Mar 29, 2024  
College Catalog 2013-2014 
    
College Catalog 2013-2014 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Student Life



Division of Student Life

Elizabethtown College recognizes that learning and achievement extend beyond the classroom.

The Division of Student Life provides students with the opportunity to make connections with campus resources, to develop necessary skills for success, and to productively join in college life. Elizabethtown offers a comprehensive collection of co-curricular programs and services that supports our students’ growth and development and enriches their college experience.

Dean of Students

Elizabethtown’s Dean of Students serves as the senior student affairs administrator and the primary advocate for our students. The Dean, together with the Student Life staff, works with students and faculty to shape the living and learning environment and enhance the quality of life for all students.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/dean-of-students.

Athletics

Elizabethtown College proudly sponsors one of the top NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletic programs in the nation. Enjoying an 85-year tradition of success, the College’s 22-team, 13-sport varsity program operates within the principles and rules of the NCAA and the Landmark Conference’s philosophy of amateur student-athlete participation. Our exceptional coaching staff believes in the importance of integrating our students’ academic and athletic experiences.

All Elizabethtown students receive free admission to home contests. The entire campus community joins in cheering on our Blue Jays to victory.

For more information, please visit www.etownbluejays.com.

Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities

The Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities (SRR) holds the primary function of resolving alleged violations of the Student Code of Conduct, working collaboratively with community members, including the Dean of Students, staff members of Residence Life, Campus Security, Athletics, the Center for Student Success, the Office of Diversity, and students serving as members of the Peer Board. The SRR office upholds practices of a facilitative and fair nature, respecting individual rights while balancing these with community integrity, honesty, civility and safety. The SRR office is dedicated to enriching the social learning experiences of students, whether within a hearing discussing integrity or by training Peer Board members about leadership. The SRR office staff members take pride in their daily interactions with students, especially in their goal of educating students about the College’s policies and procedures as well as the College’s goals of living healthy, balanced and ethically rich lives.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/student-rights.

Student Wellness

The office of Student Wellness provides services that enhance the health and wellness of Elizabethtown College students. Student Wellness is comprised of three collaborative service areas including Student Health, Counseling Services, and Health Promotion. Our mission is to promote an environment that educates and supports students in their endeavors to achieve academic and personal success.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/wellness.

Student Health

Elizabethtown College, in collaboration with Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, provides comprehensive clinical health services for our students. Services are provided at the Penn State Hershey Medical Group’s Elizabethtown office located within one block of campus.

Health insurance is required for all full-time Elizabethtown College students. The cost of the insurance is included in the fall comprehensive fee. Students who have comparable insurance and wish to be exempt from this requirement must sign a waiver.

For the protection of the College community, all full-time students are required to provide proof of immunization against rubella, rubeola, mumps, hepatitis B, varicella, meningitis and an updated tetanus diphtheria booster. The College reserves the right to deny access to the campus to anyone who is judged to be actively contagious with a serious condition or disease.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/health.

Counseling Services

Counseling Services provides a broad range of counseling and mental health support services that facilitate our students’ personal and educational development. Counselors offer short-term counseling, consultation and/or referral for a variety of mental health concerns.

Counseling Services is staffed by licensed mental health professionals and has limited psychiatrist hours available on a biweekly basis during fall and spring terms.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/counseling.

Health Promotion

Health Promotion strives to promote a healthier campus community through prevention programs and educational activities. Our peer educators focus on the eight dimensions of wellness to assist students in achieving individual well-being by making health choices based on their developing values. Health Promotion also offers The WELL, a resource room located in the Baugher Student Center that provides self-help kits and a range of wellness information.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/health-promotion.

Residence Life

Elizabethtown College students are required to live in campus housing unless they are approved to live off-campus. The College offers a variety of housing options, including traditional residence halls, on-campus town houses and apartments, and Student Directed Learning Communities (SDLC).

In the traditional residence halls there are several floors designated as Living and Learning Communities, which are focused residential living/learning environments.

Juniors and seniors have the option to apply to live in our SDLCs. Established in 1992, SDLCs are housing opportunities in College-owned homes along the perimeter of the campus. These houses offer small groups of students the opportunity to create a unique, self-directed living environment, centered on a common theme, issue or interest through which the group is expected to serve others and enrich the campus or the neighboring community.

Throughout the year, Residence Life staff members and student resident assistants create engaging programming and activities that enhance campus life and continue the educational experience outside of the classroom.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/residence-life.

Career Services

Career Services guides students in all aspects of the career development process, from choosing a career, to selecting a major, to implementing their post-graduate plans. Through e4, students can participate in programs designed to engage them in four phases of the career development process: explore, envision, experience, and enact.

Students are encouraged to collaborate with Career Services to develop career goals that will integrate their passions, skills, and values as they pursue curricular and co-curricular activities.

Staff members are available to help students explore majors and careers, obtain graduate school information, and develop the skills needed when seeking an internship or employment. Participation in job shadowing opportunities, career fairs, on-campus recruiting, employer site visits, networking sessions, and the use of Jobs for Jays – our online job posting system – provides students with an opportunity to connect with potential employers.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/career.

Center for Student Success

The Center for Student Success provides comprehensive academic support services to Elizabethtown College students. The Center is comprised of distinct, yet integrated, service areas, including Academic Advising, Disability Services, Learning Services, Writing Wing, International Student Services, and Student Transition Programs. Additionally, the Center’s Director chairs the Campus Wellness Network.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/student-success.

Academic Advising

Academic Advising guides students in the development of meaningful educational plans that are compatible with their life goals. This program supports and complements the faculty advising system on campus, is offered to all students at Elizabethtown College.

First-year students are assigned a faculty advisor, who also is their First-Year Seminar instructor. In their second semester, first-year students may declare a major and, if they do, will be assigned a faculty advisor from the department of their chosen major. Deciding or undeclared students remain with their first-year advisor for another semester, and thereafter will be assigned to one of our professional advisors from Academic Advising until they declare a major. Additionally, our students benefit from support and guidance from trained peer mentors, resident assistants and Student Life professionals.

We strive to support students who are experiencing difficulty when that academic advice is the most productive – early and while there is still an opportunity to resolve it with a successful outcome. This office uses a time-proven, five-week early warning system, intended to identify students struggling in 100- and 200-level courses. This early-warning system provides intervention, referral and support. Additionally, Academic Advising provides support to all students at the College who are placed on academic probation.

The Director of Academic Advising or designee may conduct academic progress checks by contacting faculty to determine a student’s current academic standing, attendance, participation, and observable behavior in courses for the purpose of follow-up, support, or intervention.

The Director of Academic Advising or designee may notify faculty and staff with courtesy notifications when a student is unable to attend classes due to illness, hospitalization, death of loved one, discipline issues, or personal circumstances. The notification is to facilitate communication only and does not supersede individual course attendance policies. The student will still be responsible for contacting faculty to discuss missed work. The student or family member may contact Stephanie Rankin, Director of Academic Advising, at (717) 361-1415.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/advising.

Disability Services

Elizabethtown College is committed to providing equal access to all of its courses, programs and services for qualified students with disabilities in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.

Students requesting academic adjustments and accommodations can do so by having their health care provider complete the appropriate disability-related information form located on the Disability Services website. All requests for academic adjustments and accommodations are reviewed by the Director of Disability Services. 

For further clarification about policies for students with disabilities or for information about the College’s disability policy grievance procedures, please contact Lynne Davies, Director of Disability Services, at (717) 361-1227.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/disability.

Learning Services

Learning Services encourages all enrolled students to take advantage of peer tutoring and resources for college success. Professional staff members provide students with assistance in time management, test-taking preparation, and study strategies. Faculty-recommended students provide peer tutoring in writing and specific academic courses.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/learning.

The Writing Wing

The Writing Wing can help all students improve their writing with the help of student tutors who are trained and updated on their skills by a faculty member who teaches writing at Elizabethtown, and who is also a professional writer. Writing Wing tutors are friendly, and it’s easy for students connect with them for an hour-long session. Many tutors are education or English majors, but there are also some from other majors. We emphasize a chain of events frequently called the writing process. It’s not simply a proofreading service; instead, it’s a learning service aimed at helping students become better writers. The Writing Wing also conducts workshops about all aspects of writing for faculty and students and can act as a resource about writing for anyone in the campus community.

To learn more about The Writing Wing, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/writing-wing, or to stop by and see us in the Baugher Student Center, second floor, in Learning Services.

Office of International Student Services

Elizabethtown College welcomes students each year from more than 25 countries who choose to study at Elizabethtown either as exchange students for a semester or year, or who pursue full degree programs. The Office of International Student Services (OISS) provides assistance and advice for these students and sponsors international co-curricular programs on campus. The Director of International Student Services serves the international student community by providing orientation and New International Student Seminar programs for new students, advising students about immigration and visa issues, and providing guidance about U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Department of State regulations. The Director also advises students about employment, taxes, extracurricular programming and supervises the International Leadership Team.

ISS 170 - New International Student Seminar 

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/international-students.

Campus Wellness Network

Elizabethtown College’s Campus Wellness Network is an effective student support system that seeks to proactively identify and aid at-risk students. Composed of faculty and staff, the Campus Wellness Network bridges academic and co-curricular aspects of college life at Elizabethtown to take a more holistic approach to student success.

Any member of the campus community may refer to the Campus Wellness Network a student who he/she believes is experiencing difficulty in or out of the classroom. Once identified, the Network will formulate an appropriate course of intervention that will suggest choices and options that the at-risk student may not have recognized. Through interventions, students receive the support they need and learn valuable skills that benefit them not only during their college career, but throughout their lives.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/counseling/campus-wellness-network.

Center for Student Involvement

Through the activities of the Center for Student Involvement, Elizabethtown College students are offered productive and engaging programming that allows them to connect with the campus community, to get involved, and to build lasting memories of their college experience. The Center also provides opportunity, direction and support for tomorrow’s leaders as they develop the skills that will benefit them for a lifetime.

Through the Center, four professional offices – the Office of the Chaplain and Director of Religious Life, the Office of Student Activities, the Office of Diversity, and the Office of International Student Services – provide a variety of programs and services. Center for Student Involvement staff also administer the College’s Called to Lead program.

In addition, four student organizations join in enhancing campus life by planning unique events and offering services to Elizabethtown students. These organizations include Students Working to Entertain E-town (S.W.E.E.T.), which plans and coordinates special events; The Etownian, our student-run newspaper; the Conestogan, the College yearbook; and Student Senate, the student governing body.

Office of the Chaplain and Religious Life

The Office of the Chaplain and Director of Religious Life strives to create a vital and vibrant atmosphere for spiritual growth and religious exploration. Each year, the Office sponsors Soul Café, Interdenominational Christian Worship, interfaith prayer services, the Labyrinth Experience, Fake Fireplace…Real Conversation, alternative spring break trip, and more. The Chaplain and Assistant Chaplain are available to students for spiritual mentoring, pastoral care and vocational exploration.

Religious Life on campus also includes many active student groups, as well as a number of ministries from various denominations and organizations, including Catholic Campus Ministry, Brethren student fellowship, Campus Crusade for Christ, the Faith in Action student group, Hillel Club, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Lutheran Campus Ministry, and Newman Club.

Through the leadership of the Chaplain’s Office, the College was one of approximately 250 colleges and universities to participate in President Obama’s Interfaith Campus and Community Service Challenge for the academic year 2011-2012. The Chaplain’s Office will continue to pursue a strong emphasis on interfaith understanding, leadership and service in the coming years.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/chaplain.

Called to Lead Program

Called to Lead invites students to enlarge their potential by exploring leadership within the context of the meaning of life, the many things that really matter to them, and the ethical issues and concerns of the world. Students personally craft their own program from an a la carte menu of events, where faculty and staff address the question of what really matters in the world and why it matters, sharing networking dinners with alumni; participating in servant-leadership trips; attending mini-workshops on special topics, such as managing group conflict or leading from personal strengths; choosing innovative academic courses; and engaging in reading groups.

Students accumulate points for participation in events and courses, and receive recognition at the milestones of 300 and 600 points. Those who reach 1,000 points receive our Called to Lead certificate and a signature sash to wear at Commencement.

The Called to Lead program includes students from more than 20 different majors ranging from business to education to theatre. Currently, more than 300 students are involved in the program.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/chaplain/called-to-lead.

Office of Student Activities

The Office of Student Activities (OSA) strives to create an environment that calls for participation and involvement in the campus community and to develop students into campus leaders. OSA is comprised of a network of students that provide a wide range of programming for the student body: S.W.E.E.T. sponsors social events on and off campus, from comedians to city excursions; A Step Up provides edu-tainment programs to advance a student’s knowledge base in a unique learning experience; E-fit is a fitness series that combines free group fitness classes on and off campus with free passes to the local gym. intramurals give students the opportunity for friendly competition in a growing number of sports and contests, and the Body Shop serves as the on-campus location for personal fitness.

The Office also serves as the primary resource to the College’s more than 80 student groups that strive to enhance their individual contributions to the College community.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/osa.

Office of Diversity

The Office of Diversity seeks to create and sustain an inclusive environment that examines, recognizes, and affirms the human dignity of all campus members. This includes but is not limited to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, ability, gender, gender identity and expression, age, and national origin. The office is instrumental and plays a leadership role through working collaboratively with staff, faculty, students, and senior administrators to enhance diversity and inclusive excellence on campus. Programs and activities include strategic planning, faculty and staff development, student training, research, guest lectures, workshops, and conferences. The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Week Planning Committee and the Campus Diversity Advocates represent additional programs. The Office of Diversity also connects with local, regional, and national organizations to build capacity and strengthen diversity initiatives at the college.

For more information, please visit www.etown.edu/offices/diversity.