Overlooked campus resources offer a variety of assistance programs
Grace Sgambettera
Staff Writer
With the fall semester fully underway, Hudson Valley faculty are making the effort to reach out to students, new and old, about the resources available on campus they may not know about.
Students looking for tutoring, research assistance, health services, counseling, job placement or even help transferring to another college will all find support on campus if they know where to go.
The library isn’t the only place that can help students do better this semester though. Students who are looking for general support, help improving grades or stress management are strongly encouraged to visit the Center for Academic Engagement, located on the second floor of the Siek Campus Center in room 230.
According to their official website, the main goal of the center is to “increase achievement and success of all Hudson Valley Community College students.” They offer collaboration space, one-on-one academic coaching and workshops almost everyday of the semester to any Hudson Valley student interested.
The workshops offered to students cover topics that can cause stress, like time management, procrastination and test anxiety. A calendar of every workshop offered this semester is available to students in the CAE office, which is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m to 5 p.m.
For students who are also looking to stay both physically and mentally healthy this semester, it is not even necessary to leave the building, for the Wellness Center is also located on the second floor of the Siek Campus Center, in Room 270.
The Wellness Center, open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., offers two different kinds of services: health services and counseling services to every Hudson Valley student on campus.
The Health Services side of the Wellness Center provides health information and medical attention without appointment to Hudson Valley students and faculty for little or no cost, according to their website. Fees are only charged for tests done by entities outside of the college and X-rays, the rest is covered by the Health Fee paid at the beginning of the semester.
The Center also offers psychological individual and group counseling to students for free through the Counseling Services offices attached to it.
Students concerned about their mental health are also encouraged to take advantage of the events sponsored weekly by the Health Center. Yoga is offered every Tuesday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., and Mindfulness Meditation is offered every Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. to help students relieve stress and promote physical and mental health.
The Campus Center isn’t the only place students can find resources available to them. Keeping students informed about all the resources available to them is an issue every year, according to Library Director Brenda Hazard. But that the faculty really want students to know what the Marvin Library offers.
There are 15 study rooms in the Marvin Library, and students can even reserve a study room online, a feature newly introduced this year, according to Hazard. Students can now go online, check the availability of the study rooms, and reserve a time-slot that suits them best.
Hazard said she thinks many students walk into the library looking for a place to focus and walk out again, because they don’t know there are designated quiet areas to help with focus. “The second floor is where to go for the traditional library environment, and the lower floor is for quiet study as well,” she said.
Hazard’s advice to students who are unsure where to find any kind of service on campus is simply to ask “Even if you come to me and want to know what the gym’s hours are, I’ll find that for you. We’re here to help you.”