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Berea College

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If you have questions about how your student is doing at Berea College, you should start the dialogue first with your student. If you are not satisfied with that discussion, you can contact Rosanna Hutcheson or Shalamar Sandifer, the Coordinators of First-Year Student Success at 859-985-3376. We encourage you not to contact faculty members, as it is important that the faculty-student relationship be built directly by those individuals. In addition, faculty will not know whether a FERPA form has been signed, so they will not be certain what information your student has given permission to communicate. Shalamar and Rosanna will have access to your student’s FERPA status.

What if I have questions about my student's academic performance?

There is a network of faculty and staff here to support students, depending on what specific questions or concerns they may have. If your student’s advisor is not available, encourage your student to email or call the Office of First-Year Initiatives at 859-985-3376. We can help identify the best point of contact.

What if my student's advisor is away or busy?

The <a href="https://next.berea.edu/centers/center-for-teaching-and-learning">Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL)</a> provides collaborative learning opportunities for all Berea College students through Academic Coaching. Students can also utilize the CTL for Writing Resources, Teaching and Learning Assistant programs and Student-Faculty Partnership program. For more tutoring services your student can use the library that has Math Lab and study tables. Please encourage your student to access their Teaching Assistant’s (T.A.’s) for academic help as well.

Are tutoring services available?

Disability &amp; Accessibility Services (DAS) consider parents as partners in the work of making education accessible to students with disabilities and supporting those students through college. The resources are provided to help parents support their children with disabilities as college students. For more information about disability and accessibility resources, please visit the DAS website. Or, contact Lisa Ladanyi, Director of Disability &amp; Accessibility Services at 859-985-3327.

Where can I get information about campus accessibility resources?

As a residential college serving low-income students, Berea’s car policy prohibits all first-year students from having cars and limits the number of approved student vehicles and campus parking spaces. Some special exceptions are made only for the following circumstances: student’s home residence is an eight-hour or longer drive from campus, “independent” student status (based on FAFSA definition), or in some situations that require personal medical appointments outside of the area as verified by the <a href="http://berea.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2014-2015/Catalog/The-College/Campus-Services/College-Health-Service">College Health Service</a>.  As noted on pp. 69-70 of the Berea College Student Handbook, “College policy is to discourage unnecessary ownership and use of personal vehicles by students. It is also College policy to provide an educational and social situation in which the ownership and use of personal motor vehicles by students are not normally needed. Ecological and environmental effects, loss of open space, costs of parking, and increased traffic hazards associated with a large number of motor vehicles are also factors influencing the College’s policy of restricting student vehicles.”

Can first-year students bring cars to campus?

Berea College offers sustainable transportation resources such as campus bike racks and carpool parking, a campus shuttle system to surrounding communities, and a student-led community bike program.
<h4>Car Share</h4>
Berea College and Enterprise Car Rentals provide an on-campus car for student use. All students can sign up to use the car by going to the Enterprise Car Share website. Students under the age of 18 must have a parent’s signature to join.
<h4>Ride Share</h4>
In partnership with Zimride, Berea College offers a ride sharing and carpooling service. The service is free to use for all students. All you have to do is sign up.
<h4>Bicycling Services</h4>
Four bicycle repair stations have been installed in easily accessible corners of campus. Additionally, a bike share program is in the works (more information to come).
BC Express
Campus Life offers a transportation service for Berea College students called “BC Express.”  This 12-passenger van operates during regular hours three days a week to provide transportation for students to local towns and businesses.
<h4>Motor Pool Vehicles</h4>
The campus motor pool includes three hybrid vehicles for College business and academic use. The Ecovillage offers a hybrid Toyota Prius that residents can check out for off-campus needs such as grocery shopping. There is a mileage fee if only one person uses the car, but it is free if there are two or more people riding in the car.

How can my student get around campus or town?

Berea College’s student mailing address for both mail and packages is:
Student Name 
CPO Box # ____, 101 Chestnut St. 
Berea College 
Berea, KY 40404

Where can I send mail to my student?

If you cannot reach your student, please contact the Area Coordinator that oversees each first-year hall. For more information on how to contact a Collegium member, please visit the Residence Life website. Remember, there are many possible reasons for an inability to communicate (your student turned his/her phone off, cell phone or internet service is disrupted, power is out, etc…), please know that our first priority is always our students’ safety. You can be assured that the Berea College Public Safety Team is hard at work from the very start of any emergency situation, and that college staff members are available to support student needs on an around-the-clock basis. To contact Public Safety please call 859-985-3333.

I cannot reach my student. What do I do?

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Each residence hall has laundry facilities available for student use. Some halls have facilities on every floor, while others have them available to all residents in a centralized location. There is no fee for the use of these facilities.
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Where does my student do laundry? How much does it cost?

Encourage your student to:
<ul>
<li>make an appointment to see <a href="https://next.berea.edu/counseling-services">Counseling Services</a> in Fairchild Hall. Counseling Services attempts to meet the personal and developmental needs of individual students. To make an appointment please call 859-985-3212;</li>
<li>speak with his or her student Residential life staff (Collegium, Resident Assistant and Student Chaplin) are trained to assist students with accessing campus resources. There is a <a href="https://next.berea.edu/centers/campus-christian-center/student-chaplain-listing%ef%bf%bc">Student Chaplain</a> in all first-year residence halls who can provide peer pastoral mentorship to students throughout campus;</li>
<li>talk with his or her Academic Advisor. Students develop relationships early on with their Academic Advisors. If the student feels comfortable enough to share their issues the advisor can direct the student into the best campus resource.</li>
</ul>

What if my student experiences personal or mental health issues?

Berea College students are provided health services through White House Clinics. Students can expect services such as medical, dental, full pharmacy and mental health support. Encourage your student to call and make an appointment with the Care Team. The White House Clinics staff begin answering phones at 7:00 a.m.

What if my student becomes ill?

Yes! It’s a great value and it is Berea College’s policy that all designated Campus Residents purchase a meal plan each semester. Students can choose which plan best fits their schedule and lifestyle.

Are all students required to be on a meal plan?

The <a href="https://bereadining.sodexomyway.com/dining-near-me/mountaineer-dining">Mountaineer Dining Hall</a> is closed during Winter Break and will re-open at the start of the academic term. During Spring Break and Summer term the dining hall will remain open.

Do dining locations remain open during holiday breaks?

The Student Right to Know and Campus Security Act signed into law in November 1990, requires that all institutions of higher education report annually to students and employees on specific campus crime statistics and security policies and procedures.  This report meets the requirements of that law and demonstrates compliance with the Federal Drug Free Schools and Communities Acts Amendments of 1989 to the Higher Education Act of 1965.
Notification methods, depending upon the nature and extent of the emergency and populations at risk, may include but are  not limited to a combination of the following: activation of emergency outdoor sirens with tonal and voice capabilities; notification through the e2Campus Emergency Alert system which includes phone text messages, email and voice mail for both cell and land line phones;  campus email; messages posted on the college’s web page;  fire alarms; phone trees for  residence hall staff, divisional personnel, and building contact persons;  posted notices in prominent areas of campus; vehicle loud speakers; and notification by word of mouth. Once Emergency Notification has been made, the institution does not also issue a Timely Warning Statement on the same situation. The institution will issue appropriate follow-up communication, as needed, advising as to the status of the situation and concerns deemed relevant to the campus population.

How are students notified in case of a campus emergency? 

Berea College offers two sessions of summer courses. One option for your student is the four-week session in May and early June in which students may take one course for 1.5 credits. Or, students can take an eight-week session from early June through early August and take up to 2.25 credits. Some students participate in labor only experiences, such as the Undergraduate Research and Creative Projects Program, during the summer months.

Parents and Family

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Frequently Asked Questions