with cutting edge research to provide the latest in outpatient diagnostic, treatment, and consultant services for all types of speech, language, and hearing disorders. Services include hearing and hearing aid evaluations; hearing aid dispensing and repairs; adult and child language evaluations, including specialized evaluations for language-based learning disabilities and dyslexia; evaluation and treatment for stuttering, voice, language, and articulation disorders; and dialect and foreign accent reduction treatment. The clinic is located in Belk Annex; telephone 252-328-4405.
Dowdy Student Stores, owned and operated by East Carolina University, is an auxiliary enterprise for the convenience of the university community. The Student Stores stocks books, school supplies, computers, and other tools of the educational process for the students on campus as well as those attending classes taught throughout eastern North Carolina by the Division of Continuing Education. The Student Stores also carries an extensive line of imprinted merchandise featuring apparel, gifts, jewelry, and various accessories. One hundred percent of net proceeds are contributed to the General Scholarship Fund. Textbooks and other information are available through the Student Stores website at http://www.studentstores.ecu.edu.