There are many resources on campus that can help you succeed. Please don’t struggle alone–the campus can help you with everything from academics through to health advice. The information below will point you to the facility or center that you need. If you ever have a question about any of this, please reach out to me.
Student Disability Services (SDS)
The College strives to make all learning experiences as accessible as possible. Students who anticipate or experience academic barriers based on a disability are encouraged to contact Student Disability Services (SDS), a department of the Student Success Office, to set up a confidential appointment to discuss available services and options. The Student Disability Services office can be reached by emailing sds@stmarys-ca.edu; calling 925-631-4358; or visiting the office located in Filippi Academic Hall FAH190.
Library
Ask a librarian!
Need library sources but don’t know where to start? Searching for a book, article, or data to inform your argument? Not sure how to cite a source in your bibliography? Ask a librarian!
Research help is available in person at the Reference Desk, by phone at 925-631-4624, and during reference hours you can even text a librarian at 925-235-4762 or chat with us live via the Library’s website. Check the Library’s Ask Us page for details. (http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/library/ask-us)
Extended assistance by appointment is also available with https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/library/about-the-library/staff-directory/librarian-subject-selectors-and-faculty-liaisons
STEM Center
STEM CENTER: Saint Mary’s has a new STEM Center on the second floor of Assumption Hall for students studying Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The STEM Center will provide several useful services, including:
Math and Chemistry tutoring: Monday-Thursday 12-2 PM and 4-9 PM; Sunday 6-9 PM
“Pathways to Science” speaker series featuring world-class scientists
Social events with free food
Study space and computer workstations
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Ameer Thompson at athompson@stmarys-ca.edu or (925) 631-6282
Student Engagement and Academic Success (SEAS)
SEAS, a department of the Student Success Office, provides opportunities and implements initiatives, which foster holistic learning, academic excellence, and degree achievement for students. We provide strategies, resources, and programs that support: academic and personal success, transition to college and campus, balancing home and college, and academic exploration and planning. Our services include: coaching; workshops – academic success, major exploration, time management, anti-procrastination techniques, study skills, etc.; student outreach; academic monitoring; and referral and interdepartmental collaboration. In collaboration with the Saint Mary’s community, SEAS utilizes the Student Success Collaborative to conduct student outreach, and to inform and assist their work in providing strategies, resources, and programs that promote student success. SEAS is located in Filippi Hall (Next to the Registrar) or check out the SEAS website: www.stmarys-ca.edu/seas.
Tutorial and Academic Skills Center (TASC)
TASC, a department of the Student Success Office, provides tutoring for the majority of courses offered at Saint Mary’s College. The tutoring is done in both an individual and small group format. The tutoring is intended to supplement the work done in the class. The goal is for the tutee and tutor to work collaboratively towards a better understanding of the material. You can request a tutor online at www.stmarys-ca.edu/tutor.
Academic Honor Code
Saint Mary’s College expects every member of its community to abide by the Academic Honor Code. According to the Code, “Academic dishonesty is a serious violation of College policy because, among other things, it undermines the bonds of trust and honesty between members of the community.” Violations of the Code include but are not limited to acts of plagiarism. For more information, please consult the Student Handbook at www.stmarys-ca.edu/your-safety-resources/student-handbook [for traditional undergraduate students] or http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/graduate-professional-academics/graduate-and-professional-student-handbook [for graduate and professional students]. If a reasonable suspicion arises that you have plagiarized an assignment, you will receive 0 point for the assignment and you will be referred to the Academic Honor Council for further review and necessary sanctions.
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) supports the emotional well-being of the student body and is committed to a respectful understanding and honoring of the social, emotional, and cultural contexts represented by each individual student. CAPS provides time-limited individual and group counseling, emergency and crisis intervention, and prevention-oriented outreach to students at no additional charge. More information can be found on our webpage: https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/counseling-and-psychological-services-caps, or by calling x4364. To make a confidential appointment, please stop by our office on the ground floor of Augustine Hall.
CWAC: Center for Writing Across the Curriculum
Writing Circles: During weekly, small-group workshops, students discuss their own writing projects, at all stages of the process. This is a pass-fail course: .25-credit COMM 190 for undergraduates or 1-credit EDUC 504 for graduate students.
One-to-one sessions: Anyone — students, faculty, staff — may make appointments or drop in, De La Salle Hall, 4-8 p.m. Sunday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday & Tuesday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday & Thursday; & 12-4 p.m. Friday. 925.631.4684, www.stmarys-ca.edu/cwac. Writing Advisers guide peers toward expressing ideas clearly, always weighing audience and purpose. Writers bring their assignment sheets and readings in order to brainstorm ideas, revise drafts, or work on specific aspects of writing, such as grammar, citation, thesis development, organization, critical reading, or research methods. They may discuss any genre, including poetry, science lab reports, argument-driven research, theses, or scholarship application letters.