Welcome to the many offices that help serve the faculty, staff, students and community of Sewanee.
Office of the Dean of Students
The Dean of Students is the chief student affairs officer in the College of Arts and Sciences and is charged with encouraging and facilitating a respectful and collegial campus environment which promotes the social, intellectual, and psychological development of the undergraduate members of the University community.
With the assistance of the Assistant Deans of Students and a full complement of student affairs professionals, the Dean of Students is responsible for matters of undergraduate life outside the classroom. Institutional interests and activities which ultimately fall within the ambit of the Office of the Dean of Students responsibilities include: student social policies and functions; student organizations and activities; health and psychological counseling services; the student disciplinary code and procedures; career services; outdoor recreational and educational activities; student housing and the training and supervision of the residence hall staff; minority student programs; women s programs and issues, and leadership development initiatives. General advising and counseling, problem-solving and crisis management, and attention to undergraduate retention efforts are also matters of ongoing involvement in or interest to the deans of students and the student affairs staff.
The Dean of Students chairs the Student Life Cabinet which consists of the Deans of Students, the Directors of all offices in the student affairs division, and several members of the University Chaplaincy. The cabinet serves as a collaborative, advisory body, mutually cooperating in and supporting the programs and services of the various offices in the student affairs division and advising and assisting the deans of students in appropriate projects and programs.
The Dean of Students is also responsible for supporting and participating in the academic program of the institution by organizing the freshman orientation program and advising system, by enforcing class attendance regulations, by consulting and working closely with faculty members and students when the latter are experiencing academic difficulties, and by teaching one course each semester in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The Office of the Dean of Students is located on the first floor of Walsh-Ellett, extension 1229 or email, dstudent@sewanee.edu.
The Chapel
All Saints Chapel is the University Chapel and as such serves the College and Seminary. It is the gathering place for the corporate events in the life of the University community and is the principal place of worship for the University. It stands architecturally and functionally to focus our attention on the purpose and mission of this Church institution: to provide and create a Christian community in which an education of the whole person might take place.
Student Activities
The Office of Campus Life and Student Activities and Organizations, both located in the Bishop s Common, sponsor campus-wide programs and assist individuals and groups in planning and carrying out their programs and activities. The Associate Dean of Students is responsible for Greek life and oversight of most campus programs including the Sewanee Outing Program, Student Activities, Stirling s Coffeehouse, and the Bishop s Common. The Director of Student Activities coordinates excursions to events and places of interest off campus, and books movies for the Sewanee Union Theatre. The Bishop s Common Program Board, a volunteer student organization associated with the Office of Student Activities and Organizations, presents a broad range of social, cultural, and recreational activities for the campus each year.
Sewanee Union Theatre (Movies)
The Sewanee Union Theatre, managed by the Director of Student Activities is located in Thompson Hall behind the University Relations Office. It shows first-run films Friday through Wednesday evenings; Thursday nights feature free movies sponsored by the Cinema Guild. During the summer, feature films are presented Wednesday through Sunday evenings. Individual tickets and discount books of tickets may be purchased at the box office.
Student Post Office
University mail is distributed to faculty, staff, and students in the Student Post Office (SPO), located in the basement of the Bishop s common. The SPO is a contract station for the United States Postal Service and provides most of the services that any post office would provide, except for metered, registered, and express mail. Stamps, money orders, and other postal supplies may be purchased from the window. SPO staff can also assist with packages and mail going overseas.
All students have a box which must be kept locked. Neither the University nor the Postal Service is liable for items missing form unlocked boxes. Students are expected to check their SPO boxes regularly. Failure to do so will not constitute a valid excuse for not responding to official communication.
Students are encouraged to make arrangements for their mail with the SPO staff when leaving Sewanee for an extended period. Students who plan to stay in the area during the summer months may rent mailboxes from the SPO during this time.
Sewanee Outing Program
The Director of the Sewanee Outing Program oversees a multi-faceted outdoor recreation program. In conjunction with highly skilled and trained student leaders, the outing program provides instruction and guidance for activities and excursions on and off the domain. Recreational opportunities with the outing program include hiking, mountain biking, cycling, camping, caving, ropes course, backpacking, rock climbing, canoeing, and kayaking. Activities are planned for most weekends and weekday afternoons throughout the academic year. Longer excursions are planned for the fall, winter, and spring break periods.
The Sewanee Outing Program is also in charge of the popular PRE-orientation program, the management of Lake Cheston and the 25 miles of hiking trails located on campus. The Sewanee Outing Program operates a low cost bike shop and lends outdoor equipment to students. It sponsors the Carter Martin Whitewater Club, which has been notably successful in intercollegiate competitions, the Bike Club, and the Climbing Club. Students who wish to take part in these activities, or learn new outdoor recreational skills, can sign up at the Sewanee Outing Program office in the Bishop s Commons.
Office of Residential Life
The Assistant Dean of Students for Residential Life and the Director of Residential Life oversee the housing program at Sewanee. This includes the spring room lottery, all room assignments, the mediation of roommate conflicts, and assistance in resolving maintenance problems in the residential facilities. They also work closely with the student dorm staff and the dormitory head residents to provide guidance, leadership and programming in the residential halls. Additional information concerning student housing may be found below in the section on Residential Life.
University Health Service
Students needing medical attention should make an appointment with the University Health Service located on University Avenue next door to Emerald-Hodgson Hospital by calling the health office at 598-1270 or extension 1270. Walk-ins will be seen as soon as possible after those students with appointments are seen. A Nurse Practitioner and Registered Nurse are on duty 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 12:30-4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. (Summer and holiday hours may vary.) A physician is available on a limited basis for consultation with the nurse practitioner. The adjacent Emerald-Hodgson Hospital provides x-ray and other services (at the student s expense) as needed and has beds for students requiring acute care or skilled nursing care.
Emerald-Hodgson Hospital is associated with and operated by Southern Tennessee Medical Center, located 15 miles away in Winchester, which offers more advanced medical and surgical attention, if necessary, and is connected to Emerald-Hodgson by ambulance.
The Student Tuition Fee covers all visits to the University Health Service, including examinations and routine care by the Nurse Practitioner and any consulting physician seen at the health service. It does not cover the cost of medications, immunizations, x-rays, glasses, casts, laboratory testing, cryo procedures nor does it cover ambulance or hospitalization costs.
A student medical insurance plan offered through the University is required for students who do not already have adequate health insurance, since any injury or illness requiring hospitalization will be at the student s own expense. The Dean of Students sends information about the insurance plan to all students before the beginning of each school year.
University Counseling Service
The University provides a time-limited professional counseling service for students seeking assistance with concerns of all kinds academic, social, emotional, or interpersonal. Discussions between students and psychologists are confidential and information can not be disclosed including to parents, except in rare situations required by state law and regulations. Inquiries should be directed to the office located at 187 Alabama Avenue (across the street from McCrady dormitory), extension 1325.
Career Services
The Office of Career Services (OCS) offers in-depth career help for liberal arts students. The liberal arts student often chooses this type of education because he or she wants to develop a broad understanding of the world and how to find the right place in it.
In terms of specific careers, a liberal arts degree, coupled with appropriate work experience gained in a summer job (international or domestic), internship, or graduate study, opens the door to a host of possibilities. Recent Sewanee graduates have found entry-level jobs in such fields as government and other public service (e.g., the Peace Corps, working on the Hill in Washington, and non-profit agency work); publishing and journalism; financial services; computer-related fields such as programming; teaching in both independent and public schools; scientific research and development; museum administration, technical sales and fund-raising for non-profit agencies. The OCS helps students develop the tools they need to conduct a successful job or internship search through individual advising, the On-Campus Recruiting program, three networking excursions, the online Alumni Career Network System, listings of current openings, job shadowing, and the web page (http://www.sewanee.edu/careerservices).
For students who plan to go directly to graduate school (about 30-40% of each year s graduating class), the OCS has graduate school information, including application forms for the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, PRAXIS, and VCAT. In conjunction with the faculty, the OCS staff helps students decide how graduate study fits with their career goals and how to pursue the course best suited to their interests and abilities.
Assistance is available to help freshmen, sophomores, and juniors make sound choices during their college years in career-related areas and securing summer jobs and internships, and for seniors as they make their plans for their lives following graduation.
The Office of Career Services is located in the tudor style house on Texas Avenue, next to the Fowler Center, extension 1121.
Minority Student Affairs
In furtherance of the University mission to development the whole person through a liberal arts education of high quality, the Office of Minority Student Affairs is responsible for providing programs, activities, and general support for students of color. To make the college experience for all students as successful and as meaningful as possible, this office works also to provide leadership in the development of successful principles and practices regarding recruitment and retention of students of color.
Computing and Telecommunications Services
The electronic environment at Sewanee includes phone service in all student rooms and direct network connections in all dormitory rooms. The following are some guidelines and information about proper use of the University s electronic resources.
