Automobiles on Campus
Faculty/staff employees, and students, full time or part time, who operate a vehicle on university-controlled property, will be required to purchase a parking permit from the Department of Parking Management. Parking permits in the form of hang tags, decals, and temporary permits are available from the Department of Parking Management in McLemore Hall, Room 152. The department offers a brochure detailing parking zones and other traffic regulations. Penalties are assessed for regulation violations. For additional information, contact
The University of Southern Mississippi
The Department of Parking Management
118 College Drive #5149
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
(601) 266-4943
www.usm.edu/parking
Career Services
Career Services, located on the first floor of McLemore Hall, offers the student three types of employment assistance while attending the university: part-time employment, cooperative education employment, and career employment upon graduation.
Student Employment, a division of Career Services, offers the student an opportunity to obtain part-time employment while enrolled as a regular student at Southern Miss. This comprehensive service includes jobs for work-study as well as non-work-study, both on and off campus.
The Career Center in McLemore Hall, Room 125, is Southern Miss’ professionally staffed resource center specializing in career and job search advising. Career counseling and interest assessment inventories are available to students seeking to choose a major or those who desire to learn about career options for a major. A variety of services to assist students in pursuing a career include individual counseling appointments; on-campus interviews; résumé reviews; the Career Resource Center; job search consultations; employment listings on the Career Services Web site (www.usm.edu/career-services), and resume referrals to job openings. Students are encouraged to register with this office at least three semesters prior to their anticipated graduation date. Services are available for all Southern Miss students and alumni. Comprehensive information describing services is located on the Career Services Web site.
The Cooperative Education Program affords the student the opportunity to gain a complete education with periods of work related to the student’s major. The Cooperative Education Office assists in finding meaningful jobs that will give the student practical work experience and financial support to aid in his or her education.
For additional information, contact
The University of Southern Mississippi
Career Services
McLemore Hall, Room 125
118 College Drive #5014
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
(601) 266-4153
www.usm.edu/career-services
Health Services
The Southern Miss Student Health Services (clinic) can provide the students, faculty, and staff with the same services available at a family doctor’s office. The Student Health Services provides a wide range of services, including laboratory testing, x-ray, pharmacy, and educational services. The Student Health Services is staffed by several competent physicians and nurse practitioners. The Student Health Services is located on the west side of Kennard-Washington Hall. During the fall and spring semesters, the Student Health Services hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on Thursday and 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on Friday. There is a $15.00 charge for every visit for students. They can pay with cash, credit card, or charge this to their student ID. The staff and faculty pay at the time of visit a $45.00 office visit, cash or credit card. There are charges for additional items such as, medications, lab work, injections, x-rays, etc. for students, faculty and staff.
The Southern Miss Student Health Services is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc. (AAAHC) and is a member of the American College Health Association. For more information, please call (601) 266-5390, or visit our Web site at www.usm.edu/healthservice.
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 activites. 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 Locker 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. If you’re looking for a way to leave Southern Miss better than you found it, this is where you want to begin. There are over 230 student organizations 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, copy center, photo services, ballrooms, meeting rooms, etc. The facility also houses both the offices of Event Services and Eagler Dining. Event Services manages the reservations for these facilities, including Danforth Chapel, Centennial Green, Weathersby Lawn, Shoemaker Square, Union Plaza, etc. For our students, alumni, and community, the Union Complex is your every-occasion venue full of southern charm and modern elegance.
Recreational Sports
Recreational Sports, which is housed in the Payne Center, provides a place for students to unwind after a long day of classes. At the Payne Center, students can take advantage of a variety of recreational and fitness-related services and activities. Programs include intramural sports, aquatics, fitness, outdoor adventure, wellness, sport clubs, personal trainers, fitness assessment, fitness counseling, and informal recreation.
The award-winning Payne Center is a multipurpose facility offering accessibility to the disabled and containing many indoor recreational facilities. These include four court gymnasium (basketball/volleyball/badminton), four championship racquetball courts, international-size squash court, six-lane indoor pool (the M.C. Johnson Natatorium), one-eighth-mile indoor exercise track, outdoor volleyball courts, locker rooms with sauna, workout zone with free weights, cardiovascular workout area, strength training equipment and circuit training room. The Payne Center also has conference, meeting, and seminar facilities where students, faculty, staff and alumni can attend academic classes as well as wellness-related workshops and events. Recreational Sports also manages outdoor facilities such as the Intramural Sports Complex, and the Bruce and Virginia Wilgus Fitness Trail.
During the spring semester, Recreational Sports runs an incentive program titled “No Payne, No Gain.” This program is designed to cultivate a habit to exercise on a consistent basis. Participants are awarded a prize for the completion of each incentive level.
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 the University Registrar. Assistance is given to veterans and dependents of eligible veterans to enable them to derive the maximum benefit from their veterans’ educational entitlement.
Distance Education
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 Distance Education. 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.usm.edu/elo.
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.usm.edu/elo for the appropriate semester list.
IVN courses: The Interactive Video Network (IVN) is a real-time, instructor-led course that is broadcast to one or more sites simultaneously. The instructor can be teaching at any designated site, with or without a student “audience” with students at several other sites. Students are required to interact with the faculty and other students at all sites, just as they would interact in a traditional classroom. Testing may be done in several ways, just as with online courses. Again, the testing issue will be covered in the course syllabus and students can request clarification from the instructor as needed. |
