Student success services

Student success services at-a-glance

The student experience comes first at Durham College and we offer many resources to help you obtain a great career and make a difference in the world. Durham College recognizes that learning happens in and out of the classroom. Please see below for a list of services on campus committed to supporting students in all aspects of their lives.

Academic advising
Each school provides a student liaison to help you reach your full academic potential. These representatives assist you with:

• Developing academic plans to promote success in the event of failed subjects or a low grade point average (GPA);
• Making decisions regarding full- and part-time studies;
• Reviewing graduation requirements;
• Setting up academic plans;
• Accessing other college services; and
• Selecting electives and options.

Athletics and recreation
Athletics and recreation play an important role your health and wellness and are integral to your overall educational experience. The campus offers a wide variety of ways for you to get involved and stay active. Intramural sports and activities are offered for coed recreation through Your SA and the Department of Athletics and Recreations, with registration at the Student Centre. Durham College offers competition at the varsity level and encourages you to get involved in Durham Lords varsity athletics as a team member or as a fan. Durham College offers a number of recreation facilities and fitness opportunities to meet all lifestyles and needs. On-campus facilities include the state-of-the-art FLEX Fitness Centre which overlooks Oshawa Creek, the triple gymnasium, a 200-metre indoor track, two aerobic/dance studios, the Campus Ice Centre, Campus Tennis Centre, a soccer field, a fastball diamond, squash courts and an indoor golf-training centre.

You are required to bring your campus ID card to access the Athletic, Tennis and Ice centres.

Centre for Students with Disabilities
The Centre for Students with Disabilities (CSD) is dedicated to providing equal and accessible education for all. If you have a hearing, learning, medical, physical, psychiatric or visual disability, you are encouraged to contact the CSD to receive support in these areas.

Diversity
The Diversity office is charged with supporting and advocating for you and your fellow students and helping mediate conflicts over diversity/pluralism on campus. The office works at a grassroots level with you, faculty and staff through the co-ordination of diversity initiatives and training seminars and sessions.

The campus is committed to sustaining an environment of inclusiveness that empowers you to achieve your highest potential. At Durham College, you will be prepared to lead an extraordinary life by gaining insight from members of all cultures regardless of race, gender, religion, ethnic background, socio-economic class or sexual orientation. Durham College is committed to building an exemplary educational community that offers a nurturing and challenging intellectual climate and affords the opportunity to engage, examine and enjoy a wide spectrum of human diversity. For more information, please contact the Diversity office.

Financial Aid + Awards
The Financial Aid + Awards office is dedicated to helping you understand the variety of financial options available to fund your education. Financial planning is a vital element to being successful and the Financial Aid + Awards office is on hand to help you make the right financial choices for your education. There are several financial aid programs to assist you, these include:

• The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP);
• Scholarships and bursaries;
• Financial aid advising;
• Bursaries for students with disabilities or child care needs;
• Summer and student employment programs;
• The Ontario Work Study Program (OWSP); and
• Off-campus housing.

Health Centre
The Health Centre is committed to providing the highest level of service to the Durham College community. Whether you have a health emergency, a concern about nutrition, muscle strain and pain or a bad case of the flu, you can expect care dispensed by health care professionals who are friendly, concerned and accessible. The Health Centre provides numerous confidential health-care options including:

• Daily access to physician and nursing staff;
• A walk-in medical clinic;
• Physical examinations;
• Treatment of disease, illness and injury;
• On-site laboratory (STI testing, blood work, throat swabs, etc.); and
• Allergy injections, immunizations, gynecological health-care and prescriptions.

If you require assistance dealing with relationship issues, family problems, stress, depression or other personal problems, a team of health-care and counselling professionals is available to provide support, discussion, therapy, education and referrals.

An on-site pharmacy will provides you with prescription medication dispensing services, wellness information and over-the-counter sales and honours the Student Insurance Plan. Also provided are a variety of alternative health-care therapies. Among the on-site services offered are physiotherapy, massage and acupuncture therapy, chiropractic services and nutritional counselling.

Hired Career Services
With 90 per cent of 2006 graduates employed within six months of graduation, Durham College is committed to the success of both students and graduates. Hired Career Services, offers the following services:

• A new web portal with an online job posting system available through MyCampus;
• On-campus employer recruiting activities including job fairs;
• Student internship and co-op programs;
• Individual job search advising appointments and drop-in resumé reviews;
• Career assessments and advising appointments; and
• Free job search resources.

As a graduate, you can access employment advising services free of charge for up to one year after graduation.

Identification Services
Your Campus ID card is a valuable piece of identification that verifies your academic registration for access to campus facilities and services and off-campus services such as transit and retail discounts. Your Campus ID card is a multi-year smart card. It is a valuable and required piece of identification that is valid for the entire duration of your studies and you should keep it in your possession at all times while on campus. Upon return each year, your card must be validated (stamped) at one of the Campus Identification Services locations. Campus ID cards are available to all registered students on campus; visit the website for hours of operation and more detailed card information.

Learner Support Centre
The Learner Support Centre is available to help you achieve your educational goals. It offers services to enhance your learning skills including a college peer tutoring program, computer-based tutorials, subject-specific clinics, and one-to-one and small group support from writing specialists and learning skills advisors.

A monthly schedule of free workshops and clinics is posted on the website. You are invited to visit the centre and register for clinics and workshops or meet one of the staff to determine how you can make the most of the services available to you.

Library
The Campus Library is located at the north end of the Polonsky Commons and provides you with:

• Quality information;
• Access to materials on- and off-campus;
• Assistance in finding and borrowing materials;
• Assistance in mastering the research process through orientations and classes arranged through your professors with sign-up classes offered throughout the year and/or individual consultations;
• Bibliographic citation handouts (MLA, APA) and an online bibliographic citation manager (Refworks);
• Photocopying, reserve readings and interlibrary loans services; and
• A silent study room, group study rooms, and a fireplace reading room.

Operating hours and additional information on resources and services available on the website.

Mobile learning
As part of its commitment to provide an innovative teaching environment and the advanced technology skills employers want, Durham College began introducing mobile learning into post-decondary programs in 1999. Every year since then, it has been extended into more programs.

Mobile learning provides you and you and yourr fellow students with a 21st-century learning environment, supported by the latest information and communications technology. It enables you to learn and work electronically from just about anywhere on campus and off-site - learning any time and anywhere. As part of the program, you and your professors have access to a current model laptop. The unique mobile learning environment includes wired and wireless connectivity on campus, access to worldwide resources via high-speed Internet links and uninterrupted learning across campus supported by a state-of-the-art learning infrastructure. The goal of mobile learning is to provide you with equal access to learning resources and opportunities for collaboration and communication.

The mobile learning website is designed to help you navigate through your new educational environment. Please access it to learn more about how to take advantage of everything it has to offer.

Student life
You are encouraged to participate in Student Life programs that promote your personal and intellectual growth. The Student Life office connects you to existing campus opportunities and works with you to develop new ideas to improve student satisfaction. The office promotes services for first-year students and their families, develops new initiatives to support student success and co-ordinates Orientation Week. It also manages the Co-curricular Recognition program, which provides you with an official record of your campus involvement and acknowledges the skills you gain through participation in campus activities. Be sure to contact the office if you want to learn more about available services or become involved in your campus community.

Student Rights and Responsibilities
The Student Rights and Responsibilities office is responsible for the protection of the rights of everyone on campus. The director, an independent and impartial decision-maker, is responsible for all non-academic behavioural issues on campus and the enforcement of the Student Code of Conduct policy. Your rights are vigorously protected and your responsibilities reinforced, in order to increase student retention and produce graduates who reflect the values of the college and the community at large. One of these values is respect for others, and it's reinforcement creates a positive relationship between students, faculty, support staff, administration and the community. For more information, please contact the Student Rights and Responsibilities office.