Dec 08, 2024  
2019-2020 Graduate Bulletin 
    
2019-2020 Graduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

University Facilities and Student Services



Parking Management

Vehicle Registration

The University has implemented a license plate recognition (LPR) system and switched to a virtual permit parking system on all University-controlled properties. Physical permits will no longer be issued. License plates will be used to verify that a vehicle can park on campus. Students, faculty and staff are allowed to have two vehicles assigned to their virtual permit; however, both vehicles are not allowed to park on campus simultaneously.

Virtual Parking Permit (parking permit number) is an electronic authorization for an individual to park a vehicle on a University campus or teaching/research site in a specified parking zone.

ECitation (citation) is an electronic citation via email (with the exception of non-registered vehicles). Non-registered vehicles will receive a notice on the windshield indicating a citation has been issued.

Faculty, staff and students are required to register online at usm.edu/parking to obtaining a parking permit number. Parking registration is an individual responsibility. Parking permit numbers are issued to individuals, and ownership is nontransferable. By obtaining a permit number, the permit holder agrees to become familiar with and abide by the rule and regulations.

Visitors

A visitor is any person, other than a student, faculty, staff member or contract employee, who parks a vehicle on a campus on infrequent occasions. Visitors must obtain a visitor pass, complete a visitor card, and park in legal parking spaces. Visitors who park frequently on our campuses or teaching/research sites must register for a parking permit number and are subject to all regulations herein.

Hattiesburg Campus

  • Visit the Information Booth on East Memorial Drive (front entrance of campus) or the Department of Parking Management in McLemore Hall, first floor. Visitors must show a valid driver’s license to obtain a visitor’s pass.

The Department of Parking Management
118 College Drive #5149
Hattiesburg, MS  39406-0001
www.usm.edu/parking

Career Services

Career Services assists students in finding meaningful career paths, developing job-seeking skills and connecting with employment opportunities to become successful professionals.

The following services are available:

Career Counseling — We assist students in clarifying their major and career path. We also assist students in finding out the required education and build an action plan.

Individual Career Testing — Our tests assist individuals in determining career fields of interest. The test helps the student understand their interest, skills, personality and values.

Career Resource Center — Our Career Resource Center is available to all students. It contains information on numerous occupations, job descriptions, salaries, advancement opportunities and hiring trends.

Job Search Strategies — We are here to help students with their résumé, cover letter, job-seeking skills, company research and interviewing.

Online Resources — We have formed multiple partnerships with companies that provide career-oriented software tools. These tools can be found on our website and pertain to the following:

  • What can you do with your major
  • Creating a résumé
  • Career planning and education needed
  • Targeted job searches (by title, company, alumni, contact, location, etc.)
  • Interview practice
  • Federal job search

Job Location and Development (JLD) — JLD is focused on finding part-time off-campus employment opportunities for students. Students can find these opportunities on Jobs for Eagles, powered by Handshake.

Career Services
McLemore Hall 125
The University of Southern Mississippi
118 College Drive #5014
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
601.266.4153
www.usm.edu/career-services

Health Services

Southern Miss Student Health Services can provide students, faculty and staff with the same services available at a family doctor’s office. Student Health Services accepts and files most insurance.

Student Health Services provides a wide range of services, including laboratory testing, X-ray, pharmacy, counseling and educational services. Student Health Services is staffed by several competent physicians, nurse practitioners and a physician assistant. Student Health Services is located on the bottom floor of Scott Hall. During the fall and spring semesters, Student Health Services hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday. Student Health Services is open during summer semesters also. There is a $20 charge for every visit for students. There are additional charges for labs, x-ray, pharmacy, etc. They can pay with cash, credit card or charge to their student account. The staff and faculty pay at the time of visit and we will file on insurance. For more information, visit our Web site at www.usm.edu/student-health-services.

Southern Miss Student Health Services is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Healthcare Inc. and is a member of the American College Health Association. For more information, please call 601.266.5390.

Office for Disability Accommodations (ODA)

In accordance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), Southern Miss does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs or activities. Reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities are provided through the Office for Disability Accommodations (ODA). ODA verifies eligibility for accommodations and works with eligible students to develop and coordinate plans for the provision of accommodations. Eligible students include those who are enrolled in degree and nondegree programs offered by Southern Miss, are considered qualified to meet all university program requirements despite a disability, and meet the definition of disability as defined by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the ADA. To receive accommodations, students must self-identify with the ODA.

Accommodations may include exam modifications, assistive technology, accessible housing, document conversion, interpreters, note-takers, and readers. In order to receive appropriate and timely accommodations, eligible students should contact the ODA before the semester begins to file an application and submit documentation of the disability for review. The ODA is committed to creating a positive campus environment where students with disabilities are encouraged to pursue careers on the basis of personal interest and ability.

For an application and guidelines for documentation of disability, contact The University of Southern Mississippi, Office for Disability Accommodations, 118 College Drive #8586, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001; call (601) 266-5024 or (228) 214-3232; or visit the Website www.usm.edu/oda. Individuals with hearing impairments can use Mississippi Relay Service at 1-800-582-2233 (TTY) to contact campus offices.

Union Complex (Thad Cochran Center, R.C. Cook University Union, Hub)

The Union Complex (Thad Cochran Center, R.C. Cook Union and Hub) is the center of student activities at Southern Miss. Whether you are looking for a great place to eat, host a meeting, or find a quiet nook to study - the Union Complex is your place. The R.C. Cook Union and Hub house the Union and Programs department’s administrative offices, student organization offices, Seymour’s food court, game room and more. Come have lunch at Seymour’s and then alleviate some of those studying woes with a game of pool in the Game Room or watch TV in RC’s Lounge.

The Student Activities Hub (located inside the Hub) is the heart of student organizations and serves as your one stop shop for student involvement. This area is home to the Office of Leadership and Student Involvement, as well as the Student Government Association, the Southern Miss Activities Council, and the Afro-American Student Organization. Down the hall, you can visit the Center for Community and Civic Engagement to get connected with community service opportunities. If you’re looking for a way to leave Southern Miss better than you found it, The Hub is where you want to begin. There are over 200 student organizations on campus with more created each year that are here to enhance your college experience.

The Thad Cochran Center houses Barnes & Noble @ Southern Miss, the Fresh Food Company, post office, Image Center (copy services and photo services), ballrooms, meeting rooms, etc. The facility also houses both the offices of Event & Conference Services and Eagle Dining. Event Services manages the reservations for these facilities, including Danforth Chapel, Centennial Green, Weathersby Lawn, Shoemaker Square, Union Plaza, and Trent Lott National Center. For our students, alumni, and community, the Union Complex is your every-occasion venue full of southern charm and modern elegance.

Recreational Sports

Through recreation, sports competition, special programs and wellness activities, Recreational Sports provides a safe environment while enhancing sportsmanship, leadership and quality of life for a diverse university community. Housed in the Payne Center, Recreational Sports provides an opportunity for the campus to take advantage of a variety of services and programs that include personal trainers, intramural sports, aquatics, fitness classes, sport clubs, outdoor programs and informal recreation activities.

The Payne Center offers indoor recreational facilities, which include four basketball/volleyball courts, six badminton courts, three championship racquetball courts, an international-size squash court, a climbing wall, a six-lane heated indoor pool (the M.C. Johnson Natatorium), a one-eighth-mile indoor exercise track, sauna, free weights, circuit training, spinning studio, cardiovascular workout room,  equipment rental and is fully accessible to the disabled. Activities and programs available include more than 40 intramural sports events from flag football to dodgeball, and sport clubs such as table tennis, badminton, men’s soccer, men’s rugby, women’s lacrosse, quidditch and ultimate frisbee. The Personal Training Office provides services that include fitness assessment, and personal training for the university community.

Recreational Sports offers outdoor facilities such as the Intramural Fields, the Bruce and Virginia Wilgus Fitness Trail, Pride Field, the Challenge Course at Lake Sehoy and outdoor sand volleyball courts. For more information regarding Recreational Sports programs and services, call 601.266.5405 or visit www.usm.edu/rec-sports.

Student Counseling Services

The primary mission of the SCS is to provide quality services to USM students by promoting sound mental health and the coping skills necessary for successful pursuit of their educational and life goals. As mental health professionals, we work in a spirit of collaboration within the division of student affairs to support individual responsibility, personal growth, and wellness of all members of the student body.

SCS works in conjunction with USM Student Health Services to provide comprehensive mental health care. SCS services include individual, group and couples therapy. Referral for psychiatric services at SHS is also available if needed. Students seek our services for a wide variety of reasons, including difficulty adjusting to university life, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, and relationship problems.

Professional staff at the SCS include one doctoral psychologist and five masters level counselors. All services are confidential, and are currently provided free of charge. Up to four psychology practicum students provide services under the supervision of a licensed doctoral psychologist.

SCS is located in Kennard-Washington Hall, on the second floor. Hours of operation are between 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday to Friday. Walk-in hours are available daily, call 601-266-4829 for specific times. Crisis service is available by phone outside normal business hours, by calling the University Police Department, (601) 266-4986, or by calling the counselor on call at (601) 818-6352.

Veterans Affairs

Veterans Affairs are administered through the Office of Financial Aid. Assistance is given to veterans and dependents of eligible veterans to enable them to derive the maximum benefit from their veterans’ educational entitlement.

Office of Online Learning

601.266.5518
www.usm.edu/lec

The University of Southern Mississippi offers two types of distance education coursework that students may choose from for credit toward degree programs: online courses and IVN courses. There is no designation on student transcripts between courses taken in a traditional face-to-face setting and those taken through Online Learning. Workloads for distance courses will be the same to those courses taken in traditional on-campus format; students should not expect distance courses to be “easier,” “less demanding” or “less challenging” than traditionally delivered courses. In fact, some students may find the fact that they are not meeting with their instructor “in person” is a barrier, and they may find it difficult to manage their assignments and time wisely. If you are interested in an online degree, please feel free to visit the Web site for more information: www.online.usm.edu

Online Courses: Fully online courses are those whose traditional meeting times are replaced by online resources 50 percent or more. Online courses are available to any student who has access to a computer, printer and Internet service provider. Components in online courses will vary, depending on the tools and services the individual instructors wish to use and provide. Faculty will choose how to administer student evaluation; tests may be online, given face-to-face in a group setting as arranged by the instructor or given in a proctored environment as arranged by the student. These are issues that will be addressed in the course syllabus. For a list of online courses, please refer to www.online.usm.edu for the appropriate semester list.