May 9, 2016
Hannah Harvey
[email protected]
Campus life can be difficult to figure out by yourself. That’s why there are offices, resources and people on campus to help you when you feel like you’re lost.
But have no fear.
Paying your bills, choosing your classes, acquainting yourself with campus and picking your major are all aspects of life at UCCS; this can all be taken care of at orientation.
But, if you still have questions about the less exciting and more stressful side of your college experience, these offices can help you find your way:
Academic Advising
Each student is assigned an adviser based on their major and last name.
Your adviser can help you schedule your classes, figure out your major requirements and help you switch majors if yours isn’t the right fit.
Academic Advising helps students make informed decisions about their educational goals, according to director of Academic Advising Brett Fugate.
“We’re here to support students, to guide them and to help them get connected to their resources that they need to be successful,” said Fugate.
A variety of different majors visit Academic Advising, usually when they have reached upperclassmen status, said Fugate.
“You might not feel like you need an adviser until you might want to change your major, so typically students in some kind of transition and students who are unsure of the courses they need for a semester or how they’re going to graduate are what we see the most of,” said Fugate.
Academic Advising also has resources to help you figure out your major so you can reach your end goal. Your adviser will be there to help you every step of the way.
The main tools for advising are the degree audit, which is a list of every requirement you need to graduate, appointments with your adviser and the advising guides, which are a blueprint of what each semester of your four years as an undergrad will look like.
“There are no surprises (with the degree audit) and we want students to know in advance of what to expect. The greatest resource is the adviser interaction; that’s more personalized,” said Fugate.
More information about academic advising can be found at uccs.edu/~advising/, including a list of advisers, majors, minors and degree audits, or you can visit their office located in Main Hall room 208.
The Lowdown
What: Academic Advising
Where: Main Hall 208
Hours: Walk-in Advising on Mondays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2-5 p.m.
Appointments available Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Contact: 719-255-3260
Student Employment
Colorado Springs is home to some of the most beautiful places in the state, but you can’t get there without fares for public transportation or gas in your own car. This is where the Student Employment Office can help.
Students can get employed in on-campus jobs under two categories: student hourly or work study.
Work study is a financial aid award based on the FAFSA application. Students who receive a work study award will see it on their financial aid award letter, according to assistant director of Financial Aid and Student Employment Shannon Cable.
“Student hourly is a regular paid job on campus that is paid directly from the department you are working in,” said Cable.
While work study jobs are not available in every department on campus, they can be beneficial to students due to the fact that work study wages are subsidized by the government and if you have a work study award, it won’t be counted as income on next year’s FAFSA, according to Cable.
If you don’t want a work study, other student hourly positions are available. These jobs can be found on SEAN, the UCCS employment database. All campus jobs and a variety off-campus jobs and internships can be found on SEAN, both hourly and work study, said Cable.
“If you can find a job on campus, they are always flexible with your schedule and foster that sense that you are a student first and an employee second. You make a giant wealth of connections and student who have a job on campus tend to do better in class,” said Cable.
The Lowdown
What: Student Employment
Where: Cragmor Hall 104
Hours: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Contact Information: 719-255-3454, uccs.edu/~stuemp/
Bursar’s Office
The best time to pay your bills is early in the semester, but it isn’t the only time to do so.
Three options are available for students to pay their bill for the fall 2016 semester: pay-in-full, a payment plan and financial aid.
According to the Student Financial Services website, students registered prior to 5 p.m. on Sept. 8, the census date, are required to pay their total balance by 5 p.m.
Sept. 8 is also the last day in the fall semester to add or drop classes and receive a full refund.
If you’d rather pay your bill in sections, you can enroll in the payment plan on myUCCS Portal. You can pay your bill via an automatic bank payment or through your credit/debit card. To do this, log into your portal, go to the Bursar link and click “Enroll in a payment plan.”
Enroll by Aug. 7-17 to make four payments from August to November, enroll from Aug. 7-Sept. 9 to make three payments from September to November and enroll Sept. 13-Oct. 17 to make two payments from October to November.
Payments will be processed on the 20th of each month.
As for financial aid, this can be used to pay your tuition in full or through a payment plan. Students have until Sept. 8 to pay for fees that aren’t covered by financial aid.
Work study funds can be applied to your tuition, but this money is earned on a bi-weekly paycheck, according to Cable.
“We would never directly apply (the money) to tuition,” said Cable.
The Lowdown
What: Bursar Office
Where: Main Hall 2nd Floor
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Phone: 719-255-3391