815 North Broadway
Saratoga Springs,
New York, 12866
SKIDMORE PHONE
518-580-5000
Cocurricular Environment
STUDENT SERVICES
Academic Advising and Programs
The Office of Academic Advising, 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 opportunities. The Office of Academic Advising assigns each entering and 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,
internship credit, academic integrity, honors and prizes, student
opportunity funds, merit fellowships, and other academic
opportunities and difficulties may be referred to this office. The Office of Academic Advising, in collaboration with the Office of
Student Academic Services, also provides guidance to students seeking
academic support resources and services and provides support to
students who receive unsatisfactory work notices. The Office of Academic Advising publishes the annual New Student Registration and Advising Guide New Student Advising and Registration Guide and a Faculty Advising Guide Faculty Edition of the New Student Advising and Registration Guide.These booklets
survey all academic advising programs and policies at Skidmore College.
Student Academic Services
The Office of Student Academic Services (SAS) provides a wide variety
of services to promote academic achievement and help students take
full advantage of the academic opportunities available at Skidmore. As
part of the college's commitment to academic excellence, the office
serves all students interested in improving their academic
performance, attending graduate school, or working as a tutor on
campus. The office organizes peer tutoring and study groups, and
offers one-on-one or small group academic support. Student Academic
Services also offers support to students who receive unsatisfactory work notices. The office works on a variety of issues with
international students, students of color, and athletes. The office also provides English as a Second Language
(ESL) support and works with students with disabilities.
The Office of Campus Life - composed of the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life,
Leadership Activities, Student Diversity Programs,
Community Service Programs, and the Intercultural Center, and the Center for Sex and Gender Relations – promotes effective citizenship, social responsibility, and multicultural and interfaith understanding.
Through advising, training, and a diverse array of cocurricular learning experiences,
the Campus Life staff focuses its work with students on
and helps shape an environment in which students are eager and able to engage successfully in the life of the college.
Center for Sex and Gender Relations: The Center for Sex and Gender Relations works with students, faculty,
and staff to educate and support healthy and equitable relationships,
both personal and professional, between and among women and men. Begun
as a student-driven initiative, the center is operated and staffed by
peer advocates who are trained to respond to issues of sexual health
and sexual assault. The center also sponsors a variety of educational
programs and cocurricular activities throughout the year and
encourages student-faculty collaborative research projects and other
academic endeavors related to the study of sex and gender. An advisory
council, composed of two head peer advocates, two student affairs
advisors representing Health Promotion and Residential Life, and the
Associate Dean, establishes the mission and goals of the center and
oversees its operation and programs.
Student Diversity Programs: The Office of Student Diversity Programs (OSDP) promotes cross-cultural understanding and positive relationships in support of student success and an inclusive campus community. OSDP programs are grounded in an understanding of diversity that includes people of all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, socio-economic classes, religious and spiritual traditions, ages, and abilities. The office fosters student leadership and personal engagement by providing support, access to resources, and increasing campus awareness of diversity. We do this by advocating for students, creating spaces for cultural celebrations, promoting leadership development and providing opportunities for education and reflection. In additions, the Director of Student Diversity Programs collaborates wtih the Director of Intercultural Studies and other members of the faculty in bridging in-classroom and out-of-classroom learning by developing co-curricular programs and activities that are integrated with the intercultural studies curriculum.
Intercultural Center:The Intercultural Center in Case Center, which is co-directed by the Director of Religious and Spiritual Life and the Director of Student Diversity Programs, provides a program of cocurricular activites that welcomes, acknowledges, and celebrates diverse traditions. The center offers a visual presence and an annual calendar of programs, seminars, workshops and exhibits that suport academic programs and faculty whose teaching and scholarship is broadly concerned with diversity. The Intercultural Center is a common meeting place for such organizations as the Asian Cultural Association, Raices, Ujima, Hayat, Skidmore Pride Alliance, Hillel, and Christian Fellowship. It also serves as a meeting center for interfaith activities. The center promotes an intercultural exchange of ideas and traditions among students, faculty, and staff that leads to a greater understanding of one's citizenship in a global community.
Leadership Activities: The Leadership Activities Office provides advising and training to students who serve in various leadership capacities in the Student Government Association (SGA) and in student clubs and organizations. The staff coordinates a Friday and Saturday late-night entertainment program and helps students plan and implement major cocurricular activities, entertainment, class events, and theme weekends. In addition, the office sponsors a number of leadership skills-development programs for current and aspiring leaders. Special attention is given to the overall quality and diversity of the cocurricular life program and to the development of program initiatives that promote school spirit, healthy social interaction, and social responsibility. Religious and Spiritual 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.
Through a multifaith approach to religious life on campus, the office provides worship and fellowship
experiences for Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish students, and facilitates those of other faith
backgrounds in finding appropriate resources in the area. Students, faculty, and staff are invited for
interreligious dialogue through biweekly discussions on current events, academic lectures, and activities
designed to address the character of both individuals and communities. Through projects addressing
social justice concerns, retreats, and partnerships with neighboring religious communities,
the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life helps students seeking means to address issues of identity and well-being.
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.
Community Service: The
Office of Community Service Programs facilitates programs that foster an awareness of an individual's place
within a community and the role she or he can play to help those lacking in a variety of
life necessities. The coordinator of community service programs supports faculty in their endeavors
to engage students in service-learning experiences throughout Saratoga County.
The coordinator also works with the Skidmore-Schuylerville School District partnership,
Expanding Horizons, to promote school activities that draw upon Skidmore students' knowledge,
talents, and skills. The student organization Benef-action, to which the coordinator also serves as an advisor, sponsors many fund-raising activities on campus for local charities
and promotes participation in a variety of national volunteer programs such as Special Olympics,
Make A Difference Day, and walkathons.
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
organizations; 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, Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, and other student affairs
staff, to help students adjust to residential life.
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. 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 professionals and upperclass
students. Hall councils, composed of elected student representatives, develop a variety
of events and programs for the halls.
Moore and Keyes Quadrangles
Moore (South) 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 (North) 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 kitchenette facilities for hall use and other college
activities.
Wiecking Hall (FORMERLY SKIDMORE HALL)
This facility, located just south of McClellan and Penfield,
accommodates 128 students on three floors of single, double and triple rooms. By design, the building's flexible arrangement provides
opportunities for both privacy and social interaction.
Scribner Village Apartments
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.
Northwoods Apartments
The new Northwoods Apartments house 380 upper-class students in
loft and garden-style apartments. Each unit contains ten
three- or four-person apartments. Fully furnished, each apartment
has an appropriately equipped kitchen. As with Scribner Village,
students may elect to join a college meal plan.
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 provides a general range of services including, but not
limited to: treatment of general medical problems and injuries;
immunizations; birth control counseling; and gynecologic
examinations. Health Services maintains a limited on-site laboratory that canto assist with many common health care needs. Specialized blood tests, gynecological specimens, and STI/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
health maintenance, increasing health awareness, and illness
prevention.
There isare no charges for visits to Health Services. However, studentsStudents (or their health
insurers) are responsible for any bills relating to emergency room or Urgent Care visits,
outside laboratory and X-ray tests, visits to specialists,
immunizations, and prescription medications. All students are required to complete a
health form and immunization record in order to register for classes.
Proof of adequate U.S.-based medical insurance is mandatory, and a
student health insurance policy is available through the college. All
visits are confidential; no information is shared without a student's
permission.
The Health Services staff includes physicians, nurse practitioners,
registered nurses, a nutritionist, and other clinical and administrative personnel
experienced in working with college students. The office is located on
the first floor of Jonsson Tower.
The Counseling Center is committed to serving the developmental and
psychological/psychiatric needs of the student body and to acting as a
resource for the Skidmore College community. The center provides a range
of professional services, including assessment and referral, short-term
treatment, crisis consultation, group therapy, outreach, education, and
medication management. Students requiring longer-term, more intensive or
specialized treatment services may be referred to community providers as
appropriate. The office is staffed by mental health professionals from
several disciplines. The center serves as a training site for advanced
graduate students in psychology. All services are
confidential and free of charge. The center is located on the ground floor of
Jonsson Tower, across from Health Services.
health promotion
The Office of Health Promotion provides programming, services, supports, and resources designed to empower students to make healthy lifestyle choices that support their short- and long-term health and wellbeing. Through the Office of Health Promotion, students have access to programming and services related to a wide range of health-related topics including sexuality, alcohol and other drugs, nutrition, stress management, relationships, eating disorders, and body image. Staff provides one-on-one consultations, group educational opportunities, community outreach events, and health related academic courses. The Office includes the BASICS (Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students) program, Peer Health Education, and the Center for Sex and Gender Relations.
BASICS
BASICS is a nationally recognized, research-based alcohol and other drugs assessment and education program that is available to all Skidmore students. The program involves a series of one-on-one meetings with a certified BASICS counselor and is designed to help students examine their drinking and/or drug use behavior in a judgment-free environment. Utilizing motivational interviewing within a harm-reduction framework, the counselor works with the participant to set goals that are aimed at reducing risky behaviors and avoiding harmful consequences related to alcohol and other drug use.
Peer Health Education
Skidmore’s Peer Health Educators are student leaders committed to promoting healthy choices and lifestyles by providing innovative, creative and educational programming, outreach and one-on-one interaction opportunities. The Peer Health Educators undergo extensive training through which they develop their leadership and communication skills and learn to serve as resources, referral agents and role models for their peers. Peer Health Educators offer a wide assortment of programs and interactive educational opportunities for students and are housed in residential halls on main campus in order to provide students with convenient access to a health educator in their living environment.
Center for Sex and Gender Relations
The Center for Sex and Gender Relations works with students, faculty, and staff to educate and support healthy and equitable relationships, both personal and professional, between and among women and men. Begun as a student-driven initiative, the center is operated and staffed by peer advocates who are trained to respond to issues of sexual health and sexual assault. The center also sponsors a variety of educational programs and cocurricular activities throughout the year and encourages student-faculty collaborative research projects and other academic endeavors related to the study of sex and gender. An advisory council, composed of two head peer advocates, two student affairs advisors representing Health Promotion and Residential Life, and the Associate Dean, establishes the mission and goals of the center and oversees its operation and programs.
The Office of Career Services offers a wide array of services that help all interested students and alumni clarify goals and pursue career or graduate school opportunities. The office is open year-round, and students are encouraged to initiate contact with the office during their first year.
Career counseling for students and alumni is provided by appointment, during which a professional career counselor facilitates exploration of personal values, interests, skills, and aspirations—the building blocks of satisfying academic and work-related decisions. Advising on the graduate/professional school application process, career research, internship and job search, resume and cover letter development, and interview preparation is also available by appointment and during drop-in hours.
Each semester, Career Services collaborates with several academic departments to organize on-campus departmental Living the Liberal Arts Programs, which highlight alumni of those disciplines. Students get an opportunity to hear alumni panelists discuss their career trajectories since Skidmore and learn about the diverse options open to any major. An extensive resource guide is provided to each attendee. Collaborations with multiple other campus constituents round out a full calendar of offerings throughout the school year.
The Career Services Web site (http://cms.skidmore.edu/career/) has a comprehensive collection of links to research, networking, employment, and graduate school resources.
Multiple online professional networking resources include the Skidmore College Connections group in LinkedIn and our senior GradAds, which help pending graduates announce their candidacy to a wider Skidmore community. The online Career Advisor Network has more than 2,000 alumni and parent volunteers prepared to help people explore the world of work and to identify appropriate job and internship leads.
Many Career Advisors volunteer to sponsor students who participate in the annual Job Shadowing Program. Students can spend anywhere from one day to three weeks on the job, shadowing a sponsor during winter break.
A computer lab and an extensive collection of books and directories are available in the office's reference center to support an individual's efforts. In addition to subscribing to numerous job-listing resources, the office regularly emails the e-bulletin, CareerPlans, to keep students and alumni aware of pertinent opportunities and their deadlines, including job and internship listings, recruiting events, and networking programs.
Annual networking programs in regions including New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and other cities, and on-campus events such as the "A-B-C" (Alumni Back to Campus) program also link students with alumni. These events are useful both for gathering information about potential career options and for identifying job and internship leads.
A recruiting program for seniors and recent graduates includes on- and off-campus interview opportunities. Consortia recruiting events for seniors, such as the ECCD Boston and New York City career days, and the Career and Internship Connections (CIC) programs across the country, offer additional opportunities.
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 office is open year-round.
Career counseling is provided by appointment, during which a professional career counselor facilitates
exploration of personal values, interests, skills, and aspirations—the
building blocks of satisfying academic and work-related decisions. Advising
on graduate/professional school, career
research, internship and job search, resume and cover letter development,
and interview preparation is also available by appointment and during drop-in hours.
The Career Services Web site
(http://cms.skidmore.edu/career/)
has an extensive array of links to research, networking, internship/job recruiting,
and graduate school resources. A computer lab and an extensive
collection of books and directories are available in the office's reference center
to support an individual's efforts.
In addition to subscribing to numerous job-listing resources, the office regularly publishes e-bulletins to keep students and alumni aware of pertinent opportunities and their deadlines,
including job and internship listings, recruiting events, and networking programs.
The Career Advisor Network has more than 2,000 alumni and parent volunteers
prepared to help people explore the world of work and to identify
appropriate job and internship leads. Many career advisors volunteer
to sponsor students who participate in the annual Job Shadowing
Program. Students can spend anywhere from one day to three weeks on the job, shadowing
a sponsor during winter break.
Annual networking programs in regions including New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and other cities,
and on-campus events such as the "A-B-C" (Alumni Back to Campus) program link students with alumni.
These events are useful both for gathering information about
potential career options and for identifying job and internship leads.
A recruiting program for seniors and recent graduates includes on- and off-campus
interview opportunities. Consortia recruiting events for seniors, such as the ECCD Boston
and New York City career days, and CIC programs across the country, offer additional opportunities.
Services and programs for underclass students include internship
listings, a job-shadowing program, and advising
regarding choice of majors/career and summer job search. Career Services staff are happy to
talk with all students and encourage them to initiate contact with the office during their
first year.
