Home | Undergraduate Catalog 2012-2013 | Division of Student Affairs

Division of Student Affairs

Building 1A, Room 301

Vice President, A. Ramona Brown

718.982.2335

The Division of Student Affairs is concerned with all aspects of student life at the College and provides a comprehensive program of support services that includes orientation, counseling, career development, job placement, and the SEEK program. The Division coordinates student recruitment and admissions, student activities, services for disabled students, the CLUE program, pluralism and diversity programming, the scholarship and internship programs, health services, intercollegiate and intramural sports, and the Commencement exercises. Management of the Sports and Recreation Center, Campus Center, and the Center for the Arts are under the auspices of the Division. The Division of Student Affairs offers courses in Issues in College Life, Career Development, and Personal Growth and Development, and internships.

Campus Center

Building 1C

The Campus Center draws together all members of the College of the Staten Island community. It is a shared possession of the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests. While each of these groups is important, it is the students who are at the heart of what the Campus Center is about. The Campus Center is the focal point of extra- and co-curricular student life. It houses the Office of Student Life, the CSI Student Government, student clubs, student publications, the CSI Association Inc., and the Auxiliary Services Corporation. Such services as the Bookstore, Cafeteria, Park Café, the College Health Center, the Wellness Program, and the Peer Drop-in Center are located in the Campus Center. Lounges for entertainment and studying, a computer lab, a video game room, conference and meeting rooms, and locker rentals are available for student use. WSIA-FM (88.9) broadcasts from the Campus Center. Questions regarding use of facilities and locker rentals may be directed to the Campus Center, Room 201. The telephone number is 718.982.3071.

The Career and Scholarship Center

Building 1A, Room 105

The Center assists current students and graduates with their career, internship, and placement needs. Résumé critique and referral, mock interviews, on-campus employer recruitment, collegiate job fairs and the Senior Employment Referral Program help students to meet their employment goals.

Students seeking an internship can review a database of over 400 internship opportunities and can learn about the Summer Internship Stipend Program and internship referral program.

Assistance with the fellowship, scholarship, and special opportunity application process is provided as well as review of mission statements and personal essays that may be required for select fellowship and graduate school applications.

Career coaching is available to students who are unsure about their career choice. Career assessment testing for first year students is available through the Pathfinder Program, which is now administered by the Center for Advising and Academic Success.

Career-related workshops are given throughout the year and computers are available to students who want to access the database of full- and part-time jobs, internships, and fellowships.

Children's Center

Building 2R

The Children's Center is sponsored by the CSI Association and provides early education and childcare services for students who may be attending classes, working, participating in other school-related activities, or who need personal time. The programs for infants/toddlers and preschool children are licensed by the Bureau of Day Care of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The program for school-age children is registered with the School Age Division of the NYS Office of Children and Family Services. The Center is funded through the Student Activity Fee; city, state, and federal grant money; and parent fees. For further information please call 718.982.3190 or visit www.csi.cuny.edu/childcare.

Clubs and Organizations

The CSI Student Government and the Office of Student Life charter and recognize student clubs and organizations. Any group of students with a common interest may request a charter for a student club or organization from the Student Government Office, and students may join any of the existing groups that receive a charter each year. Members of clubs associate around a broad range of interests and identifications. Approximately 40 clubs are organized by students with common interests rising out of academic studies, social commitments, or personal values. Sports-related clubs file for a charter initially with Student Government before applying for funding from the Intramural and Recreation Program. The telephone number is 718.982.3088.

College of Staten Island Association, Inc.

The College of Staten Island Association, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that administers the Student Activity Fee. The Association is governed by a board of directors comprised of six students, three administrators, three faculty, and the President or designee. The Association allocates designated portions of the Fee, traditionally applied to graduation exercises, intercollegiate athletics and intramural programs, the Children's Center, Health and Wellness, WSIA, and the Campus Activities Board.

Counseling Services

Building 1A, Room 109

The Counseling Center provides personal and academic counseling services for students at the College of Staten Island. Students are given the opportunity to explore issues that can help them to achieve success. Professionally trained counselors provide individual and group counseling to address various issues that affect academic performance and experiences in college and one's personal life. With a few legal exceptions, counseling is a confidential process. Personal counseling is designed to help students address concerns, come to a greater understanding of themselves, and develop effective strategies for dealing with life's challenges. Academic counseling assists students with maximizing their academic performance. Counselors help students with a variety of issues that affect academic success such as test anxiety, time management, study strategies, and concentration.

Center for Student Accessibility

Center for the Arts (1P)

The Center for Student Accessibility has responsibility for providing reasonable accommodations and services to students with a documented disability. The Center also serves as a resource for faculty and staff in their work with CSI students with disabilities. To qualify for services, students must submit documentation to the Center and request services. All documentation is kept confidential and should be submitted directly to the Center. Services include pre-admissions counseling and accessibility information, advisement, priority registration, and testing accommodations. Assistive technology software, scientific calculators, audio recorders, and assistance in facilitating the use of alternate formats are also available. The Resource Center for the Deaf serves the specific needs of deaf and hard of hearing students providing interpreters and CART services to students who are hard-of-hearing. Interpreters are available for academic advisement, conferences with professors, and other College business. The College's policy for students with disabilities conforms to federal guidelines and the Center offers services mandated by federal and state law. All students with disabilities are encouraged to use the services of the Center. Services are also available to students who are temporarily disabled.

Email Accounts

The Office of Technology Systems will generate a College email/computer login account for all currently registered students. If you have any questions or forget your password after changing it, come to the Library (1L), Room 204. A validated student ID card is required. For more information, please call 718.982.4080, visit www.csi.cuny.edu/cix/index.php and click on the appropriate links, or visit www.csi.cuny.edu/currentstudents and select the link “Look up CSI's email & Login ID to access CSI's computers.”

Intercollegiate and Intramural Athletics

CSI fields women's and men's teams in competition throughout the East Coast, primarily in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. Team and individual sports include men's and women's cross-country, basketball, swimming, tennis, and soccer; men's baseball; and women's softball and volleyball. The College is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA Division III), the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), and The City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC). The intercollegiate athletic program is supported by funding from the CSI Association.

To be eligible for intercollegiate competition, a student must be matriculated as a full-time student. The following criteria must also be met.

Proof of good health; physician's examination and review by CSI medical staff;
Good Academic Standing - Incoming students must meet the CSI Index for baccalaureate eligibility. For continuing student-athletes having acquired over 12 credits, good academic standing is defined as a minimum 2.0 cumulative Grade Point Average.
Maintenance of satisfactory progress toward completion of a bachelor's degree. For continuing student-athletes, this requires successful completion of a minimum of eight credits in the semester previous to the semester of competition in order to meet satisfactory progress requirements. For two-semester sports (Basketball, Swimming and Diving), this requires successful completion of a minimum of eight credits during each semester. Students completing less than eight credits in a required semester who can show good cause may appeal to the committee on student athlete appeals one time during their collegiate playing career.

The recreational and intramural sports program provides opportunities for all students, staff, and faculty to participate in individual and team sports, including competitive, non-competitive, and recreational.

Liberty Partnerships Program

The program is a collaborative effort of the College and the Staten Island Branch of the New York Urban League, the local school district, and community-based organizations and individuals that provides a broad range of educational, enrichment, and support services for high school students who are at risk of dropping out of school.

Ombudsperson

Building 1A, Room 301

Reporting to the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Ombudsperson is authorized to investigate student concerns and to make recommendations regarding the outcome of those investigations. The Ombudsperson, available to all students enrolled at the College, is a source of information about College policies and procedures and, in certain situations, will provide mediation and advocacy services. Students may be advised to visit other College offices to file official student concerns as well.

The Ombudsperson helps students to develop positive strategies to resolve problems and conflicts and acts as a neutral party to hear any type of student concern or dispute related to the College.

The Office deals with academic matters such as grade appeals, accusations of cheating and plagiarism, faculty/student disputes, and non-academic matters such as billing disagreements, conduct issues, campus issues, and interpersonal conflict. This is not a comprehensive list, as it is understood that each individual may have concerns and needs that are unique.

Students can file an official complaint or put information “on the record” at the Office of the Ombudsperson.

New Student Orientation/College Life Unit Experience (CLUE) Program

Building 2A, Room 208

The New Student Orientation/CLUE Office maintains up-to-date records on students' progress toward meeting the New Student Orientation Requirement as described in the Catalog section on Degree Requirements. Students may obtain information about current and planned CLUE-certified events, programs, and activities, and may also check on their status in meeting the requirement. Two enrichment programs called CLUE Challenge and CLUE Pathways encourage students to commit themselves to a broad involvement in the out-of-the-classroom life of the College and its surrounding community. Information about orientation and the CLUE program is available at the CLUE Office. The telephone number is 718.982.2529.

Pluralism and Diversity

Building 2A, Room 208

The Office of Pluralism and Diversity seeks to develop in all aspects of the College's activities a climate that fosters respect for the pluralism and diversity of U.S. society. The Office offers programming, workshops, and training sessions on sensitivity and diversity. The telephone number is 718.982.2897.

Campus Activities Board (CAB)

The Campus Activities Board, a joint committee of the CSI Association and the CSI Student Government, is a student programming board that allocates a designated portion of the Student Activity Fee for social, cultural, and educational programs. The board develops programs that culturally enlighten, intellectually stimulate, and entertain. The planning and decision making process is one in which students learn many skills, especially those related to working with other students on campus-wide projects. Proposals for programs, events, and activities may be made by students and members of the College community. The telephone number is 718.982.3268.

Publications

Students at CSI publish a biweekly newspaper, The Banner; a political journal, The College Voice; a politics and literary arts magazine, Third Rail; an art and literature magazine, Serpentine/Artifacts; a literary journal, Caesura; and the Dolphin yearbook. Publications are funded by Student Activity Fees allocated through the Publication Board. Students interested in participating in the production of these publications as writers, photographers, editors, or layout artists, or in starting new publications are invited to visit the publications' offices or the Office of Student Life in the Campus Center.

The Percy Ellis Sutton SEEK Program

Building 1A, Room 112

The Percy Ellis Sutton SEEK Program Director Gloria Garcia

The SEEK Program (Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge) is a New York State program for residents who are in need of both academic and financial assistance in order to obtain a college education. Information about the program and the application process may be obtained from the SEEK Office. The telephone number is 718.982.2410 or visit our Website: www.csi.cuny.edu/seek.

Sports and Recreation Center

Building 1R

The Sports and Recreation Center houses a full range of facilities and equipment for individual and team sports and games: a gymnasium with seating capacity for 1,200 spectators, an auxiliary gymnasium, two fitness rooms, racquetball courts, and a 25-meter pool. Outdoor facilities include a track, tennis courts, and ball fields.

Student Life

Campus Center (1C), Room 201

The Office of Student Life assists and advises students involved in student organizations, governance committees, and campus activities to develop a rich and diverse co-curricular campus life. The Student Life team also involves staff from the CSI Association, the Student Government, and the Campus Activities Board. The Office sponsors leadership programs for chartered clubs and the general student population and is responsible for the operations of the Campus Center. The telephone number is 718.982.3088.

Student Government

The College of Staten Island Student Government is composed of 20 representatives (senators) elected by the student body each spring semester. Organized into commissions with a specific mandate (e.g., Academic and Curricular Affairs; Clubs; Elections; Finance; Part-time, Evening, and Weekend Students; Student Center; and Student Services), the Student Government represents student interests to the administration and faculty of the College and serves as an advocate for student services. Through its commissions, the Student Government charters and funds all student clubs and associations, administers student elections, allocates a designated portion of the Student Activity Fee, advocates for the special needs of students, and advises the College on the utilization of Campus Center space to serve students in their co-curricular activities. Student Government senators serve on planning and decision making committees with faculty and members of the CSI administration. The telephone number is 718.982.3082.

Health Center and Wellness Program

Campus Center (1C), Room 111

Health and Wellness Services provides prevention and treatment services to enhance health and encourage healthy lifestyle decisions. In collaboration with Staten Island University Hospital, nurse practitioners provide episodic treatment for acute health problems, first aid, college related physicals, immunizations, and tuberculosis skin test (PPD). Rapid confidential HIV testing services, pregnancy testing, and blood pressure checks are also available. This office provides confidential health education appointments with professional staff, student-centered health information, educational outreach programs and a peer education program. Health promotion events include wellness fairs, blood drives, as well as special health-screening events. Services are partially funded by the Student Activity Fee. The telephone number is 718.982.3045.

WSIA - 88.9 FM

Campus Center (1C), Room 106

WSIA, the only radio station on Staten Island, is licensed to the College. The station is staffed by student volunteers working under the guidance of professional staff and broadcasts at 88.9 FM. The state-of-the-art studios, include a digital recording facility, music studio, computerized news operation, and a 40,000-volume record and CD collection. Station programming emphasizes diverse and creative music, local news and public affairs, and Staten Island sports. Students interested in working as DJs, newscasters, sportscasters, and engineers should visit the studio and fill out an application. The telephone number is 718.982.3050.