- Student Handbook
- Code of Student Conduct (.pdf, 503kb)
- Annual Security Report (.pdf, 200kb)
Professional advisers, secretarial staff and specially trained peer advisers aid students in making degree planning decisions. Services include general advising and specialized advising for transfer-credit questions and for pre-health and pre-law advising. Office staff interpret and implement academic policies and regulations. They discuss with students such issues as academic planning, creation of individual majors, general career planning, withdrawals and student record problems. Harpur students consult with advisers throughout their academic career. Students are also assigned departmental advisers after they officially declare a major.
Faculty, professional advising staff, department office staff and a cadre of trained peer advisers work together with students to help them with advising issues. CCPA students consult with peer advisers for quick questions on everything from room locations, to how to read a Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) report, to scheduling classes. The professional adviser helps students interpret policies and procedures and advises on transfer credit questions, student record problems, career planning and academic scheduling. Students also consult their assigned faculty adviser with questions on graduate school and career plans.
The coordinator of student services is the faculty member who advises Decker freshman and sophomore students. In addition, second-semester sophomore students are assigned another faculty adviser to help them plan their coursework in the nursing curriculum. Students may contact the student services office whenever they have questions regarding specific requirements or aspects of the program. Decker students are encouraged to purchase the undergraduate or graduate edition of Decker School of Nursing Handbook. It discusses specific policies, procedures and guidelines to complete the nursing major.
The Graduate School of Education offers graduate-degree programs in Early Childhood Education, Childhood Education, Adolescence Education, Literacy Education and Special Education. These programs mix theory, subject matter, curriculum, assessment and instruction to prepare graduates for careers in grades B-12 education. The school’s goal is to prepare competent, caring and qualified professional educators who are dedicated to their profession and to diverse learning communities. All of GSE’s teacher preparation programs are nationally accredited through the Teacher Education Accreditation Council and approved for New York state certification or endorsement.
The Graduate School of Education also offers an Educational Leadership Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) program, designed to prepare prospective educational leaders and administrators to serve in PreK-12 schools and school districts. This program leads to eligibility to earn New York state certification as school building and school district leaders.
Finally, GSE offers a highly selective doctoral program in education that encourages individuals to become leaders in curriculum development, educational theories and practices, and educational reform.
A faculty adviser is assigned to newly matriculated students. This adviser works with students on planning a program of study and also answers questions on careers and graduate school. In addition, the Graduate School of Education office (Academic B- 230) has an excellent staff that is committed to providing students with the best academic experience possible. From providing general information about programs to providing guidance toward successful completion of a teacher education program, the Graduate School of Education faculty and staff are here to ensure student success.
SOM advisers are available to help students select courses, interpret policies and program schedules, and to advise them on other problems that may arise. Appointments are not required to see an adviser. Students may seek assistance on matters related to issues such as waivers of regulations, exceptions to academic policy or late adds/drops of courses. Freshmen are encouraged to meet with an adviser in their first semester to plan the liberal arts components of their program. By junior year, students should visit the office to officially declare a SOM concentration. First-semester seniors are encouraged to visit to complete a seventh-semester check. Students are encouraged to get to know SOM faculty outside the classroom.
The Watson School Advising Office provides all basic advising services, with staff members available on a walk-in and appointment basis. Students should visit the office with any questions or concerns. The professional academic advisers, peer advisers and office secretary respond to questions regarding policy, procedures and DARS, and assist with the processing of all paper work. Each Watson School student is assigned a faculty member as a primary adviser to help plan a course of study and to discuss career and graduate opportunities in the chosen major.
The Center for Learning and Teaching (CLT) offers tutorial services, the National Student Exchange program, and runs the Institute for Student-Centered Learning. The CLT also supports three academic honor societies, Phi Eta Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi and Tau Sigma.
Tutoring services are offered free of charge for undergraduate courses primarily on a by-appointment, but also on a walk-in, basis. Tutors facilitate students’ understanding of course content and foster effective study and time-management skills. Students requesting academic help should sign up for tutoring early in the semester so they can schedule regular sessions.
Walk-in hours are subject to availability and should supplement regular tutoring contacts. More tutors are available on a by-appointment basis, and the CLT makes every effort to recruit additional tutors in order to accommodate requests. Please see our website for more information: http://www2.binghamton.edu/clt/tutoring.html
National Student Exchange (NSE) is a consortium of just under 200 colleges and universities across the USA, Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Students can attend one of the participating schools for one term/semester or up to a full calendar year. More information is available at http://www2.binghamton.edu/clt/nse.html.
The Institute for Student Centered Learning (ISCL) organizes conferences, workshops and informal learning events for those who teach at Binghamton University, with a focus on educational approaches that have been shown to be effective and long-lasting.
Honor Societies: The CLT-associated honor societies and their constituents are:
Phi Eta Sigma - outstanding freshmen
Tau Sigma - transfer students
Phi Kappa Phi - outstanding juniors and seniors
The Writing Center offers free, individualized tutoring in writing to all students at Binghamton University. Its goal is to help students learn to improve their writing skills. Tutors discuss with students possible revisions of drafts of their papers. They also help students learn to recognize and correct errors in grammar and punctuation; they do not, however, edit or proofread papers. Students should call or stop by to make an appointment; walk-ins are accepted only if tutors do not have previously scheduled appointments. The center also maintains a collection of reference works and texts that students are welcome to use.
One office location for all in-person academic record and financial aid transactions as well as financial aid counseling. Services include, but are not limited to: ID cards, course registration, one-on-one financial aid advisement, loan counseling, scholarships, diplomas, proof of enrollment, personal information updates and undergraduate application for degree. For students seeking information and assistance to finance a college education, the office assists students and their families with exploring various financing options, including federal and state grants, employment, scholarships, student and parent loans. The office is also the source for answers to questions regarding course and examination schedules, grades, transcripts and diplomas. Extensive online information is available 24/7 via the Registrar and Financial Aid Services websites at www.registrar.binghamton.edu and www.bingfa.binghamton.edu respectively. An important reminder: BU BRAIN is accessible 24/7 at http://bubrain.binghamton.edu for students to log-in and conduct financial aid and registrar transactions anytime online, including confirmation of enrollment, proof of enrollment, transcript requests, view/accept/decline aid and more.
International education is highly valued at Binghamton. Students are encouraged to study foreign languages, to select courses dealing with international and intercultural topics, and to study abroad. Binghamton study-abroad opportunities include programs in Australia, Austria, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Korea, Latin America, Morocco, the Netherlands, Scotland, Spain, Turkey and other areas. Students may also study in other SUNYsponsored study-abroad programs. The Office of International Programs (OIP) offers a range of advising resources, including information sessions, walk-in hours and an annual Study Abroad Fair in the fall semester, to assist students in selecting the most suitable program for their needs.
For further information on studying abroad you are encouraged to contact the Office of International Programs (OIP) early in your Binghamton career.
Binghamton University’s global studies minor (GSM) offers students important academic preparation for recognizing and exploring the ways interrelated processes fit with the challenges of the 21st century. The GSM has a fl exible curriculum aimed at preparing global graduates for entry into a diversified world full of complex challenges and opportunities.
The GSM is open to all undergraduate students who wish to increase their knowledge and competencies by adding a formally recognized global dimension to their program of study. Students may use the global studies minor to help steer their choice of electives; to provide a global studies foundation associated with their major; or to expand their future opportunities on the basis of acquired international knowledge, intercultural proficiency and global awareness.
Because the global studies minor builds on the University’s existing “Global Interdependencies” and language requirements, students need only 20 credits beyond the General Education requirements. Some or most of these credits may also count toward other General Education requirements or for a given student’s major(s) and other minor(s). To schedule an in-take meeting to discuss your options as they relate to the GSM, e-mail us at oipga@binghamton.edu.
Binghamton’s Languages Across the Curriculum (LxC) program provides unique opportunities for the use of foreign language skills in courses that would not normally offer such opportunities. The long-term goal of LxC is to foster the use of reading — and, when possible, listening and speaking — skills in any foreign language a student may know, in any class that the student may take anywhere in the University curriculum. Participating students substitute course-specific, intermediate-level foreign language reading assignments prepared by LxC’s language resource specialists (LRSs) for a portion — typically 10 to 20 percent — of the usual English-based course assignments. Except for a weekly study-group meeting conducted in English by the LRS, the workload for LxC participants should not exceed that of others in any given class.
The Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program, also known as McNair Scholars Program at Binghamton University, is a U.S. Department of Education funded program designed to encourage intellectually gifted undergraduates to consider enrolling in graduate programs in various disciplines and, beyond this, to complete the PhD and enter the academy as college and university professors and researchers.
Focusing on graduate school preparation, the McNair Scholars Program demystifies the graduate school application process and provides students with a simulated graduate school experience, which includes extensive research experiences. The program offers a scholarly environment whereby students receive academic, financial and social support. For detailed information, or to download an application, please visit our website.
The Libraries provide access to a variety of print and digital resources, including over 2.4 million volumes; 81,959 journal holdings (electronic and print), and 2.1 million microform, map and multimedia items.
The Libraries offer research consultation and assistance in person and electronically, a laptop/netbook lending program, customized instruction sessions, and post news/updates through a number of blogs. Together with the online gateway, these services give patrons access to innumerable information resources and research tools such as catalogs, reference databases, citation databases, subject gateways, and e-journals.
Information about Course Reserves can be found onlineat http://library.binghamton.edu/eres/. Course Reserves are materials faculty select as required and assigned readings. Many materials -- articles, book chapters, student papers, and non-copyrighted materials (lecture notes and exams, for example) -- may be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week through Blackboard.
Physical reserve materials, including books, videos, DVDs, cassettes, CDs, and other items (both from the Libraries’ and instructors’ personal collections) are located in the Newcomb Reading Room and the UDC Library. Loan periods are established in consultation with instructors and range from two hours (three hours for VHS and DVD) to one and two-day loans. These periods are clearly indicated on each item when it is charged out.
Quiet and group study spaces are available throughout the Libraries. During the fall and spring semesters, Bartle Library is open 24 hours a day, from noon Sundays through 8 p.m. Fridays and noon until 8 p.m. on Saturdays. The Library Annex@Conklin is open to the public Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 4:00 pm. Complete Library hours are available on the Libraries’ web page.
The Binghamton University Information Commons, a collaborative initiative between the Libraries and Information Technology Services, provide access to a powerful selection of print and online resources, a vast array of application software and tools, and expert assistance to help with their use. Each Information Commons is a computer-enhanced research environment that invites and attracts users to work collaboratively, use the wide range of resources available in the library, and obtain expert assistance.
Special Collections, located on the second floor of Bartle Library, houses rare books, manuscript and archival collections, sound recordings and the University Archives and is the location of the Bernard F. Huppe Reading Room and the Link Conference Room. The rare and archival collections include North American editions published prior to 1850, British imprints prior to 1800 and European imprints prior to 1750. Collections of note include the Edwin A. Link Collection, the Frances R. Conole Archive of Recorded Sounds, the Max Reinhardt Archive and Library, the William J. Haggerty Collection of French Colonial History, the Yi-t’ung and An-chi Lou Wang Research Collection on Chinese Culture.
Binghamton’s Information Technology Services (ITS), located in the Computer Center Building, provides central computing support to academic, instructional and research programs and to campus administrative offices. Major computing equipment includes central hosts as well as file servers, advanced workstations and personal computers linked through a campus-wide communications network. To assist students and faculty with computing, ITS staff teach workshops, consult or advise on computer software and hardware problems, distribute written and Web-based documentation and maintain an extensive software library.
The public computing classrooms/labs (called Pods), located in the Academic A Building, the Center for Academic Excellence, the University Downtown Center, and Science II and Science III, serve the majority of student users on campus. Workstations are also located in other areas on campus, including Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science, collegiate libraries and residential communities. Residence hall rooms are wired to allow Ethernet connection to the Internet for each student. Wireless networking pervades every residence hall and academic building on campus.
ITS and the University Libraries jointly provide a computing environment in conjunction with library reference services. The Information Commons in Bartle Library, Science Library and the University Downtown Center (providing 200, 45 and 35 computers, respectively) are available whenever those facilities are open. The availability of networked computers where the major source of information for scholarly activity is located has proven to be a much appreciated campus feature.
Every student has a campus e-mail account, network file space and a print quota. Student Pods IDs give them access to e-mail, the network, Binghamton’s Blackboard course management system, library resources and the BU Brain portal to the University’s online resources. Virtually every enrolled student uses the computer for course-related work in a given semester. Students are encouraged to use the computer as an appropriate tool and, more fundamentally, as a flexible vehicle for liberal arts education. With the creation of several multimedia and distance-learning classrooms, and direct access to the Internet from most computers on campus, information technology has enriched many aspects of the curriculum.
The Binghamton University Telecommunications Office provides several services for student living including local, long distance, and international calling, cable television, voice mail, fax services, AT&T wireless discounts and off campus Roadrunner internet and digital phone discounts. For more details, visit telecom.binghamton.edu.
Each residential room has a telephone with campus access and one voice mailbox, with the exception of Broome, Delaware and Chenango halls (telephones are available in these halls upon request). You will be able to make on campus calls, local calls and domestic long distance calls. If you wish to make international calls, directory assisted calls or operator assisted calls, you must sign up for a Personal Billing Number (PBN) in the Telecommunications Office. The window hours are Monday - Friday, 11:00am - 3:00pm.
Cost and Payments:
Each residential room has a cable TV outlet. Residents need to supply their own cable-ready television. Telecommunications provides a cable connector.
Students may send and receive faxes through the Telecommunications Office. The fax number is 607-777-4000. Service charges apply; please call ahead for current rates.
Binghamton University recognizes that there may be matters you may wish to explore “off the record,” or about which you want informal advice, or which, despite your best effort and that of others, have not been effectively or appropriately resolved. The University encourages the airing and resolution of problems and disputes, and the Ombudsman is an alternative channel of assistance — complementing, not replacing, existing channels.
The University Ombudsman provides impartial, confidential assistance with informal complaints and conflict resolution. The University Ombudsman will listen to you; discuss your concerns; help analyze your situation and identify options for resolving it; interpret and explain how University policies apply to you; provide information and referral, and, without taking sides, facilitate communication among disputants and mediate or negotiate a resolution.
The University Ombudsman is available to Binghamton University students, staff, faculty and Research Foundation employees, and operates according to the following three premises:
To preserve their privacy and confidentiality, clients may arrange appointments for our services at locations other than our office.
The Office of Affirmative Action serves the entire Binghamton University community and is committed to the University’s vision of respect for the richness of human diversity and of creating an inclusive University community. The office provides programming, outreach, advice and compliance efforts in support of this vision.
The affirmative action officer reports to the vice president for administration, provides leadership and direction to the University’s efforts to promote diversity, and acts as primary resource for all affirmative-action and equal- opportunity employment (AA/EEO) concerns. The officer is responsible for affirmative-action and equal-opportunity employment practices and for ensuring that the University’s programs, polices and practices comply with federal state and local affirmative-action equal-opportunity laws and regulations.
Binghamton’s highly competitive intercollegiate program consists of 21 men’s and women’s NCAA Division I varsity teams, in competition throughout the fall, winter and spring. As a member of the prestigious America East Conference, the Bearcats have an opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament in every sport. The program has a long history of national achievements, boasting conference championships, NCAA tournament participation and more than 150 All- Americans. Binghamton student-athletes combine outstanding performance on the playing field with high distinction in the academic arena.
