Student Life

The University of New Orleans (UNO) recognizes the important educational role that involvement in student life provides for students. There is a commitment to focus on the development of the whole student by extending the classroom experience through extracurricular activities. By becoming involved on campus, you have an opportunity to develop your intellectual, social, leadership, communication and recreational skills, and these skills can assist you both personally and professionally. The Division of Student Affairs is committed to sponsoring and promoting activities which complement your educational experience, and the following information is only a sampling of the offerings available. We encourage you to explore all of the aspects of student life at the University of New Orleans.

Student Government
All regularly enrolled students are members of Student Government (SG), which provides an opportunity for each student to participate in the general community affairs of the University.  SG members assume the responsibilities of self-government consistent with the responsibilities and policies of the University administration.  In addition, SG maintains a variety of services such as forums for students to express ideas and concerns with administration and free fax services for students.  The SG Student Legal Counseling Services provides students with an attorney for assistance with legal advice, document preparation, and referral support.  SG also funds other activities and services on campus such as student organization programs, and limited academic travel funds for undergraduate and graduate students.

Student Activities Council
Student Activities Council (SAC) is the university’s official student programming board on campus.  The purpose of SAC is to provide educational, cultural, social, and entertaining activities for the UNO community.  They are responsible for the planning and implementation of major activities on campus such as the Welcome Back Luau, Fall Concert, the Drive-in Movie, Homecoming Festivities, the end of the year crawfish boil, and much more.  With student input, SAC comes up with new, fresh events every year.

Student Organizations
Student organizations are a vital part of undergraduate and graduate experience at the University of New Orleans. With approximately 130 recognized student organization at UNO, students have been able to take advantage of the many opportunities outside the classroom. As a member of a UNO organization, students have developed leadership and interpersonal skills, built friendships, served the community, the campus, and people around them.  Types of groups include professional, honors, political, religious, service, social, Greek, special interest, and departmental.

Greek Life
The Office of Greek Life provides advisory support and guidance to the university’s seventeen fraternities and sororities. The department offers various programs and services, including active oversight of chapter events, planning and implementation of leadership retreats and workshops, monitoring of academic performance of fraternity and sorority members, and recognition of the positive achievements of the organizations. In partnership with faculty, staff, alumni, and inter/national fraternal organizations, the Office of Greek Life challenges and educates students in the areas of leadership, cultural awareness, personal and group development, scholarship, and civic responsibility.  More information about Greek Life is available at www.greeklife.uno.edu.

Student Media
The Driftwood is a weekly student newspaper containing general news, feature and sports stories, editorials and other columns. All positions are open to students.

The annually published literary magazine, The Ellipsis, includes stories, poems, photographs and drawings by members of the UNO community and publishes award-winning work by UNO students.

Recreation and Intramural Sports
The UNO Recreation & Fitness Center (RFC) has approximately 87,000 square feet of space dedicated to a variety of fitness and recreational activities, making it the largest recreation and fitness facility on the Lakefront. This full-service, state of the art center offers the latest equipment and technology in a convenient on-campus location.

An expansive 17,000 square feet is dedicated to cardiovascular, plate-loaded and free weight training. Cardio equipment includes treadmills, upright and recumbent bicycles, rowing machines, elliptical cross-trainers and more. Members can stay entertained and informed while they work out tuned into cardio-theater on one of 11 televisions located throughout the fitness area. Amenities include the Dr. Richard J. Stillman 1/10 mile indoor jogging/walking track; various group exercise classes such as indoor cycling, yoga and step aerobics geared to meet cardiovascular, resistance, flexibility and/or mind body training goals; 2 dry saunas, 2 racquetball courts, 3 basketball courts, snack bar, outdoor deck adjacent to pool, natatorium (25 yard/ 4 lane lap pool) used for water group exercise and lap/recreational swimming. Personal training and Fitness Assessments are available for a fee, to schedule these services please call the Fitness Assessment Office at 280-FITT (3488).
UNO Students are admitted with a current valid UNO Student ID. Membership to the UNO Recreation and Fitness Center is also available to all Faculty/Staff, Faculty/Staff Retiree, Active Alumni, Research & Technology Park employees, Senior Citizen and Community Members. The hours of operation are 6:00 am – 8:00 pm Monday – Friday, Saturday 8:00 am – 3:00 pm and CLOSED on Sunday. Hours of operation and Group Exercise schedule are subject to change as needed.

Please note: Racquetball & Basketball courts are currently CLOSED due to Hurricane Katrina damage.

Intramural Sports
Recreation and Intramural Sports (RIS) administers men’s and women’s intramural sports, co-recreational divisions, and team sports including basketball, flag football, table tennis, volleyball, and softball. Top student teams may be eligible to compete at the LCIRSA State Tournament each semester.

Club Sports
Club Sports are designed to bring students with common interests together. All club sports are organized by students and provide both recreational and competitive programming. Club sports have included wrestling, paintball, inline hockey, social dance, sailing, and rugby teams which have competed against other local/regional universities. Whether a club remains active relies solely on the interest of students.

UNO Spirit Groups
The UNO cheerleaders, Privateer dancers, pep band and mascot perform at men and women basketball games, volleyball matches, pep rallies, etc. Contact Athletics at 280-3981 for more details.

The Office of Student Involvement and Leadership
The Office of Student Involvement and Leadership is committed to providing programs and opportunities through which students may become meaningfully involved in campus life.  These programs and initiatives include leadership development, organizational involvement, campus wide entertainment, cultural and educational programs, volunteer service, and recognition. The Office of Student Involvement and Leadership strives to create opportunities so that students can achieve academically and socially in ways that will facilitate their transition into the world as responsible citizens.  The areas that fall under the purview of The Office of Student Involvement and Leadership include leadership development and advisement of student organizations, Student Government, Student Activities, and the Leadership Cabinet.

Intercollegiate Athletics
The University of New Orleans offers intercollegiate athletics and is a Division I member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). For the 2008-09 academic year, UNO will field teams in five men’s sports (baseball, basketball, golf, tennis and swimming & diving) and four women’s sports (basketball, swimming & diving, tennis and volleyball). UNO was a charter member of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC), which currently includes Arkansas-Little Rock, Arkansas State, Denver, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, South Alabama, Troy University and Western Kentucky. Students who wish to participate in intercollegiate athletics at UNO must meet eligibility requirements. Contact the UNO Athletic Department at (504) 280-6102 for more information. Students with a valid student identification card are admitted free to all home athletic events.

UNO has a rich athletic tradition. The Privateer baseball won the Sun Belt Conference championship in 2007, has won 13 NCAA berths and was the first Louisiana team to go to the College World Series. Men’s basketball has earned four NCAA tournament and 11 National Invitational tournament berths and has won 20 or more games in a season 14 times. Women’s basketball has won 20 or more games in a season six times and has appeared in post season play. UNO hosted the 2002 NCAA Volleyball Championships, the 2003 men’s basketball Final Four, the 2004 Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Tournament and the 2008 NCAA Women’s Basketball Regionals.
Basketball games will be held at Keifer UNO Lakefront Arena at 6801 Franklin Avenue on the East Campus, while volleyball games will be held on the main campus at the Human Performance Center, at the northwest corner of Elysian Fields and Leon C. Simon.  Swimming events are held at the Aquatic Center in Lakefront Arena, while tennis and baseball are held at facilities adjacent to the Arena. Lakefront Arena houses a 10,000 seat facility for basketball, concerts and other entertainment events, as well as an auxiliary gymnasium, an Olympic-size swimming pool and a weight room for use by UNO athletes.  During the 2008-09 academic year, the offices of Intercollegiate Athletics will move into the newly remodeled Privateer Hall at the corner of Leon C. Simon and Franklin Avenue. For up-to-date information on game times and locations, check the Privateers official web site at: www.unoprivateers.com

National Student Exchange
The University is a member of National Student Exchange (NSE) which provides opportunities for students to study for up to one calendar year at another NSE member college or university with non-resident fees waived. With nearly 190 universities from which to choose, students should be able to find a campus with just the right combination of courses, facilities, and environment to meet personal and academic needs and interests. NSE extends beyond the borders of the United States to include U.S. territories as well as Canadian provinces. Students must be at least sophomore level (30 credit hours) with a minimum 2.5 GPA at the time of the exchange. Students meet with their UNO advisors prior to the exchange to assure that all credit completed while on exchange will transfer toward their UNO degree program. Information and applications for the exchange are available at the General Studies Program Office in room 214 of the Bicentennial Education Center, or in the Registrar's Office in room 112 of the Administration Building. Additional information concerning the NSE Program and all partner universities may be obtained at http://www.nse.org.

Student Health Services
Student Health Services is committed to providing the highest quality health care to the UNO community. Health Services offers evaluation and treatment of illness and injury, as well as educational programming for health promotion and illness prevention. Primary care is provided to students, on an appointment, and walk-in basis.

Various injections, immunizations, and advice on travel abroad are available to students. Comprehensive physical evaluation and diagnostic laboratory testing are available to students.
Feedback is an important part of the health teamwork, and students are encouraged to offer ideas and suggestions to improve Student Health Services through a report card system. Student Health Services is temporarily located in the Human Performance Center room 137A. Hours are 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Pharmacy
The pharmacy, located in the Human Performance Center, room 209, is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The pharmacy can fill prescription and over-the-counter medication needs on campus, at competitive rates.

Student Sickness and Accident Insurance
The University negotiates a moderately priced sickness and accident insurance policy for students. Students not covered by another sickness and accident insurance policy are strongly encouraged to enroll in this plan. The plan includes savings realized by Student Health Services acting as primary care giver. Additional savings are provided through the use of a preferred provider organization.
The policy is optional for domestic students. Dependents can also be covered on this policy. Policy information is available at Student Health Services, Human Performance Center Room 102 or 137A.
International Students are required by law to have health insurance. This policy meets the minimum requirements of the law and is cost effective. However, International Students may purchase other policies or bring one from their country that meets the minimum requirements.

Office of Disability Services
University of New Orleans is committed to providing an environment where all students have the opportunity to equally participate in the academic experience, including students with disabilities.  Students with disabilities have rights as determined by federal and state laws which require institutions to provide reasonable accommodations for the student’s disability in order to afford an equal opportunity to participate in the college’s programs, courses, and activities.

The Office of Disability Services (ODS) assists students in meeting many of their educational needs on campus.  The office may be able to secure academic accommodations for students who have documented disabilities (physical, psychological, learning disabilities, chronic health diagnoses, or temporary disabilities).

Accommodations include, but are not limited to, academic aids such as note takers, extended test taking time, course materials in alternate formats, adapted computers, tape recorders, and assistive listening devices.  ODS can also provide assistance with registration during walk-in fee payment, such as navigating lines, communicating with staff, and reading signs.

ODS can assist in the coordination of accommodations for campus tours and events such as New Student Orientation (including testing accommodations for placement examinations.)
The Section 504 Compliance Officer is the Director of Disability Services, and is located in the University Center Room 260. The ADA Compliance Officer is the Director  of Design and Construction, Facility Services. If you have any questions regarding specific responsibilities of these officers, please call (504) 280-6222  or visit www.ods.uno.edu.

For more information, contact ODS at 280-6222 or visit http://ods.uno.edu/

Office of International Students and Scholars
The Office of International Student and Scholars (OISS) provides support to approximately 750 international students and approximately 100 international faculty and staff from over 90 countries. Specifically, OISS assists international students, faculty, and staff in maintaining their legal status under U.S. immigration law. In addition, the office provides support on such matters as cross-cultural adjustment, personal and financial issues, and academic problems. Programs offered by the OISS include new student orientation and educational workshops on topics of interest to international students, faculty, and staff. OISS produces a regular newsletter, maintains an e-mail listserv, and co-sponsors cultural events such as international coffee/tea hours, and an international festival in cooperation with international student organizations. Specific information about OISS programs is available at the following web address: http://www.uno.edu/oiss/.

Multicultural Affairs
Multicultural Affairs through the Office of Student Affairs assists in developing services and programs to help recruit, retain, and graduate diverse, multicultural students; to meet their academic and social needs; to advise and counsel students and student organizations; and to help the UNO community recognize, appreciate, and respect diversity.

UNO is committed to promoting campus sensitivity to issues affecting diverse students and students of color. This office serves as liaison for multicultural students with appropriate offices advocating their needs where possible.

Sponsoring and co-sponsoring activities that demonstrate a diverse, multicultural presence is an important part of the mission of this office. Working with students, student groups, faculty, and departments, and with events such as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation, the Native American Pow Wow, the annual Jewish Seder, the Black Heritage Ball, a Brown Bag Dialogue Series, and a Multicultural Book Discussion Series are annual or alternate-year possibilities. For applicants who have been convicted of a felony, the office facilitates the process of their becoming enrolled at the University where appropriate.

Children’s Center
The University operates a learning center for children one to five years of age. The center is open to children of students, faculty, and staff on a space-available basis. Hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. The Center is located on the main campus. For further information, call (504) 280-3131.

Student Housing
Residence Facilities
PONTCHARTRAIN HALL
Pontchartrain Hall is UNO’s beautiful new residence hall comprised of two state of the art four story buildings.  Residents will have their choice of a private room with bath, a two bedroom unit with one bath or a four bedroom unit with two baths.  Each bedroom is furnished with a bed, student desk, chair, chest of drawers and built in closet. Each room has 9 ft ceilings, with bedrooms wired for Ethernet and cable television.  Two and four bedroom units have common lounge areas which are also furnished. The common lounge area is wired for local telephone service.

The facility has card access, security cameras, a small convenience store, an activity area with billiard table, foosball, etc.  There are large social areas to accommodate a wide variety of programs for residents, study areas, a residents’ kitchen and laundry facilities. The patio area is furnished with tables, chairs and three BBQ pits.

Rates include all utilities, furnishings, local telephone, cable television and internet.  Residency in Pontchartrain Hall requires a mandatory declining balance meal plan of $870.00 which can be used at any food operation (Starbuck’s, Subway, Chic-fil-A, The Galley Cafeteria, Bene Pizza, Java City or any of c-stores, etc.) during any hour they are operational.

Please note that admission to the University does not guarantee on-campus housing accommodations.  Students must apply separately for housing and accommodations cannot be guaranteed until a student is officially accepted for admission to the University.

For more information, please contact UNO Student Housing at (504) 280-6402 or e-mail studenthousing@uno.edu.

PRIVATEER PLACE: Privateer Place is a beautiful apartment-style community located in the northwest corner of the campus. Offering the following accommodations and amenities in nine and 12 month leases: four bedroom, two bath apartments, furnished (rented per person); two bedroom, 2 bath apartments, furnished (rented per person); and efficiency apartments, unfurnished (rented per unit).

Furnished units have a bed, student desk, desk chair, nightstand, and bachelor’s chest of drawers in each bedroom. Each common living area includes a couch, matching chair, coffee table, end table, and built-in dining table with chairs. Rates include utilities, garbage, and access to all on-site amenities including coin-operated laundry facilities, swimming pool, hot tub, clubhouse for student gatherings, and a sand volleyball court.

Privateer Place is open during academic breaks, and tenants are able to stay in apartments throughout the lease term. For more information about housing at Privateer Place, call (504) 282-5670.

Counseling Services
The Counseling Services supports the educational aims of the University by aiding students in their personal development and psychological growth. The services offered to students are directed at assisting in the resolution of personal problems and clarifying conflicts of vocational interests that may interfere with the student's career and educational objectives. A broad range of professional counseling services is offered, including problem assessment, psychological and career testing, individual, couples, and group counseling as well as psycho-educational workshops and seminars. These services are designed to be short term in nature.  Students who need longer term or specialized services will be referred to local providers. Most services are free, but reasonable fees do apply for therapy and testing services.  All services are confidential.

The Counseling Services professional staff members are licensed clinicians or are supervised by licensed clinicians. Advanced graduate students in various behavioral sciences are affiliated with the department and also provide counseling services as part of their internship or practicum under the supervision of licensed professional staff members.

Judicial Affairs, Student Assistance, and Parking Violations
The office addresses concerns and problems related to the University. There are a number of ways this office assists. The first is through the “UNO Judicial Code” which can be found in the UNO Policy Manual/Student Handbook. The philosophy of the code is one of civility and education. The University expects exemplary behavior from students in all phases of college life. It is the responsibility of students to familiarize themselves with the specific rules and regulations governing student behavior and to maintain the highest degree of integrity–both in and out of the classroom.

Student Assistance is the second function. Often students experience problems within the university setting. Through consultation with the staff, conflict resolution is attempted. Additionally, if any UNO community member is experiencing a crisis or is a victim of an on-campus crime, this office can provide help.

The third function of the office is to review parking and traffic appeals. The brochure of related information can be obtained at University Police or from this office. More information can be found at www.studentaffairs.uno.edu.

Veterans’ Affairs
The Office of Veterans’ Affairs provides information on educational benefits for veterans attending UNO. Veterans eligible for educational benefits are urged to establish contact with this office when they arrive on campus. For further information call (504)280-6992, email  pseiler@uno.edu, or visit the office within the Administration Building, Room 112F.  

Office of Career Development
The Office of Career Development, a department within the Division of Student Affairs, offers career related information and assistance for students and alumni of the University of New Orleans. Students can register with the office by utilizing the Internet which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Once registered, students and alumni have access to several online databases for job searching, which lists hundreds of part-time, full-time and on-campus job postings. There is no cost for any of the services provided by the office.

The Office of Career Development also offers several programs that will enhance career search activities while students are in school and when they are ready to graduate. The Cooperative Education program allows undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to get real-world work experience in their chosen major.

The Job Location and Development Program is a federally funded initiative that assists students with finding part-time, seasonal and temporary work while enrolled at UNO. JLD assists students who may not qualify for work study through the Office of Financial Aid. The On-Campus Recruiting Program assists graduating seniors who will be entering the workforce by administering interview sessions at the university. In most cases 30 to 40 companies conduct their first interviews on campus every semester. Thousands of UNO alumni have found success by participating in On-Campus Recruiting.

The Office of Career Development also sponsors several job fairs, career fairs and seminars every semester to assist in the career search process. Students are encouraged to attend all events offered by Career Development so that they may begin thinking about career options early in their college program. More information about the Office of Career Development can be obtained by calling (504) 280-6225 or visiting them on the web at www.career.uno.edu