2022-2023 Graduate Catalog w/ November Addendum 
    
    Oct 05, 2024  
2022-2023 Graduate Catalog w/ November Addendum [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Student Services



Overview

The Office of Student Services provides educational, personal, and professional support to promote student development and success. The Office of Student Services, in collaboration with other staff and faculty, enhances the mission of the University by providing an inclusive campus community, promoting leadership opportunities and providing resources and programming to facility academic success.

New Student Orientation

Orientation sessions precede each semester in order for the student to become familiar with the University, technology services, campus policies and procedures. A new student entering the University will receive information from various functional areas during the enrollment process on the availability and delivery method of orientation content.

Student Housing

Harrisburg University does not own housing facilities. The Office of Student Services can assist the student to find housing with the University’s local Harrisburg partners.

Student Parking

Park UP Harrisburg (parkHarrisburg.com) operates the parking facilities in Harrisburg. Prices vary by facility. Check the website for specifics.

Tutoring and Learning Services 

A student may request the assistance of a tutor for writing or ESL support. The Office of Student Services offers free one-on-one tutoring for all HU students. A student can choose to meet with a peer tutor in-person or on-line. In addition, HU also offers free access to tutoring services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through Brainfuse.  Access Brainfuse through any of your course pages on Canvas. Due to the rigors of an advanced degree, tutors are only able to provide writing support, not subject-specific assistance.

Student Concerns and Complaints

The Office of Student Services offers guidance to the student when uncertainty exists about the appropriate process to address a topic, concern, or problem. A request for assistance may be submitted to obtain clarification of a policy or procedure. The request is then reviewed and a recommended course of action is provided in a timely manner.

Health Services

Medical services are not provided on any campus location. Local medical facilities are listed on the Student Services SharePoint site at https://myharrisburgu.sharepoint.com/sites/StudentServices/SitePages/Resources.aspx

Mental Health Services

Counseling Center services include consultation, crisis intervention, workshops, support groups, connecting students to resources on and off campus, and providing information on mental health related topics. Free, confidential individual therapy is also available Monday-Friday on site at the Harrisburg campus, by appointment only. The Counseling Center emphasizes a short-term counseling focus to help students reach their educational goals and work to remove barriers to this process. Counselors can also provide referrals to local or additional resources for students residing outside of the Harrisburg area, or in need of services outside the scope of the counseling center. For more information or to schedule an appointment, students may contact counseling@harrisburgu.edu or call 717-901-5100 ext. 1727 during business hours. Additional information and resources are also available online at the Counseling Center SharePoint site at https://myharrisburgu.sharepoint.com/sites/SSCounseling.

HU also provides 24/7 support for all students through a Student Assistance Program offered by BHS. BHS provides in-the-moment support for students in crisis or referrals for various services such as mental health care, medical care, legal advice, and food assistance. The BHS website also has a list of valuable resources at https://portal.bhsonline.com (Username: HarrisburgU) For more information, go to the Student Services SharePoint site at https://myharrisburgu.sharepoint.com/sites/SSCounseling/Sitepages/counseling.aspx or call the 24/7 BHS support line at 800-327-2251.

Accessibility Support Services

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology welcomes diversity among its students and, in accordance to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, seeks to provide reasonable and effective support services. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability and require the University to make reasonable accommodations for those otherwise qualified individuals with a disability who request accommodations. The applicant must provide recent documentation from a medical provider (within 3 years) of any disability that may affect learning to ensure that appropriate accommodations are considered. Please reach out to ADA@harrisburgu.edu for questions regarding proper documentation as well as support services provided.

Textbook Services

A complete textbook listing is made available on BNC College(https://bncvirtual.com/harrisburgu) at the time of registration. Textbooks are made available for student purchase through the services of BNC College, which has an online store for new and used textbook purchase or rentals. Textbooks and other supplies (if specified for a course) must be obtained by the student prior to the first day of class.

Additional online textbook purchase and rental options are available through companies such as Amazon. Many book retailers carry a small selection of texts but also have the ability to process online textbooks orders.

University Library

The mission of the Harrisburg University Library is to support the mission of the University by enabling excellence in teaching and learning by providing robust access to information resources, integrating information literacy skills throughout the curriculum, and providing physical and virtual spaces for free intellectual curiosity, learning, collaboration, and knowledge sharing and creation. Library services include:

  • collaboration between librarians and faculty to integrate information literacy skill development and use of information resources into the curriculum;
  • access to a wide range of information sources selected to enhance course-based and independent learning, such as
    • online databases of articles from newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals; 
    • streaming media such as documentaries and video learning courses; 
    • electronic books; and 
    • a self-service library located in the Learning Commons offering physical-format books, games, and periodicals;
  • research guidance for students by phone, e-mail, chat, or individual consultation;
  • partnerships with other libraries to provide access to their information sources, free of charge to our students and faculty; and
  • group study rooms which may be reserved in advance through a librarian.

For more information including reporting of lost or damaged items and replacement charges see the Student Handbook.

For more information, visit the library’s website at http://library.harrisburgu.edu. Electronic content is available on the website 24 hours a day from on- or off-campus. Off-campus use requires authentication with valid University credentials.

Technology Services

Information Technology Services is responsible for connecting the student, faculty, and staff to technology resources in support of the University’s mission. Technology services include:

  • a robust and reliable infrastructure to enable excellence in learning;
  • a required laptop program and an entirely wireless campus to facilitate mobile computing and access to content;
  • high-end classroom technologies to enhance interactivity and the capture and distribution of classroom content;
  • access to enterprise software applications such as our course management system;
  • MyHU; Office365 email and productivity suite; and many other course-related software programs; 
  • the Harrisburg University Campus Card services which enables building access, pay-for-print, and book check-out from the library while serving primarily as the official university identification; and, 
  • training, orientation, and support for all university technology services.

For more information, contact the OISHelp Support Portal at ithelp.harrisburgu.edu or 717.901.5177 with questions.

Academic Advising

Academic advising can be a critical component of a student’s education. Every graduate student is assigned to an academic advisor who is a faculty member. The advisor helps the student explore academic goals and assists in course selection for the academic program. The Office of Student Services supports the faculty role in advising. In addition, it assists the student to access resources and develop strategies when non-academic factors affect a student’s ability to succeed.

Career Services

Career Services provides students with the opportunity to explore career fields and occupation. The following services can be obtained by enrolled students and alumni: one-on-one career counseling, assessment inventories, program and career exploration, professional development resources, mock interviews, and resume review. For more information, contact CareerServices@HarrisburgU.edu.