815 North Broadway
Saratoga Springs,
New York, 12866
SKIDMORE PHONE
518-580-5000
Cocurricular Environment
Skidmore College recognizes that students' experiences outside
the classroom are as challenging and educational as those within.
Thus the college offers many services to help students make
the best use of their cocurricular time. The Office of the Dean
of Student Affairs is responsible for coordinating these services,
which include student academic affairs, international programs,
counseling, multicultural student affairs, health services,
opportunity programs, residential life, religious life, career
planning, student activities, and volunteer services. Members
of the student affairs staff work together to provide effective
student-life programs for the Skidmore community.
STUDENT
SERVICES
Academic
Advising and Programs
The Office of the Dean of Studies, in cooperation with the faculty
and the student affairs staff, provides academic guidance to
students, contributes to academic policy and curricular decisions,
and coordinates a wide range of academic programs. The Dean
of Studies Office assigns each first-year and entering advanced-standing
student to a member of the faculty who can advise the student
about course scheduling, about the college's general academic
requirements, and about the student's particular field of interest.
Students may seek further advice on these and other issues from
the office. Questions about leaves of absence, academic standing,
choice of major, study abroad, internships, peer tutoring, study
skills, disabilities, academic integrity, honors and prizes,
graduate fellowships, international student activities, and
other academic opportunities and difficulties may be referred
to this office. The Dean of Studies Office also publishes the
yearly New Student Guide to Program Planning and the Academic
Information Guide, booklets that survey all academic programs
and policies at Skidmore College.
International
Programs
The Office of International Programs works closely with the
Dean of Studies Office to organize a wide range of opportunities
abroad for students and faculty. The office maintains a study-abroad
library, advises students on program choices and applications
procedures, helps orient students to the cultural and personal
challenges they will encounter abroad, and helps reintegrate
students into the life of the college when they return from
study abroad. The office provides administrative oversight for
Skidmore's Paris and Madrid programs and provides support to
other Skidmore programs abroad and Skidmore affiliations.
Campus
Life
The Office of Campus Life promotes multicultural understanding,
social responsibility, and informed citizenship through a comprehensive
program of workshops, seminars, mentoring, volunteer, and leadership
opportunities.
The campus life staff collaborates with colleagues in the Office
of Student Affairs and across the college to create opportunities,
curriculum, events, and programs that promote diversity, citizenship,
and community service. Through partnerships, services, and initiatives,
the Campus Life Office works to shape a community environment
that supports learning and personal develop-ment. The associate
dean of student affairs and dean for first-year students provides
leadership of the Campus Life Office staff, which includes the
assistant dean for multicultural students and director of the
Intercultural Center, the chaplains, the coordinator of volunteer
services, and the coordinator of leadership activities.
Intercultural Center:
The Intercultural Center in Case College Center provides a program
of cocurricular activities that welcomes, acknowledges, and
celebrates diverse traditions. The center offers a visual presence
and an annual calendar of programs, seminars, workshops, and
exhibits that afford students, faculty, and staff opportunities
to meet and learn from one another. Recognizing the crucial
role of student-faculty relationships, the center supports relationships
between academic programs and faculty whose teaching and scholarship
is broadly concerned with diversity and student interest groups
that share those interests.
Multicultural Students:
The Multicultural Students Office provides the support services
needed to enhance the curricular and cocurricular experiences
of African American, Latino, Asian American, and Native American
(ALANA) students, and for coordinating the development of programs
that address the needs and interests of a culturally diverse
population. The office assigns each new ALANA student to an
upperclass ALANA mentor, who assists in the student's first-year
assignment. The office also advises the ALANA culture-focused
student organizations and coordinates programs such as the Educational
Leadership Corps, Mia McCoy Mentor Project, and the ALANA preorientation
program.
The Multicultural Students Office maintains an especially close
working relationship with the Offices of Admissions, Affirmative
Action, and Alumni Affairs, the various offices within the Student
Affairs division, and those academic departments and faculty
committees with special interest in interracial and cross-cultural
concerns.
Religious Life: Skidmore
College is respectful of and responsive to those in the community
who practice the religion of their choice, providing, as often
as possible, options to the Skidmore community that are inclusive
both in tone and content. Skidmore welcomes student religious
groups whose purposes are in harmony with the educational goals
of the college and whose activities are open to the college
community. Indeed, Skidmore embraces religious pluralism in
its desire to be a vitally diverse community, though its practices
and policies are secular in nature and its imperative is to
ensure that students can meet the academic requirements of the
New York State Department of Education.
Throughout the academic year there are services of various denominations
on campus; the Christian Fellowship, the Jewish Student Union,
the Catholic Newman Club, and SEEK (a multi-faith group) are
vibrant and active student organizations. The Religious Life
Office includes the college chaplain, two associate chaplains,
and the coordinator of Jewish Student Life. All chaplains work
with campus and local religious groups and offer counseling
on both religious and nonreligious concerns. Saratoga Springs
communities of faith welcome students as well.
Faculty and administrators exercise the fullest measure of good
faith to insure that students are able to fulfill their religious
obligations and practices without suffering any loss of grade
or programmatic access. Absences for religious observances will
not be counted among the number of "allowed absences" per course.
Faculty members have the responsibility to make available to
each student who is absent from class because of religious obligations
the opportunity to make up any missed coursework, exams, or
course requirements. Because Skidmore calendar policy prohibits
scheduling activities during study and exam periods, student
clubs and organizations desiring to schedule religious observances
during these periods may do so only by notifying the dean of
the faculty in writing and by following the scheduling procedures
of the Office of Leadership Activities.
Volunteer Office: The
Volunteer Office provides information and support for students
seeking voluntary experiences in community service. The volunteer
coordinator acts as an advisor to Benef-Action, the community
service organization of the Student Government Association,
and functions as a liaison between Skidmore and community service
agencies. The coordinator is available to assist students with
their personal goals through volunteerism and service-learning
experiences.
Residential
Life
Skidmore provides a cocurricular environment that enhances and
enriches the academic program through opportunities for personal
and social growth, self-discovery, and an appreciation of one's
responsibilities to others. At Skidmore, residential living
is an integral part of the student's education. At its best,
residential living fosters a sense of community; facilitates
the integration of the individual into campus activities and
organiza-tions; exposes students in a direct and personal way
to a pluralistic community of people with divergent points of
view, values, lifestyles, and background experiences; encourages
an atmosphere of free and wide-ranging expression of ideas;
and develops in each person capacities for self-direction and
deep concern for others.
Residential life is not always comfortable, supportive, or secure.
Interpersonal tensions, serious value conflicts, and discomfort
caused by living in close proximity with large numbers of students
are not unusual. Learning to respond maturely, responsibly,
and creatively to adversity are important elements in self-growth.
Skidmore provides resources through its residence-hall staff,
Counseling Center, Chaplain's Office, and other student affairs
staff, to help students adjust to residential life.
Ultimately, Skidmore regards its students as maturing adults
and expects them to accept a large measure of responsibility
for their personal and social lives. Skidmore's room-change
and off-campus living policies reflect the belief that students
often learn more about themselves and others by working through
difficult situations rather than escaping them.
All continuing full-time students and students returning from
leaves of absence are required to participate in the room selection
process, held each spring semester (Moore Hall is considered
"on campus"). Room selection is a random-drawing procedure giving
preference to class (seniors choose first, juniors choose second,
etc.). The procedure provides students with a wide range of
living options, including college-supervised residence apartments.
All first-year students are required to live in college-supervised
housing, except those living at home with a parent or guardian
at the start of their freshman year. All students living in
the residence-hall system sign a room and board agreement that
outlines their rights and responsibilities.
The residence halls, central to life on campus, offer a diversity
of programs and are supervised by a network of trained upperclass
students. Hall councils, comprising both residence hall staff
members and elected student representatives, develop a variety
of events and programs for the halls.
Moore
and Keyes Quadrangles
Moore Quad consists of Kimball, Penfield,
Wilmarth, and McClellan residence halls. Each hall houses approximately
140 students on three floors in single, double, or triple rooms.
In addition, each of the halls has a large living room. There
are kitchenette facilities, a study room, and a small lounge
on each floor.
Keyes Quad has comparable facilities. Howe, Rounds, and Wait
residence halls accommodate 340 students, while Jonsson Tower
houses another 280. The latter, a twelve-story building, is
the tallest on campus. Atop Jonsson Tower is the penthouse,
with lounge and kitchen facilities for hall use and other college
activities.
Skidmore
Hall
This facility, located just south of McClellan and Penfield,
accommodates 128 students on three floors of single and double
rooms. By design, the building's flexible arrangement provides
opportunities for both privacy and social interaction. The seminar
area on the first floor is designed to integrate academic and
residential life.
Scribner
Village Apartments
Intended for upperclass men and women, Scribner Village houses
283 students. There are fifteen houses containing fifty-six
units that accommodate four, five, six, or seven students. Each
apartment is fully furnished and has an appropriately equipped
kitchen. Students living in Scribner Village may elect to join
the meal plan or to prepare their own food in the apartment
kitchen.
Moore
Hall
Moore Hall is a residence hall and dining facility located on
Union Avenue in downtown Saratoga Springs, approximately two
miles from campus. This structure accommodates 160 students
on five floors. There are traditional "double-loaded corridors,"
lavatory facilities, and lounge areas on each floor. A glass-enclosed,
circular dining room serves the residents of the building. A
Skidmore bus provides transportation to and from the campus
for residents of Moore Hall.
Off
Campus
In consideration of Skidmore's commitment to an educational
philosophy that supports the importance of living in campus
housing and in consideration of its financial obligations, all
freshman full-time students must live in college-supervised
housing. However, for a limited number of upperclassmen, the
option of living off campus is available through the room selection
process. (See the Room Selection Guide for specific options
and requirements.) Preference is first given to seniors, and
then to juniors. Exceptions to this policy may be made in the
following situations: students living with a parent and/or guardian
and commuting daily, students who turn twenty-two years old
before the start of the academic year, married students, and
students with children.
Health
Services
The Office of Health Services provides the general range of
health services that you would expect to receive from a family
health care provider. This includes but is not limited to treatment
of general medical problems, injuries, sexually transmitted
diseases, and provision of immunizations, birth control counseling,
and gynecologic examinations. Although health services provides
a limited on-site laboratory, most blood tests, throat cultures,
Pap smears, and STD tests are sent to an outside laboratory.
Referrals to specialists, both in the local community and in
neighboring cities, can be arranged as need arises. Health services
also provides educational opportunities that focus on increasing
health awareness, health maintenance, and illness prevention.
There is no charge for visits to the office, most medications,
and some laboratory services. Students (or their health insurers)
are responsible for bills relating to emergency room visits,
outside laboratory and X-ray tests, visits to specialists, immunizations,
and certain medications. All students are required to complete
a health form and immunization record in order to register for
classes. Proof of U.S.-based medical insurance is mandatory,
and may be purchased through the college for a nominal fee.
All visits are confidential; no information is shared without
a student's express permission.
The health services staff includes a physician-director, nurse
practitioners, college-health certified registered nurses, and
other clinical and administrative staff with decades of experience
working with college students. The office is located on the
first floor of Jonsson Tower.
Counseling
The Counseling Center provides consultation, assessment, and
short-term therapy on an individual
and group basis without charge. Provisions for substance-abuse
assessment, treatment, education, and referral can be arranged
through this office. Students requiring long-term counseling
may be referred to private community resources when appropriate
and feasible. The office is staffed by mental health professionals
from several disciplines (clinical social work, psychology,
and psychiatry). All consultations are fully confidential.
Career
Services
The Office of Career Services offers a wide array of services
that help all interested students and alumni clarify their career
goals and pursue career or graduate school opportunities. The
following services are available to Skidmore students and alumni:
Career counseling and career assessment are provided in individual
appointments during which a professional career counselor facilitates
exploration of personal values, interests, skills, aspirationsÑthe
building blocks of satisfying work-related decisions. Advising
regarding the relationship between graduate/professional school
and careers is available. Trained paraprofessionals called career
services assistants get people started and insure that they
take full advantage of all appropriate resources and services.
An extensive collection of printed resources such as books,
directories, periodicals, and resource files are available in
the career services library to support an individual's research
efforts.
A World Wide Web site on the campus computer network (hudson2.skidmore.edu/administration/career)
has been established to post internships, jobs, and recruiting
opportunities for students and alumni. A database of over 30,000
internship opportunities has been developed through internship-sharing
initiatives with other colleges. Links to additional job/internship
leads, employment databases, and graduate school links are found
on the site.
In addition to subscribing to numerous job listing resources,
the office regularly publishes several of its own newsletters
to keep the entire student body aware of pertinent opportunities
and their deadlines. Students who register with the office will
also receive e-mail regarding special job/internship opportunities.
Our Alumni/Parent Career Advisor Network has over 2,500 volunteers
prepared to help people explore the world of work and identify
appropriate job and internship leads. Many career advisors volunteer
to sponsor students who participate in our annual Job Shadowing
Program. Students can spend up to one full day on the job, shadowing
a sponsor with whom they have been matched.
Networking programs in regions like New York City and on-campus
events like the "Real World" program link students with alumni.
These events are useful for both gathering information about
potential career fields and identifying job and internship leads.
Our recruiting program for seniors includes on- and off-campus
interview opportunities and recruiting events, such as the Boston
and New York City career days. Virtual Career fairs, sponsored
in cooperation with groups of colleges, exposed Skidmore students
to opportunities with more than 200 employers during the past
year.
Services and programs for underclass students include the internship
registration e-mail service, job shadowing program, advising
regarding choice of majors/career, and special promotional programs
to introduce students to the office. The staff are happy to
talk with all students and encourage early involvement with
the office. It is wise to initiate contact during a student's
first year.
