We know that as parents, you worry about your students. Are they safe? Going to class? Making wise choices? We share those same concerns — which is why we are committed to keeping our campus safe and our students healthy.
Safety
Carolina focuses on crime prevention. Our University 101 classes offer special sessions about safety, while our housing policies keep safety top of mind. Student affairs and housing staff, as well as faculty, are trained to recognize difficult situations. However, in the event of a problem, students can access 141 call boxes across campus. All a student has to do is push the emergency button. All calls are tracked by location and time, so if a student can't stay in one location, there will be another call box a short distance away. A member of USC’s own accredited police force will respond immediately. Our 55 officers are academy-trained and patrol the campus by foot, bicycle, cruiser, and horse.
Bringing a laptop, Ipod or bike on campus? Use Project ID. This free service enables students, staff, and faculty members to have their name, Social Security number, and University identification code engraved on personal property. Labeling property in this manner deters thefts and aids in the recovery of stolen merchandise.
If a student is out late, he or she may want to contact the APO Escort Service. This free service is sponsored by the Iota Mu Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity. As a service to the University community, APO provides escort transportation anywhere on campus. APO helps make night travel safer by operating a van which picks up and drops off people during the late night hours. University Police are also available to provide escorts.
Wellness
Sniffles, or something a little more serious? It's easy for students to find out. The Thomson Student Health Center is centrally located on campus. The center has a full time medical staff of seven physicians and three nurse practitioners. Pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, and physical therapy services are available on-site, and are staffed by registered or certified personnel. For students planning to travel abroad, the Travel Clinic at the Thomson Student Health Center provides them with information about the countries that they are planning to visit, evaluates their health care needs and risks, and provides or schedules immunizations and consultations. The Health Center also provides immunizations and allergy shots.
If students need help adjusting to life on campus, they can visit the Counseling and Human Development Center. Students who have paid the Health Fee portion of the University Fee are eligible for 12 free sessions.
The University also has an Office of Student Disability Services
to assist students. The office provides adapted transportation for the mobility-impaired and helps arrange special accommodations for such things as housing needs, assignments, and testing. Thomas Cooper Library's Center for Adaptive Technology offers technological resources and equipment. Disability Services also provides sign language interpreters, note-taking for lectures, and a TDD for making phone calls.
Carolina recently adopted Healthy Carolina 2010. This campus-wide initiative identifies strategies to help make our students and faculty healthier. Healthy Carolina will develop a guide to all the opportunities available on campus and encourage students to lead a healthy lifestyle. Research shows that healthy students miss fewer classes, earn better grades, and participate more in campus life.
Prevention
Sometimes, everyone needs a little extra help. At Carolina, we make sure students have what they need. From sponsoring crime prevention presentations in University 101 classes to health awareness fairs, students will hear about the resources available on campus. Campus faculty and staff are trained to work with college students and identify when they need help. Through the Early Intervention Initiative, professors refer students who are missing classes to the Class Absence Reflection group. There, students will get counseling and determine why they are missing classes. In the residence halls, resident advisors are upperclassmen who serve as peer mentors. Often, they will help identify potential problems, refer students to help, and alert the University to any issues.
Our Student Success Center offers academic assistance. Students can be tutored free of charge in the Thomas Cooper Library. Students can also access academic coaching through an Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) in several residence halls. Additional help is available through Supplemental Instruction (SI). In SI, students in traditionally difficult classes, such as calculus, will attend review sessions conducted by an upperclassman who earned an A in the class. USC also operates a First-Year Call Center. The center talks with freshmen students about any concerns they may have and reminds them of important dates, such as spring course registration.
On the Right Track
We care about your student, and we want him or her to be successful. These are just a few of the programs we have in place to help keep your student on the right track—it's part of the Carolina Difference.
