The Offices of the Dean of Students includes 11 departments unified by the common mission of facilitating students' holistic learning and development, as well as fostering a safer, socially just and healthful living-learning-working community. Guided by the philosophy that student engagement and empowerment are essential ingredients for student success, the Dean of Students offices serve all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at UW-Madison. The central office for the division is located in 75 Bascom Hall; 608/263-5700; TTY 608/890-1652; fax 608/265-5646; dean@odos.wisc.edu; www.wisc.edu/students.
Advising and Program Staff for Associated Students of Madison
Diversity Education Program (DEP)
LGBT Campus Center
International Student Services (ISS)
McBurney Disability Resource Center
Multicultural Student Center (MSC)
Orientation and New Student Programs
Student Advocacy and Judicial Affairs (SAJA)
Student Organization Office (SOO)
The Associated Students of Madison (ASM) is the student government of the UW-Madison campus. Professional staff serve as advisors. All students at UW-Madison are members of ASM. The heart and soul of ASM are the campaigns and committees that, through the efforts of volunteers and interns, organize around issues of social justice, affordable education, and student participation in major university decisions. ASM is a grassroots organization that focuses on issues important to students on cam-pus and at the state and national levels. ASM appoints students to university committees to make sure that student voices are heard in major decisions at UW-Madison. ASM is divided into three basic branches: ASM Student Council, ASM Student Services Finance Committee (SSFC), and ASM Student Judiciary.
For information about how to get involved, contact Associated Students of Madison, 511 Memorial Union, 800 Langdon Street; 608/265-4276; fax 608/265-5637; asm@studentorg.wisc.edu; www.asm.wisc.edu.
The Diversity Education Program (DEP) is the brainchild of student leaders of the Multi-Cultural Student Coalition (MCSC); it is a student-driven, student-funded initiative to improve campus climate. DEP staff provide guidance and technical assistance to MCSC, as it takes a proactive role to improve cross-cultural communication about race/ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. DEP enhances the learning experience of UW-Madison students by fostering meaningful connections among students and student organizations. The office is located at 324 North Henry Street, Madison, WI 53703. For more information call 608/261-1590 or send an e-mail to bjhebert@bascom.wisc.edu.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Campus Center (LGBTCC) works to provide educational, social and support services for LGBT students, and provides educational and social opportunities for all students, faculty, and staff who seek to learn more about the challenges and issues faced by LGBT students. To achieve these goals, the LGBTCC organizes a mentoring program and support group meetings, and provides speakers via an educational outreach bureau. The LGBTCC also engages in a wide variety of programming ventures, often in collaboration with other groups, to provide educational and entertainment opportunities throughout the academic year, including National Coming Out Week (October), Out And About Week (April) and many smaller programs. In addition, the LGBTCC library holds more than 2,000 specialized volumes, ranging from gay/lesbian fiction to scholarly works on a host of specialty topics, including coming out, transgender issues, and issues facing LGBT students of color. New volumes are added each year, providing students with a valuable resource for research projects and papers. Finally, the LGBTCC maintains a small but diverse collection of educational and entertainment films focusing on LGBT issues, and manages a diverse set of popular periodicals for students to browse.
The LGBTCC is staffed by a combination of professional and student staff. Members of the campus community may join the LGBTCC's "weekly events update" mailing list, or visit the LGBTCC Web site for an event calendar or contact information for support services. The center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information contact the LGBTCC, 2nd Floor, Memorial Union, 800 Langdon Street; 608/265-3344; www.wisc.edu/lgbt.
International Student Services (ISS) on the second floor of the Red Gym, 716 Langdon Street, assists international students and their dependent families on arrival and throughout their stay at the university. ISS provides orientations for newly arrived students each semester, including an introduction to social life at the university, and essential information on immigration regulations and procedures.
ISS is available to advise international students about maintaining their nonimmigrant visa status, and about the conditions, rights and responsibilities attached to the F and J visa categories, and in some cases to assist with immigration documents. International student advisors also assist students with issues of life in a new country and a new and different academic and social context.
The ISS office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with walk-in advising 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Staff members are available by telephone 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at 262-2044, and by e-mail at intstudents@redgym. For additional information see www.intstudents.wisc.edu.
The McBurney Disability Resource Center is the primary campus resource for students and guests with disabilities. Program goals include providing academic, physical, and electronic access to students in an environment emphasizing variations, not limitations. McBurney staff members work in conjunction with students, faculty, and staff to develop disability-related service recommendations including, but not limited to, alternative testing, notetakers, interpreters, and Braille, electronic or audiotaped course materials. Additional services include disability-related counseling, self-advocacy training, and promotion of disability issues and accommodations. The center also provides disability-related training, information, and referral for staff and faculty and serves as a clearinghouse for resources on disability issues.
Students seeking accommodations should request assistance from the center as soon as possible. Verification of need is based on disability documentation provided by the student. Requests should be made in a timely manner, preferably before or at the beginning of the semester. Faculty may request support from McBurney staff in evaluating and providing accommodation requests. If students feel they have experienced discrimination or wish to appeal a denied accommodation, they can refer to the Student Disability Accommodation Request Appeal Process available from the center or at www.wisc.edu/adac/students/studentappeal.html.
For more information call 608/263-2741 (voice) or 608/263-6393 (TTY), fax 608/265-2998, or write to McBurney Disability Resource Center, 1305 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706-1523; mcburney@odos.wisc.edu; or see www.mcburney.wisc.edu. Office hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Students with disabilities. The UW-Madison supports the right of full and equal educational opportunity for all students. Disability should not be the basis for exclusion from educational programs. All students are entitled to an accessible, accommodating, and supportive teaching and learning environment.
Implementing reasonable accommodations is a shared faculty and student responsibility. Students with known disabilities who need accommodation in their course work should consult with instructors as early as possible—preferably before the beginning of a semester. Students who incur or recognize a disability and the need for an accommodation during the semester should consult immediately with the instructor. Faculty are expected to work with students to identify and provide reasonable instructional accommodations. Throughout these steps, the student is responsible for self-advocacy. In addition, the McBurney Disability Resource Center is available as a resource and can assist students and faculty with accommodation issues.
All students are required to meet the fundamental degree requirements of the university, which include a general education component. The university has determined that waivers to the communication and quantitative reasoning portions of the general education component would fundamentally alter the nature of the University of Wisconsin-Madison degree. Therefore, students should not expect to obtain disability-based waivers to the communication and quantitative reasoning portions of the General Education Requirements.
Departments and units have designated Access and Accommodation Resource Coordinators (AARCs), who can be consulted regarding general access and accommodation issues or department appeals processes. Deans' offices or the McBurney Disability Resource Center can help identify the appropriate AARC. For more information see www.wisc.edu/adac/facstaff/coord.html.
The Multicultural Student Center (MSC) focuses on the needs of five designated American ethnic groups (African American, American Indian, Chicana/o and Puerto Rican, and Asian American). Its purpose is to create programs that will enhance the academic achievement of students of color and develop activities that will promote cultural warmth, identity, and a sense of belonging among students of color. The center hosts a variety of activities that promote interaction between American students of color and other groups.
The center is governed by a 15-member faculty, staff, student, and community advisory board. A calendar of multicultural events is available monthly. The center is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m., and Sunday 12 noon to 11 p.m. Summer hours are 8:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday, For more information contact the MSC, 2nd Floor, Red Gym, 716 Langdon Street, Madison, WI 53706; 608/262-4503; http://msc.wisc.edu/msc.
Orientation and New Student Programs (ONSP) leads the first-year experience at UW-Madison. The first-year experience is a campuswide effort to improve the first year by identifying shared goals, conducting first-year research and assessment, and engaging in dialogue on first-year issues. ONSP leads this effort by facilitating collaboration and alignment among decentralized campus functions including but not limited to gateway courses, first-year interest groups, learning communities, freshman seminars, residence life, student leadership and involvement, student support services and orientation and welcome programs. In addition, ONSP coordinates Student Orientation, Advising and Registration (SOAR) and Wisconsin Welcome. For more information contact ONSP at 21 North Park Street, Suite 3600, Madison, WI 53703; 608/263-0367; fax 608/265-3370; newstudent@odos.wisc.edu; www.newstudent.wisc.edu.
The assistant dean staff in Student Advocacy and Judicial Affairs (SAJA), in collaboration with other university offices, provides direct services and support programs contributing to the overall success of UW-Madison students. Direct services include, but are not limited to: general ombuds support, conflict mediation, crisis management, sexual assault victim advocacy, referrals to financial assistance, resource referral, and administration of the academic and nonacademic codes of student conduct. In addition, the assistant deans in SAJA can be quickly mobilized to respond and provide support in the case of a campuswide or other student-related emergency.
The SAJA staff also offers programs to enhance student safety, administer the DOS Student Crisis Loan Fund, and investigate on-campus bias- or hate-related crimes or incidents involving students.
Students, as well as parents, faculty, staff, alumni and others with concerns regarding student life, can access the on-call dean in Student Advocacy and Judicial Affairs by calling 608/263-5700 or stopping by Room 75 in Bascom Hall.
The Student Organization Office (SOO) is a student involvement and leadership center that helps students get connected with opportunities outside the classroom through the following services and programs:
For additional information: http://soo.studentorg.wisc.edu; soo@odos.wisc.edu; 239 Red Gym, 716 Langdon Street; Madison, WI 53706; 608/263-0365; TTY 608/263-2400; fax 608/265-8184.